Maria Ferrer of Houston, Texas on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Maria Ferrer and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Maria, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What do you think is misunderstood about your business? 
That it is just a little fun thing to do from home instead of a real business.
Many people don’t understand the level of compromise and dedication it takes to build a successful business, especially after being a mom. Usually, people think this is something I do just for fun and I get some extra money to spend on myself, when it is in fact a full formal business that is self-sustainable, has a lot of processes to follow to keep it functioning and it’s a source of formal income for my family.
Also, for it being art related, it’s hard for some people to see I as a real thing. The fact that I love what I do and enjoy every moment of my work days makes people believe this is just a hobby

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My business name is Orchid Studio, and I am the one person that wears all the hats on it. From conceptualizing and designing every piece, to printing them, every single step of the way is made by me.
It all started as a calligraphy studio back in 2016 (under a different name). It was a little Etsy shop and I also made some thin for friends at no charge to practice and also to get the word out about my services. On time, and due to my background on marketing and art direction, I began designing wedding invitations and now I offer a full line of stationery accessories, besides the printed invitations and other items for the day of celebration.

I feel that one of the things that make my business and products interesting is that I am a multi-passionate creator, and I consider myself to be very resourceful, so being me the only person designing and making my products brings that extra and special touch to my business. Everything is hand made, and it’s hand made by one person.

Also, I am absolutely in love with what I do, so everyday I get to work on my business (which is sometimes 7 days a week), I am excited. The time I spend in my studio is my me time.

And it’s also fun when I get to work outside and interact with people while doing live engraving, calligraphy or painting. I get to spend so much time inside, that those days I have the chance to work in front of customers feel even more fun. To see their reactions while I am working on their customizations is always priceless.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
That I wasn’t really talented.

My entire life I worked so hard to be the best at anything and everything, and it never felt enough. I never felt like a winner… I was nobody’s first choice for anything. All my talents felt useless… Now all those things are what made me build the business I’ve created.

Everyone saw me as a nerd for being obsessed with learning a second language since I was little… and I believed them… but you know what? I did it anyway. That’s when the change started.

Everyone thought it was useless to spend my time painting or creating things just for fun… and I stopped. But one day I let myself enjoy my craft again and today my art is a whole business that I enjoy every single day.

Also, art wasn’t a thing to be praised for and anything actually valuable in the place I am from (a small town in Venezuela), so it was easy to feel that the things I felt closer to my heart were not valuable. Once I moved to America, my perception of myself as a person and my talents changed dramatically. I am happier now

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
To be in peace letting go.
Sometimes we are sop stubborn with one thing that, even if it leads you to failure every time, we keep hitting the same wall expecting something different.

I like to see failures as a chance to redesign my path. I stopped focusing in what didn’t work and, instead, began understanding that some things aren’t just meant to be so it’s better to let them go and redesign the plan.

I stopped wasting energy on the things that didn’t happen. It’s drain gin and exhausting. I allow myself to feel sad, because I am human and God gave me feelings for a reason, but I also had to learn when to stop being in the low to refocus and keep going.

I don’t like how time seems to stop when I am focused in pain, suffering and all the negatives. I am not dead, my business is not dead so time can’t stop. We need to keep on moving and I have to let go what’s making me stuck

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
The older I get, the more real version of me people get to see.
I used to be an expert of blending with others, mimicking their behaviors just to fit in… But not anymore.

I’m too old to waste my life being a copy of other people’s lives.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
When I see my boys and understand we are a truly happy family.
I see my husband playing with our sons and everything makes sense. Noting brings me more love, joy and peace than my little family and to see the life we’ve built together. The three of them are my home

Contact Info:

• Website: https://orchidstudiotx.com
• Instagram: @OrchidStudioTX
• Other: TikTok: @OrchidStudioTX

Image Credits
Photos in studio by Andrea Karolina (@withloveak on Instagram)