Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tia Evans. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?

Golden Preserved was a snowball effect, a culmination of different skills and desires. It was years of different jobs and coming home to make art just for myself until it turned into art for other people.

I wish I had gotten there quicker, jumped in sooner. I see patterns of passiveness in my business today, opportunities in which it takes me a minute to take the plunge, like with upgrading something or introducing a new product. It’s a fear of investing in myself and the future of my business.

If I were to start over today, I would go into it with more confidence, gumption, and determination. That, and I’d educate myself more on the craft itself. I was definitely winging it for too long.

Tia, 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 Tia Lorraine and I am a flower preservationist. I started Golden Preserved in the summer of 2022, but have been an artist in some form my entire life. Flowers aren’t meant to last, but we can’t deny the effect they have on us, and I just like to save a little part of that.

My small art business is just me and offers original artwork out of preserved flowers. I typically work with bridal bouquets, but I am honored to take part in the memory of a loved one. Over the past three years, I have truly honed in on my style that sets me apart from other floral preservationists. I dry the flowers dimensionally, and they can be secured in my custom-created floating shadow box or encased in glass-like resin home decor. I don’t color-correct and truly let the flowers take a natural shape, focusing on the essence of what once was rather than “freezing time.”

I am so proud of honoring myself while crafting this business; I don’t take on too many clients to focus on the flowers, I don’t say yes to every style and option available for preservation, and I primarily support other small businesses. I truly want my couples to choose me because they feel connected with my art style and their flowers.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My creative journey has always been driven by freedom. I may be making art for other people, but I am doing it my way. I wanted freedom to ebb and flow throughout my day, to honor my body and mind, to be able to actually enjoy life.

This past year, I officially made what I used to make as a full-time pastry chef, but I am not working my body to its bones. I am so close to making what I made as a teacher, but I am not crying every day because of so many things that are out of my control. I have the freedom to live like I never have before and that will continue to be my mission.

Just like flowers, we are here for a short time, and I hope to leave just a little bit of beauty and joy while I’m here.

Have you ever had to pivot?

The last time Canvas Rebel interviewed me, I had just started Golden Preserved. A few months later, my husband and I would move to Western North Carolina, where I had zero connections in the wedding industry–I had lived and worked in the wedding industry in North Florida for a decade. Golden Preserved’s future went from being bright to being uncertain.

I was terrified the move would kill my dream because it was only 6 months old, I was still learning so much. I couldn’t let it without trying, and my husband wouldn’t let me either. I went to wedding venues, attended markets, and worked part-time with a caterer to get in front of more wedding planners, florists, venues, and brides. I really put myself out there, consistently, for two years. In my second year of business, I doubled what I had made in my first. In my third, I almost tripled that. All of my inquiries start with, “…recommended you.”

I took my baby niche art hobby and have transformed it into a thriving business in a town where no one knew my name.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.goldenpreserved.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldenpreserved/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088827027242
• Other: https://maps.app.goo.gl/a3LP224DN37fc9tP6

Image Credits

Sean Szitas