COMING UP ROSES WITH KARLA SMITH-BROWN
COMING UP ROSES WITH KARLA SMITH-BROWN
The florist and owner of Olivee on caring less about the wrong things ☁️
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Karla Smith-Brown is a floral artist and the founder of OLIVEE Floral, a Brooklyn-based floral design studio.
KARLA’S DIVERGENT CREATIVE STRATEGIES: ACTION/INACTION
You might as well try. Whether you believe you’ll fail or believe you’ll succeed, you’re right.
Being deemed a successful creative professional is the dream, and you have to work to keep your head on straight. Capitalism isn’t exactly a nurturing framework if you’re trying to build a creative business without burning out.
Embrace mutability. “I think it’s easy to get attached to the specifics of a process for meeting your goal, but it’s important to realize that you can achieve one outcome in many different ways.”
What’s your metaphorical Adderall — something that slingshots you into an inspired creative tornado of action?
A special coffee! Which I define as a hot drip coffee made ‘light and sweet’ with half & half and sugar. I usually like to get these from either a coffee cart or a no-frills coffee shop. My preference is when the accoutrement is added to the coffee by whoever is making it and without me seeing so that I can’t feel guilty for the amount of sugar and dairy that is about to be pumped into my body.
This is my go-to especially for market mornings, when I need to be energized, alert, and focused to shop for flowers in the New York City Flower District on 28th St. in the wee hours of the morning.
What idea or concept are you chewing on? Has it shown up in your work yet?
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about freedom — what it means to me and how it can be achieved. I’ve also been thinking about regenerative design practices and how I can explore systems that are even beyond just sustainability through collaboration, community building and future-focused systems.
In an effort to continue building meaningful community, I’ve been collaborating with like-minded friends and artists I admire. In the Spring I collaborated on an event and photo exhibit with photographer Guarionex Rodriguez Jr. and ceramicist Wendie Lee. More recently, I collaborated with multi-disciplinary artist Kristen Stain incorporating her powerful vessels into the floral decor and design of the newest restaurant by Chef Kwame Onwuachi in Washington, DC called DŌGON. And, this fall I’m collaborating with a long-time friend and talented ceramicist, Elise Wilken of Mellow NYC to design a limited edition custom vessel that will be offered alongside my bouquet subscription offering.
I believe that we can only survive by decentering ourselves and building a mutual network of support with those around us. This can show up in many ways, including how we approach our work.
I believe that we can only survive by decentering ourselves and building a mutual network of support with those around us
How particular are you about your notebooks? Pens? What do you write in and with?
I’m obsessed with getting new notebooks, I feel like a fresh notebook can be an inspiration for productivity. I keep them of all sizes, mostly with lines, and will almost always have a notebook with me wherever I go. My go-to brand is Leuchtturm in a color that makes me feel something or represents my mood or the season. I’m currently using a soft lavender medium notebook for work.
To do lists are the one constant thing that keeps me sane. When I’m feeling overwhelmed or having anxiety about deadlines and everything else swirling around in my head, the starting point to get out of it is always a to-do list. And I love an inky fine point pen -— like .5 mm max.
Also, I’m sure this is standard but I will NEVER write on the first page of my notebook. Blasphemy.
Something that I’m even more particular about though are my flower clippers. I prefer to use Japanese tools when designing my arrangements and am partial to the classic shears made by ARS. They are always sharp, feel comfortable to work with and come in a bunch of different colors. While I always have clippers available for use in my studio and/or kit, I always keep my favorite clippers in my personal bag for my use only. I guard it with my life, especially if I’m working with others because my biggest nightmare is somebody using my clippers to cut wire.
Funnily enough my current favorite clippers are also lavender just like my notebook. I guess I’ve been in a purple place lately.
What was going through your mind when you first decided to share your work?
Go For Broke.
Bet on yourself.
You might as well try.
Worst case scenario, it doesn’t work and you can move back to Canada and get a full time job.
This is pretty, right?
What’s your media diet, at present?
It feels unhealthy. I’ve learned that Instagram doesn’t make me feel great so I have a tough time contributing to it, however I still end up using it to like and comment; support my friends but end up feeling too drained to craft a post and share. I would much rather be on TikTok to be honest. It feels like a safe hideaway with way less pressure, plus I learn a lot of new things too. I’ve had to start setting timers when I use it though because it’s way too easy to keep scrolling while the hours go by.
While I like to listen to BBC and current affair podcasts, I’ve kind of been avoiding the news at the moment. It feels like a farce.
Go For Broke. Bet on yourself. You might as well try.
To be creative and to make things in 2024 is objectively difficult. You have to square off with distractions, global anarchy, and perpetual haunting of the existential question: “why bother?” What keeps you coming back to the ring?
I wish I knew. I’m currently pretty burnt out and am questioning the point of everything. I miss my family and need a vacation.
I’m pretty goal-oriented so in the early days of starting my business, my goals and dreams would help motivate me, and then once I gained some traction, that helped fuel the momentum and I'd just keep going. When I want to stop I question it because I know how difficult it is to be a successful creative entrepreneur and don’t want to take for granted that I’ve built something that people seem to value.
But at the same time, I don’t want to be depleted by my work so I’m looking for ways to protect my energy and my values while still operating within this capitalist framework.
… I’m currently pretty burnt out and am questioning the point of everything. I miss my family and need a vacation.
John Cage was inspired to develop his practice of composing via random chance and chaos after reading a book about the Chinese divining practice, The I-Ching. What influences or inspiration from outside of your field or profession have made the biggest impact on your work or process?
The Wabi Sabi book and practice.
The sudden passing of my Aunt and how I was treated in my grieving process from my corporate job at the time really inspired me to not give a f*ck and to just make my own rules, build the life I want in my own way. I knew I was able to do hard things so it was really a test to see how far I could take it. I guess knowing I could always go home was a helpful safety net and gave me safety within my fearlessness.
What do you do “wrong” that makes your work successful?
Most of the time I wing it. I rely a lot on my intuition and gut feelings.
This is most evident when I’m flower shopping in the market for a project. Before I get there, I have a sense of what should be available based on the season and I determine my shopping budget based on the order quantities, needs and directives. I take into consideration any of the colors shared by the client and then walk through the market looking for items that speak to me.
I then build from there. It makes the process more fun, but usually forces me to stay in the market longer than I’d like but it is also the reason why I have an intimate knowledge of the materials I use. It's also why I have built such strong relationships with my wholesale vendors.
The sudden passing of my Aunt and how I was treated in my grieving process from my corporate job at the time really inspired me to not give a f*ck and to just make my own rules, build the life I want in my own way. I knew I was able to do hard things so it was really a test to see how far I could take it.
You’ve been working on something and it just isn’t coming through the way you’d like — do you kill your darlings and scrap the whole thing? Do you compost the idea? Do you file it away in your cabinet of misfit concepts to review later?
Creating and generating ideas can be quite draining, so sometimes I just need a break or some food to help me refuel and have a clearer mind and approach to what I’m trying to do.
When I’m working on larger ideas or projects that are coming together differently than expected, I usually file it away and dream on it. I think it’s easy to get attached to the specifics of a process for meeting your goal, but it’s important to realize that you can achieve one outcome in many different ways.
I’ve learned to be clear about my intended outcome and goals while being open to the different ways it may come to me. If I'm stuck on one particular way of achieving something, I know that can be the very thing that is blocking me from getting to it. So taking a step back to let go has often been helpful.
What’s a weird superstition you subscribe to?
“A purse on the floor is money out the door.”
Not weird, very valid lol.
Create space to declutter your mind and let your intuition guide your working process with The SPACIES Desk Pad.
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