BB+ (Ep. 10) Natalie Gill On Finding Your Mojo

06/24/20 • 20 min

TODAY’S GUEST:

Natalie Gill, owner of Native Poppy flower delivery | San Diego, CA (2 retail locations: South Park & Solana Beach)

TOPIC: Finding Your Mojo

A Botanical Brouhaha Podcast listener wrote to us asking for Natalie Gill's advice. The UK designer wrote: "How do you find your mojo when it's hiding?" After a challenging year of fast-paced business growth, the question resonated with Natalie and she was willing to open up with our audience to explore her personal struggles and the solutions she believes are essential to creating a sustainable business while regaining and maintaining her passion for life and work.

This episode is for you if:

You've lost your creative flow
You struggle with your creative voice on social media
The weight of your creative job is feeling especially heavy
You're feeling a forced responsibility to be creative which is blocking your ability to be creative

Natalie’s Tips for Regaining Your Creative Voice & Passion:

Delegate duties where you can, train your team well, and then trust them to cover for you while you take time away
Step away from your business periodically for an hour, a day, or an extended vacation
Allow yourself to be reinvigorated by life (which means you have to actually live it!)
Try new food, interact with someone you don't normally have a chance to interact with, or see something new
Create moments of pause to avoid feeling forced or trapped in your work duties
Consider what drains you vs. what fills you up and try to find a balance to ensure you're getting what you need to be successful
Get to know yourself and then pursue other hobbies or learn a new skill
Schedule appointments for accountability knowing you're less likely to break an appointment with someone else than break a promise to yourself (ex. scheduling a massage or drum lessons insures you'll follow through rather than making promises to yourself like "I'm going to read more")
Freelance for another designer you admire to learn, gain inspiration, and work for a day without the weight of being the boss ( Natalie loved freelancing for Mindy Rice Design)

Today’s episode is brought to you by:

Botanical Brouhaha Online Shop

Host: Amy McGee (Botanical Brouhaha)

BB Podcast Sound Engineer: Joel McGee

Music Written & Performed by: Landon McGee

TODAY’S GUEST:

Natalie Gill, owner of Native Poppy flower delivery | San Diego, CA (2 retail locations: South Park & Solana Beach)

TOPIC: Finding Your Mojo

This episode is for you if:

You've lost your creative flow
You struggle with your creative voice on social media
The weight of your creative job is feeling especially heavy
You're feeling a forced responsibility to be creative which is blocking your ability to be creative

Natalie’s Tips for Regaining Your Creative Voice & Passion:

Delegate duties where you can, train your team well, and then trust them to cover for you while you take time away
Step away from your business periodically for an hour, a day, or an extended vacation
Allow yourself to be reinvigorated by life (which means you have to actually live it!)
Try new food, interact with someone you don't normally have a chance to interact with, or see something new
Create moments of pause to avoid feeling forced or trapped in your work duties
Consider what drains you vs. what fills you up and try to find a balance to ensure you're getting what you need to be successful
Get to know yourself and then pursue other hobbies or learn a new skill
Schedule appointments for accountability knowing you're less likely to break an appointment with someone else than break a promise to yourself (ex. scheduling a massage or drum lessons insures you'll follow through rather than making promises to yourself like "I'm going to read more")
Freelance for another designer you admire to learn, gain inspiration, and work for a day without the weight of being the boss ( Natalie loved freelancing for Mindy Rice Design)

Today’s episode is brought to you by:

Botanical Brouhaha Online Shop

Host: Amy McGee (Botanical Brouhaha)

BB Podcast Sound Engineer: Joel McGee

Music Written & Performed by: Landon McGee

Previous Episode

BB+ (Ep. 9) Maria Maxit on Profitability

TODAY’S GUEST:

Maria Maxit | Maxit Flower Design

TOPIC: Profitability

Former BB Podcast co-host, Maria Maxit dropped by for a visit recently (via Zoom, of course) and we had fun catching up on what's happened at Maxit Flower Design since she last sat in the co-host chair. As we visited, she shared about her decision to step away from the podcast to continue growing her business in Houston. After about 15 minutes of catching up, we got around to the topic I asked Maria to share with the BB audience -- profitability. In this episode, Maria shares 6 tips she believes were crucial to building her profitable and sustainable floral design business. Hope you find her insights helpful!

Maria's Tips for Building a Profitable Business:

Hire a bookkeeper
Hire an accountant
Find your niche rather than seeking trends
Produce content you want to see and stay ahead of the curve
Seek a support system of other business owners
Stay flexible and offer a little more

Podcast Host: Amy McGee (Botanical Brouhaha)

BB Podcast Sound Engineer: Joel McGee

Music Written & Performed by: Landon McGee

Next Episode

BB+ (Ep. 11) Joseph Massie Opens Online Studio

TODAY’S GUEST:

Joseph Massie | Joseph Massie Flowers + Joseph Massie at the UK School of Floristry

TOPIC: OPENING AN ONLINE STUDIO

Today is the day we've anxiously awaited! Joseph Massie, a 5-time Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medalist who is often referred to by the media as 'the floral artist of his generation', is opening the virtual doors to his online studio which means designers the world over can now study under him in the convenience of their own studios and homes. Known for his expertise in teaching the 'why' in addition to the 'how' behind his designs, Joseph unlocks avenues of creativity which have often eluded designers. Floral artist Susan McLeary says Joseph once asked her during a workshop the one question that changed her career: why she'd placed the flowers the way she had. Sharing techniques like the Golden Ratio and 3-5-8, Joseph equips students to understand the principles of floral design in a way that elevates their future work. In today's episode we're chatting with Joseph about his new online studio from curriculum to cost as he welcomes us to his Online Classroom packed with his personal instruction, tried and tested techniques, solid theory — and his endearing sense of humor!

The Courses:

The Floral Clutch - secrets to creating a chic floral accessory clutch which Joseph often sells as a bridesmaid's bouquet alternative
The Wired Flower Crown - Joseph often offers this crown to flower girls or as an alternative for bridesmaids
The Cascading Garland - an iconic technique that can be adapted for a multitude of occasions and seasons
The Classic Centerpiece - a fundamental in any designer's toolkit made entirely foam free and suitable to a plethora of containers
The Classic Bridal Bouquet - Joseph shares the most helpful technique he's discovered for creating an abundance of bridal bouquet styles
The Textured Vase - Joseph shares his technique for creating elevated statement centerpieces without using floral foam
The Complete Collection (contains all 6 courses)
Each of the six individual courses is carefully curated by Joseph and features:
- A detailed Instructional Video, packed full of Joseph’s own hints and tips for every project
- A bespoke Floral Recipe of sundries and botanicals to create every piece
- A Step-by-Step Printable Resource for future use
- A thorough Substitutions Guide for every single project
- A thorough Floral Glossary Guide packed with tool, sundry and floral terminology
- The commercial relevance to each piece - meaning how Joseph sells every design to his clients!
As a bonus, you will also be invited to join Joseph's private alumni Facebook group to be a part of his online floral community
20% Discount on single courses + 30% Discount on the Complete Collection until July 7, 2020

The e-Book Collection:

The Golden Ration & 3-5-8 in Floral Design E-book - enrich your understanding of proportions and placements in floral design
The Principles & Elements in Floral Design E-book - packed with practical tips and techniques for applying principles and elements to enhance your floral practice
The E-book Collection ...