Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hayley Sawyer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hayley, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
Having a good work ethic as an entrepreneur is so important! The daily tasks can easily add up when there are so many different moving parts to keep an eye on at all times. I’m lucky enough to be very disciplined and organized, and I think that comes from watching my dad work so hard when I was younger, as well as my history as a gymnast and athlete.
My dad has always been a hard worker and likes to make sure he has some additional project(s) to be working on at any given time. Before retirement, he worked as a cement mason during the week and would do extra side jobs on the weekends to help take care of us as a family when I was younger; he worked on cars, houses, appliances, you name it! He was also always taking things apart to figure out how they worked together, so I grew up watching his work ethic, dedication, and curiosity, and I think that very much rubbed off on me.
As a child and young adult, I was a gymnast and athlete, and spent majority of my week in the gym practicing and working out. I trained year round to get better and stronger, and have fostered the same mentality into my adulthood. I believe you have to constantly learn, practice, train, and work hard in order to see results and grow; you can’t expect things to happen without doing the hard work first.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m a designer and creator at heart, and flowers are my medium to make it happen! I love to make art with real flowers; whether it’s framed flowers, resin flower pieces, cyanotypes, pressed flower cards, or even dried flower bath salt soaks, if it deals with flowers then I’m probably making it!
I’m most known for my bridal bouquet preservation services, but have recently been doing wedding floral design which I’m really proud of. I started off only making dried flower bouquets, but I’ve also been doing more wedding design with a mixture of dried & fresh flowers which has been a lot of fun! I have really great clients who trust me, and I’ve made some of my proudest flower arrangements because of them.
As I’ve grown my business over the years, I have really made a name for myself in the bouquet preservation industry. I never expected to land here, but I am so very grateful and excited that I did! And while I still love to preserve bridal bouquets, I realized along the way that I had stopped making my own art while I was focusing on building my brand and business. That’s eventually what led me to making my online shop to sell my own custom pieces again, so I’m wanting to do much more with my online shop presence this year. I also recently led a flower pressing workshop for a corporate event and received so much great feedback that I’m hoping to have more in-person workshops lined up for 2023 to share all my knowledge and flower magic!
I truly just think it’s important as an artist to continue to create and experiment, so I’m always eager to see what flower adventure I land on next!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Flower preservation is definitely a journey of experimentation! It’s a lot of fun to pick and press flowers, but each flower is different and requires different types of love and attention. There are a lot of trials and tribulations to be done, so don’t get discouraged when you first start!
Three important tips I’d recommend to flower newcomers:
1) Experiment with different types of flowers as much as possible! Whether it’s from your backyard or a random flower from the sidewalk – try picking and pressing them all. Practice makes perfect!
2) Different techniques might be required for different flowers, so try pressing flowers in different ways. For example, pressing inside a book vs an actual flower press, pressing individual petals vs the entire flower, pressing the flower vs drying the flower. Each flower will react in it’s own way to each process.
3) Have fun with it! Moldy flowers will happen, so it’s ok. Try again and try in a different way if it didn’t work out. Have fun with your flower compositions as well whenever you make your own flower art. Sometimes less is more, and sometimes more is more; just have fun, and don’t give up!
As as flower preserver who has been doing this for over 16 years, it won’t all be pretty or easy, but it’s a lot of fun to see how each flower reacts!
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I always love to collaborate with new people! Some of my favorite flower arrangements were made for an impromptu styled shoot or editorial, and I’m always up for a challenge or adventure.
If there are any photographers who want to pair up and talk unique ideas, I’m all ears!
If there are any models who want flowers for any reason, I’m here for you!
If there are any restaurants/shops who want a custom dried floral arrangement that will last forever, I’m your gal!
If there are any small businesses that want to pair up for a custom care package or giveaway, I’d love to chat more!
If there are any people who want to host a fun (and very different) flower workshop, please reach out for details!
Flowers can be made for any occasion, and I’m always happy to make something custom. Please email me for more information at [email protected], or fill out my super simple Custom Project form on my website at www.bearflowerspreserved.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: bearflowerspreserved.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/bearflowerspreserved
- Facebook: facebook.com/bearflowerspreserved
