Meet Carla Rivera | Designer, planner & freelance florist

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

Hi Carla, why did you pursue a creative career?
To be honest, I was born with an artistic inner. My dad is a visual arts and sculpture professor, so I inherited it from him. I remember my childhood being taught by him how to draw, paint, and sculpt… from my dad’s side, most of his family are artists; his mom was a writer, one of his sisters a flamenco dancer, two brothers musicians, there’s art in my veins. This job/ career in the floral industry came up to me out of nowhere; I got involved because of the urgency of making money after I left my 9 am to 5 pm office job. It was hard initially, mainly because I had to work on my feet most of the time. Still, after a month, I got used to it, and I also built an excellent relationship with my coworkers, so I started feeling like I belonged to them. I kept learning and never left; today, I can say that it is the best job I ever had! It doesn’t feel like a job; I enjoy everything about it, even the stress I have to deal with sometimes. My dad told me one day: “Do what you love, and you will never feel like you are working, “ and I felt that! He was the best example to say that because he loves his job and works with ethics and passion, I admire him and myself for pursuing our artistic side.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a designer/ freelance florist, I mostly work designing for weddings but I have had the pleasure to also design for corporate events. I’ve also done some designs of silk flowers as backdrops for restaurants.I like to keep myself busy, I like creating the opportunity to take on another challenge.
This has been an everyday learning process, every time I get the pleasure of working with a new designer I learn their way of designing and that’s why I truly love being a designer/ freelance florist because this job allows me to be here and there. However, there’s also instability when you are your own boss. This is a seasonal job and that’s why I said it requires organization and hustling because there are dead months where there is no work. On the other hand, there are also months where you can get more than enough hours or juicy contracts and make good money.

I believe that everything that has happened to me was for a reason. Without the way of things happening in my life, I wouldn’t ever be the Carla that I am now, and I am very proud and thankful for every person I’ve met through this journey. My strong work ethic plays a very important role in my life which I learned from my parents. This virtue has opened lots of doors for me which still keep opening and I am looking to open many more.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would definitely take a friend to visit Georgia Aquarium, Coca-cola world and the Zoo of Atlanta. Everything is located in the city, we can drive or use public transportation such as the subway MARTA.
To eat I would definitely go to Real tacos, Pata Negra, or Casi Cielo, they serve the best gourmet Mexican dishes and tacos, I am from Mexico City so, I would love to show off some of the best restaurants that serve a little bit or my culture. Then, to hangout over the weekend, I would take my Friend to Tongue & Groove this is one of the best discoteques in A town, I know everyone there! Security guards, bartenders, bottle girls, waiters, the owner, etc… Of course, I always get special treatment and I definitely bring my people to experience that, they play a mix of latino, hip-hop, EDM music! I love this place!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Special shoutout to the owner of Weddings by Epic; she was the first person I worked for in this floral industry. I started my beautiful journey with this company to become a florist; more than my boss, she is now my friend and colleague. We have been working together for close to 4years now, and I couldn’t be more thankful because I started working at her company just as a staff member; now she has promoted me to floral leader/ manager. I guess I have been doing great for her, and I genuinely appreciate the trust she has deposited in me.

Instagram: THE Flowist @riri.wild.flowdesign

Image Credits
Designer/freelance florist:
THE Wild Flowist, Carla Rivera.
Wedding company (flowers):
@onieesengagements (head photo)
@weddingsbyepic (additional photos)