We were lucky to catch up with Zoie Brown recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Zoie, thanks for joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

In college I majored in Studio Art. I thought the only logical path for me – and the one I truly wanted – was to become an Artist. The goal was to show my work in galleries and maybe even museums one day. The issue with this path is that it’s completely non-linear, and not profitable. Soon after finishing school I didn’t really see a solid option for myself to continue creating while also surviving. I tried attending artist residencies, but I felt like all my creative energy was spent. I tried teaching art to Elementary Schoolers and I was a barista on the side for extra money. I always loved kids, but I just wasn’t creating anything in that environment, although it was rewarding in other ways it did not fulfill my creative needs.

After a few months of this I began looking elsewhere for other ways to make money. I always had an obsession with flowers and growing things, so I scoured the job boards for anything related to that. I really wanted to work at the Whole Foods flower section, but they never got back to me (lol). But something much better happened – I got an interview at a flower farm just outside of Boston. I knew my partner and I would have to share a car and it would be difficult, but my gut told me it was the right path for me. While working there, my obsession with flowers only grew. I learned their latin names while doing the tedious work of seeding hundreds of trays to be planted out in spring and early summer. The physical labor was more intense than any job I’d ever had, but it was also the most rewarding. It was incredible to see those seeds become plants, those plants produce the most stunning blooms. I loved the color and texture combinations we could create with the flowers in our market bouquets, and I would constantly take stems home to experiment and try my hand at designing. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was experimenting with a new sculpture medium. It truly changed my life!

After a year at the farm, I felt I needed to pursue the design side of the industry. I applied to retail shops where I would hopefully learn to hone my skill. At a shop in Boston I spent months sweeping and answering phones, processing flowers like line cooks prep vegetables. Eventually I learned arranging techniques that I now know are “old school” but I’m so glad I have that base of knowledge to build on.

I moved on from that shop in Boston and came to New York- where my partner and I had always wanted to spend part of our lives. In New York I worked for a shop that was more contemporary. My boss valued weird and unconventional flowers. It wasn’t the traditional “ice cream scoop” shape I was making before. She let my creativity run wild. Once there was a Covid vaccine and events were possible again, I began freelancing and my mind was opened up to the event world. I found mentors in the events industry that showed me how flowers can transform a space. I was on large teams of talented creatives, all of us working together to create something incredible, if only to be enjoyed by guests for a few hours. This reminded me of my art school days. Laboring away for hours at a time to create an installation that would really only be viewed at the gallery opening, then to be taken down and shoved in storage. The beauty of flowers as a medium is that they are ephemeral. Meant to be enjoyed for only a short time, and only more precious because of this fact. They are my favorite medium and I think the one I was always searching for.

After two years of freelancing for other event florists I began to get inquiries for smaller weddings. I created an instagram to showcase my own work, things I would make with leftover event flowers or old flowers that I would save from the trash a the shop. I used the lessons learned from watching my bosses and mentors and started to do my own thing. It is a very different and more intense experience when I ran the show, but it was incredibly rewarding to see a project from start to finish. I found weddings to be a special niche for me, collaborating and planning with a couple for sometimes over a year about their flowers. To make such a major impact on such a special day between two people and their friends and families is so beautiful to me. I’ve always been a romantic, and I think this comes through in my business ethos and why I am so drawn to weddings. Flowers are inherently romantic to me, and they are an ultimate symbol of love. I feel so honored to be trusted with someone’s wedding, and to make their day special and uniquely them is something I don’t think I’ll ever be tired of.

My first big wedding that I flowered was my own in 2022, with the immense support of my husband throughout my creative ambitions. I had done a few smaller ones, and I had been a freelancer on massive weddings, but my own wedding was a true test of my ability. I had to source the flowers, manage a team, and execute a vision. I was my own client so of course I gave myself a lot of grace, and I learned a lot. I was able to hire a team of freelancers who I loved and respected creatively, and they also attended our wedding. I sourced flowers from a local flower farm, and I proved to myself that I could do it. From there I took a bit of a leap and began pushing my work more, kept posting to instagram, cold emailing, and making proposals for prospective clients. All the while still learning and freelancing from larger companies, and trying to balance it all. This past year was my biggest business year yet, and I’m currently sending out proposals for next year! I hope it continues to grow and I can continue to push florals forward as an art form, creating installations that truly leave an impact on people. I want to show them the immense beauty the natural world contains, because so often we forget to really see it. Many times guests will ask me if something is dyed or fake, and I always respond, No! It’s actually all around us, you just have to look.

Zoie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My approach to floral design is from a place of empathy and intense appreciation for nature. I want to truly understand my client’s desires and their vision for their day, and synthesize that with my own style and the florals that will be in season on their wedding day. I want the flowers to feel like the place, to tell a story about the venue or the couple, and reflect who they are. I think the venue informs so much of the design, and I try to select materials and create shapes that will enhance what’s there, and speak to something truly unique about the couple.

I recently moved from New York City to the Hudson Valley, and I’ve truly never felt more in tune with the seasons. Plants are unique indicators of time and place, and they can mark the most important events in our lives in the same way. I want my designs to draw out these unique moments, and speak to the time and place you got married. It’s my hope that maybe a specific bloom or shade of a leaf may remind of your wedding day, and bring a beautiful reminder in an unexpected moment.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think this is something that has to be continuously considered. I think a reputation is built by consistency and reliably showing up for people. The New York flower market is a small community of highly skilled creatives. I have such intense respect for all of them, and I have worked for many of them.

I truly believe in community over competition, and one person’s success is not another’s failure. If a peer does something incredible I am in awe of them, and it pushes me to expand our craft even further. The beauty of working with flowers is a lesson in abundance. They’re always growing and changing. Right when you think you have them figured out, another comes into season and the material shifts again, leading to more unique combinations and opportunities.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

There was a time (not long ago) in my flower journey when I desired a more stable 9-5 career. I found a full-time job in Event Design, doing precisely what I was doing for my own company: making proposals and communicating with clients, selecting which flowers and vases to use to complement a specific venue and the client’s vision. The problem I found with this work was that I wasn’t actually making anything. I was creating something within someone else’s style guidelines, and it was a much more corporate vision of flowers that didn’t resonate with me.

That being said, I learned so much from my time at that company and it was an intense period of growth for me as a business owner. While I worked there from 9-5 I would come home and respond to event inquiries for my own work, often working into the nights to continue running my own business that I realized I couldn’t let go of. I craved a creative outlet, so I kept making work on weekends and photographing it. I think this was a major period of growth in my design work as well. The hours at a desk made the moments I could make something all the more precious, and was time spent that was truly my own.

I continued precariously juggling both jobs for six months, and eventually my husband and I decided it was time to leave the city and slow down. In a huge leap of faith in myself and my partner I quit my full time job and we moved upstate. I have continued running my own business up here ever since.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.efflorescentstudio.com
• Instagram: @efflorescent.studio