Now that The Flowered Press is a bit over year old it’s a good time to reflect on how it all started. In August 2020 my husband Mark and I had our good friends Tim and Amy over for dinner. I had recently made a few new pressings which I showed everyone. To my surprise we had a long conversation with my artwork as the topic. They all encouraged me to “do something more“ with my art. This really made me think. The idea of being in business was something I thought would be great to do but I never dreamed that my artwork would be the focus. I had been making pressed plant art for about 30 years and never considered it being a business. I have always enjoyed the process of growing, pressing, and giving my original work to friends and family. It was very satisfying to know that people who received my cards would often frame them!
After that night I contacted my friend Sheryl who is a graphic designer to share the idea. She loved it! She introduced me to a printer (who I continue to work with) and he made a few sample prints of high-resolution digital scans of my artwork. I was amazed! As soon as I saw the excellent quality, I was all in.
Time sped up over the next year while I was still working and loving my job at a Connecticut literacy organization called Read to Grow.
It took a while to figure out a name. It was a group effort volleying ideas back and forth. I had so much fun working with Sheryl (who has loads of enthusiasm, talent and patience) to create a logo. At the same time, my daughter Grace took the lead to develop a website with an online shop. Working with these two really fired me up! It was a wonderful creative outlet focused on my art.
Since I had always worked either in education or in nonprofits, business was brand new to me. My husband, Mark, has many years of business experience and encouraged me when I had concerns spending money on websites, printing, and all that it takes to start a business. He continues to help me every day.
Looking forward to this next year!
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