For our most recent Soul in Bloom photoshoot, we were able to work with a group of amazing and talented ladies. The floral designs created for the backdrop and our two beautiful models were provided by Calida, Lynn and Caylan of Wildflower Souls Floral.
We had the honour of speaking with these three women about flowers, running a business, and working with Sara and the Amaterasu team. Keep reading to learn more about Wildflower Souls Floral!
Sara: How did you end up in the flower business? What is it you love most about working with flowers?
Calida: I’ve always been fascinated with the natural world. I spent five years growing organically certified cut flowers in Pemberton. My partner and I didn't have a farming background at the time. We were both just passionate about the environment and extremely drawn to cultivating flowers for the community we were a part of. The ephemeral beauty of the flowers we produced blew my mind.
I started to design with them during our first season growing. Our style is influenced by that time and by the movement and growth of the gardens that surround us.
Working with flowers gives us an opportunity to showcase the beauty of the season. We feel like we connect with the eternal natural world through this process. That's just one reason why we love to use flowers everyday.
Sara: We heard you are offering workshops on creating flower mandalas, please tell us more! What is a flower mandala and why would someone want to make one?
Lynn: A mandala (emphasis on the first syllable; Sanskrit मण्डल, maṇḍala – literally "circle") is a spiritual and ritual symbol in the Indian religions of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism representing the universe. The basic form of most mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a centre point.
Calida and I made our first flower mandala together when a group of Tibetan monks from the Gaden Shartse Monastery came to do a Puja (which is a blessing) at the flower shop we were working at. We made it outside on the sidewalk to honour and welcome the monks for their offering to us.
The response from the community was so positive. People loved it! It is a way to create beauty and art with flowers. Part of our way of making a mandala is that every choice and placement of flower is done with intention. We offer our prayers to the universe as we are making the mandala and consider the spirit and energy of each bloom being placed. It is also a way of giving thanks for the incredible and humbling experience of being able to work with nature’s bounty. We think it is a wonderful way for people to build community, create art and foster beauty and creativity in the world.
Sara: How do you stay balanced and grounded while juggling the flower business and all your other responsibilities? What’s one piece of advice you would give other women starting their own business?
Caylan: The three of us are on an individual path of self discovery that has taught us the importance of connecting to what keeps us feeling balanced, aligned and grounded in our bodies. Certainly holding flowers, arranging and creating with botanicals is a form of artistic meditation for us. We also have our own meditation practices, healing modalities such as breath work and sound, and daily and monthly rituals that connect us to the greater cycles of the Earth, universe and our Creator!
One piece of advice for other women starting their own business would be to hold a clear intention of why you are setting out to start your business. What do you intend to feel once your business is fully established? Intention and manifesting through our feelings is how we creators create!
Sara: What does empowering beauty mean to you?
Caylan: Empowering beauty to us, means the beauty originates from within. When we are recognizing our own beauty internally, we are empowered to see the beauty that is all around us. Flowers are an incredible way to connect with beauty and remember the truth that what we see is what we are :)
Sara: How was the process of being a part of a shoot like this? What was it like to see your flowers and designs in Sara’s vision?
Calida: The two weeks leading up to the shoot happened to be extremely busy for everyone involved. We didn't really have that much time to prep. Once we all got together though everything flowed in the right way. It was a lot of fun for us!
It was amazing seeing our flowers under the spotlight. Sara was a pleasure to work with and she had so many creative ideas. We look forward to more collaborations!
We hope you enjoyed getting to know Wildflower Souls and the women behind the stunning floral designs of Soul in Bloom. Beauty does originate within and can be found all around us and we hope that everyone can realize this.
