Meet Hayley Sawyer | Dried Flower Florist & Bouquet Preserver

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hayley Sawyer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hayley, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
There is a saying out there that quickly sums this up for me: “I would rather live a life of ‘oh wells’ than ‘what ifs’.” Risks are a necessary evil to this crazy thing we call life, and there is absolutely no way I would be this far into my flower career if it wasn’t for taking risks. The first risk I took was just talking about my flower art to my tattoo artist at the time, which sounds so silly to say. I had casually mentioned that I press and frame flowers, and she immediately asked me if I wanted to sell my work out of her new tattoo shop. I still remember that moment so clearly too, because I had never even sold my work to anyone and I felt like I might have made a mistake just mentioning it. But my weird flower art was a perfect fit for a tattoo shop, and it quickly showed me that I might have a unique niche. The second risk came very shortly after that when I had a dear friend ask me to preserve her bridal bouquet. And to be honest, I was terrified at first! I knew that I had the skills to do it, but I was so scared that I would ruin her flowers from their big day and I actually said no at first. I was mainly just pressing single flowers and ferns at this point, so this was a big leap for me to take. After a lot of back and forth (and a lot of cheerleading from my husband, friends, and family), I finally made the decision to go for it and to trust myself. That was one of the biggest life changing decisions I’ve ever made too. Bouquet preservation opened up a whole new door into services that I was able to offer, and quickly got me into the wedding industry. I started meeting so many other creatives who were inspiring me and encouraging me, and it really begin to build my confidence that I was doing something special. I went from preserving one bouquet, to quickly securing more clients who wanted the same thing. This led me to also start doing pop-ups and bigger events where I was able to continue to market myself and meet more people, and keep spreading the word of my bouquet preservation. While my side hobby was quickly taking off, I was still working full time in the corporate world. I had the good ol’ Monday-Friday/9-5 gig which was consistent and stable, but was not rewarding me in any capacity. I was not happy in that type of environment, and I was constantly thinking about my flowers and art. It was hard to keep showing up to work each day when I knew that my heart and brain were elsewhere. It took about 3 years of grinding the corporate life mixed with the artist life before I realized I couldn’t keep doing both at the same time. I knew I had something unique, and I knew I wanted to pursue it. Which led to the next biggest risk and by far the best one I’ve taken so far: quitting my full time job. Don’t get me wrong, this was probably the hardest decision I ever had to make and it took a while to actually quit once and for all, but it was absolutely the best thing I’ve ever done. I was scared that I was going to fail after getting that far, but knew that I would never let myself live it down if I didn’t take this chance to see what would actually happen. It’s been a little over a year since that decision was made, and my business has almost quadrupled since then! It hasn’t been an easy journey, but it’s been worth every single step. I’ve never been happier though and I’m so grateful I took the risks I did to lead me to this point. I know that life will continue to challenge me, so I’m weirdly excited to see what obstacle is next!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art is inspired by and created from nature. It’s focused on the beauty of death after life. Everyone loves flowers when they’re alive, but they can really transform into something so much more beautiful when they’ve dried out. Colors, definition, details, shape; everything changes during the preservation process, and it’s quite exciting to see how each flower turns out at the end. I’ve been creating art with dried flowers for over 15 years now, and it’s surreal to see my medium becoming more popular as art, and also in wedding floral design. I think what sets me apart is the fact that I’m not afraid to get weird with my art and what I use in each piece. Sometimes it’s clean and simple, like a pressed fern. And then sometimes it can be a glass terrarium filled with dried flowers, a wasp nest, and a broken baby bird egg, or a bouquet of dried roses wrapped with snake skin. I truly let nature inspire me, and try to constantly experiment with new ideas and boundaries. I’ve gotten this far in my flower career because of the above mentioned experimenting, and risk taking. I honestly never imagined myself becoming a bouquet preserver, but now that’s one of the most demanded sides of my business! There have been trials and tribulations along the way of course, but I think it’s safe to say that the hardest challenge I have faced was launching a small business unknowingly the week before a global pandemic. Everything I had planned had to be changed, and I was absolutely terrified that I was going to fail. However, the “new norm” of social distancing made for more private and intimate weddings, and in return people were sourcing more local vendors. It ended up being quite serendipitous. I just want the world to know that I’m truly grateful to be here sharing my art and story with everyone. I love that I get to play with flowers every day, and that I’m constantly meeting new clients, vendors, and artists. I really put my heart and soul into everything that I create, and it’s humbling that people appreciate it. So thank you all!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well I’m definitely a coffee-addict and a foodie, so I’d plan this adventure around some of the best places to double our body weight at. And obviously we’d be exploring outside just as much as we’re inside! Below is a list of my top favorite places in no particular order: Rev Coffee, Taco Veloz, Jeju Spa, Pho Hoang Long, Scofflaw Brewery, Wild Heaven Brewery, Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Gibbs Gardens, Superica, Arabia Mountain, Doll’s Head, Trail Pine Mountain, Bandito’s Wing, House Cafe Intermezzo

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are several people in my life who made this dream possible! The first being my tattoo artist who gave me the opportunity to sell my flower art, and inspires me more than she knows: TaylorAnne at Equinox Art Collective. Another big shout out to Taitt Vosatka, who is my creative soul sister that has helped me navigate through the uncharted waters as a small business owner. Another shout out to Kaytie, one of my best friends who trusted me with her wedding bouquet at the beginning points of my flower business. And most importantly, to my husband Parker. He’s been my biggest fan and I truly could not have gotten this far without him. He’s a big hidden part of Bear Flowers Preserved that no one knows about, and I’m constantly harassing him for his opinion on my work (which he always kindly and sometimes brutally honest will provide). It has taken a village yall, and I’m truly grateful for everyone in my life that’s supported me since the beginning.

Website: https://bearflowerspreserved.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bearflowerspreserved

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BearFlowersPreserved

Image Credits
Taitt Vosatka Rachael Dier Lety Altamirano