Meet Susan Margolis

We recently connected with Susan Margolis and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Susan, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

My mother opened and owned a retail florist when I was a kid, and it’s the sort of business that takes a village. So I grew up watching her work tirelessly to build a business. Otherwise, I was a musician for a long time which is all about practice. I started as a classical cellist and moved into indie rock playing in bands and becoming a singer/songwriter. For me, it’s a combination of the DIY spirit, the absolute necessity of having a creative outlet and of course, loving it.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

The story begins with me working in my mom’s florist after school. I never thought it would be something I’d pursue later in life. When I moved to NYC back in 1996, my real pursuit was being a musician. I was a musician all through college, both classical and rock. Pre-pandemic NYC still had all of these smaller venues to see live music, and we were on the tail end of the grunge era. NYC still had a little grit. I just wanted to play in an indie band and make records. Of course I needed to finance my life in this city, so I always had a day job. I landed in the field of Print Production. As the world has gone increasingly digital, the jobs I had in Print felt dwindling and precarious. I went through losing these Print jobs as a result of joint ventures, dissolved partnerships, agency restructures, short term freelance contracts…. So, when I was between jobs and trying to scrape together my rent, I started doing occasional floral freelancing for both retail florists and and event florists. I tried selling floral crowns in a flea market in Williamsburg. Then I started taking on florals for small event jobs and weddings. In a way, event work is a bit like being in a band. You go, you put on the show and it takes all the preparation in between. You deal with a lot of personalities. I’m not loading Ampegs or Fenders in the van anymore, I’m loading centerpieces and buckets of roses.

I do still work in the world of Print Production, and I am definitely still at a point where it is necessary income as a single person in NYC. The demand for wedding florals really exploded post pandemic as Covid had created a bottleneck. I lost a year’s worth of work and income during Covid and it was beyond terrifying. As soon as things were re-opening, all of the work (both in print and florals) came roaring back in 2021. Unfortunately, at that very same moment of 2021, I found myself blindsided with an elder care situation, and no family in the vicinity to assist. I have a very small and far flung family. So I was suddenly juggling working insane hours (often 7 days a week), and trying to navigate my Father’s care. I definitely struggled, but I made it through.

Early in the morning, when I can play with a color palette and design in peace, it can be very meditative. Of course that’s just a tiny sliver of the job. There is a lot of answering emails, admin and a ridiculous amount of cleaning. Working with my hands and the physical process is gratifying though. I enjoy taking a client’s ideas and bringing them to life for an event they will remember for the rest of their life. When a client trusts you with a vision, it’s meaningful work. There is always more to learn working with flowers, and there are plenty of avenues I have yet to explore. I guess I thrive on a little chaos too.

Currently, I am focusing on small to medium sized events, holiday parties and weddings. I’d love to get into more corporate work with brands and styled shoots as well. I’m happy to collaborate with photographers, stylists and all manner of designers.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

As far as qualities….
1. Discipline- I’ve always had the need for the creative outlet – have a drive for practice
2. Authenticity- Being true to yourself
3. Confidence- If you are getting on a stage or addressing a client. I was always soft-spoken and shy but a lot of people who perform are.

You don’t need to be the loudest in the room, you don’t need to be the most conventional either. Go with your gut.

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?

Happy to collaborate on events, styled shoots, perhaps set decorating. If you’re an event planner, fashion designer, makeup artist, photographer, set decorator, etc.

Feel free to email: therosewoodgirl@gmail.com

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rosewood-productions.com
• Instagram: @rosewood_productions