We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sarina Bigney. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sarina below.

Sarina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I have never been happier! I came from having a “regular job” before owning this business, so I do often look back at that time just to see how far I have come, and how different my life is. I will say, owning your own business and especially one with no other employees, can sometimes get lonely without anyone to chat with during the mundane day to day things. In those moments I often look back to having that regular job and how there was always someone to talk to about life things. However, those moments are short lived and do not compare to the quality of life I now live, and the fact that I make a living from being a creative and having flowers as my medium!

Sarina, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a Midwest-based floral fine artist who specializes in handcrafting premier, one-of-a-kind bloom-based creations for weddings, special events, floral subscriptions and custom orders. My design style is highly intuitive and free-spirited. I strive to source the highest quality pesticide and chemical-free local blooms whenever possible. I select my flowers with intention, primarily opting for specialty blooms that are unique as they are visually striking. I take my time and let the flowers speak to me with each and every creation.

I’ve always had a passion for design, which is what led me to studying Fashion Merchandising at Eastern Kentucky University. After graduation I pursued a career in retail merchandising.A few years later I began exploring my love for design through a new medium — flowers. I quickly fell in love with buying blooms and crafting floral pieces for myself in my freetime, often documenting them on social media to share with my friends.
Over the years I balanced my corporate job with my floral passion project, and when the pandemic put a pause on life as we knew it, I found solace in spending time with flowers. As I focused on growing in my craft and continued sharing my art, it became evident that this was meant to be more than just part of my life.
What began as a creative outlet where I could express myself through blooms soon blossomed into my full-time career, and I truly couldn’t feel more blessed.

I am most of proud of just owning a business. That was truly something I never thought about growing up or really ever. This venture came on very organically for me (an “accident” if you will), and I am very proud of where I am in life.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Competition. I am not a competitive person (unless you want to play beer pong with me haha), so when I first got into this industry, I was under the impression that it was competitive. I was afraid to reach out to others for help or to just chat. Thankfully, I quickly realized that it was very much the opposite. The florist community in this area is incredible. I owe a million thanks to many of the established (and incredible) florists in this area who were always eager to help and give advice when I needed it. I quickly learned how different and unique each florist and their style was and how there was someone for everyone, and there is truly no need for competition.
There is not a single thing or “secrets” in this industry that you can’t get info about or research on the internet, youtube, etc., but I would much rather form a relationship with a fellow florist and see what works for them and what their techniques are and bounce ideas off each other and grow relationships and partnerships that way.
I was able to unlearn the notion of competition in this industry quickly and feel very blessed to call many of the local florists here, friends.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I want to show people the value of flowers despite their short shelf life. I often compare them to things like an expensive steak dinner, although delicious, only lasts for less than an hour while you are devouring it. Or even something like a facial, massage, getting your nails done, etc. These are all temporary things, yet if you partake in any of these, you aren’t complaining about the cost, and typically continue to purchase these things or services. Flowers are just the same. To me, they are an investment in my mood and mental health. Flowers can evoke all kinds of feelings, especially happiness. I love delivering flowers and seeing a smile on the recipients face and often times, clients will still mention past flowers I have delivered to them and how much they love them- they truly have a lasting effect, even after they die.
Aside from just the flowers themselves, the design aspect has come such a long way over many years. Putting an arrangement together, whether it is for a wedding day, or just a happy delivery, is an art form for me. Playing around with color, lines, and textures is my favorite part of this job, and I want others to see that, just like a painting, arranging flowers is also a work of art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.flohemianfloral.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/flohemianfloral
• Facebook: Facebook.com/FlohemianFloral

Image Credits
Bri Nicole Photo Eastlyn and Joshua Photographers Bird and Rose photography Samuel Greenhill Photography Mackenzie Frank Photo (MKF photo) Jen Kruskamp Photo Eleven11 Photo