7 years in Corporate America
My nonlinear path of pursing a life filled with beauty started in various corporate data analytics roles. Two weeks post graduation from college in 2015, I began ~my career~ in Atlanta, GA. Over the 7 years that followed, despite having all the wonderful security that comes with a 9-5 job, I felt an emptiness that only flowers could fill. Throughout my time giving Corp America™ a fair shot, I spent weekends freelancing or having a side hustle to scratch my creative itch.
Sharing a few images from the journey—
2017 Classic freelancing selfie with a van full of wedding flowers. Thank you to Virginia Reticker + Faith Flowers for the gift of early exposure
2016 Desk arrangement by Twelve Flowers. During my time at Cardlytics, Twelve was a vendor at Ponce City Market. I would pass John’s selections before heading to the 6th floor constantly in awe of varieties I had never seen before: cockscomb? fringed tulips? deep burgundy peony? My sweet 22 year old self had no idea!
2019 A few months into moving to Los Angeles to work for Barry’s Bootcamp, I celebrated my birthday. New co-worker friends made me feel so seen <3
2022 The last week I wrote SQL in a Snowflake editor :’) I bought the lilac and bell’s of ireland from the Hollywood Farmer’s Market
All of my jobs, by the way, were the least corp companies you could ever work for. So, I especially knew it wasn’t for me because what I am referring to is the concept/schedule/Henry Ford standardization of work vibes. And while I sometimes curse “being a beginner” (aka just getting started with a full-focused flower life), I wouldn’t have traded my work experiences for anything. It defined and elevated my standard for what it means to work, no matter the industry. Here are a few things I learned:
What a csv file is
Relationships are at the core of it all. Be a gracious and generous co-worker, client, manager, and friend
It is critical to understand the big picture before you can get into the details of problem solving
I love learning from a subject matter expert, but I hate the word SME
