We recently had the chance to connect with Adina Salinger and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Adina, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
I’ve been quietly helping to build a community of floral designers and flower farmers up here in the Bellingham/Mount Baker area! Bringing us all together has helped all of us make new friends and networking connections, connect couples to farmers and designers they may not have found otherwise (there’s a perfect fit for every wedding couple!), highlight the importance and abundance of locally grown flowers in this area, and encourage newer growers to follow their dreams with community support.
We have opened a small wholesale flower collective market and are looking to expand in the coming seasons. I am so proud of all of us and what we have achieved so far!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Adina and I own Tangled Roots Floral Company in Bellingham, Washington! I have a lot of love for “granny hobbies” and enjoy reading, knitting, thrifting/antiquing and gardening when I’m not working. My family keeps chickens, grows a large garden every summer, and may or may not have a sourdough starter.
My company is deeply rooted in this love of growing things and connecting with the earth in that way, it’s what inspired the name “Tangled Roots”. As the roots of the flowers I use entangle, so do the lives of the couples I design for. Using locally grown flowers as much as possible is important to me. Over half of the couples who find me are from out of state or international, and many have never visited this part of the country before. The Pacific Northwest area has so much abundance during the summer months and I love to share that magic with the couples who choose to marry here!
I am currently working on helping to build our local flower collective to share our local bounty with even more people, both locally and visitors.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
That you cannot make a living as an artist. I was encouraged in school to pursue a corporate career despite having no interest in the fields that tend to occupy that space. I did end up there for a little while, feeling a bit stuck and unenergized by the work I was doing, when flowers found me.
I didn’t start small, I jumped immediately into opening my own business and putting myself out into the world. It just felt right! After 2020, I made the leap into full-time self employment. I would never say that the path has been easy, but I strongly believe that keeping manageable goals in sight, a genuine love of people and desire to create for them, and good organizational skills has kept me on a path that feels perfect for me. A path of color, design, and artistic expression.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The fear of “what if?” has been troublesome for me all my life. What if people don’t like my work? What if I don’t succeed in this new endeavor? “What if” has been a tricky one for me to escape from and I still fall prey to it sometimes.
Reframing it into something positive has helped a lot: What if people love my work so much they tell their friends? What if this new endeavor is inspiring to someone else?
Answering the “what ifs” has also been helpful: If people don’t like my work, I haven’t found my people yet. If I don’t succeed in a new endeavor, I can adjust it at any time to realign. Having a bit of a plan in place to handle a “what if” scenario helps me take risks and try new things I used to be too afraid to begin.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Communication and honesty are very important to me! Both in friendships and personal relationships, as well as business endeavors.
I am not afraid to speak honestly when communicating about work, even if it means it may cost me a booking or a networking opportunity. If there is another designer or creator who I think will be a better fit for the job, I will communicate that clearly. While I wish I could be the perfect floral designer for everyone I connect with, I know that won’t always be the case!
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. How do you know when you’re out of your depth?
Honestly? It’s an immediate gut feeling, as cheesy as that may sound. When I receive a potential job offer that is too large or too logistically challenging for my current set-up, I’ll always give it a whirl on paper to see if I can make it work but ultimately come to the same conclusion that my gut told me right away: there’s a better fit for it still out there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tangledrootsfloral.com
- Instagram: @tangledrootsfloral
Image Credits
Samantha Griggs Photo
Jenny Kang Photo
Old Growth Photo and Film
TMInspired Photo
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
