Today we’d like to introduce you to Karla Wade.
Hi Karla, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
From a young age, Karla exhibited a natural talent for artistic expression. Her early days in preschool, where she discovered the joys of painting, marked the beginning of a lifelong passion for creativity. Over the years, Karla has explored various artistic mediums, creating a diverse array of artworks, including Native American-themed pieces, interior design, decor, jewelry, and floral arrangements. Her work has been showcased in local art shops, outdoor festivals, and online platforms such as Esty and many local Art and Wine Festivals in the immediate areas.
Karla graduated from SJSU with a degree in Criminal Justice and Vocal Performance and shortly obtained employment working as a Peace Officer for a Law Enforcement Agency. While being creative and artistic was always her passion, she choose to work in law enforcement with the hope to make a difference and help guide people to make better choices and decisions. After a career of over 25 years working for two different agency’s, Karla decided that it was time to retire from this profession. While she was working in law enforcement she continued follow her artistic passions. With this, in 2013 she started to focus on providing floral services for weddings, and private events. Through this process she developed her own business and has been providing floral services for weddings, private party’s and events
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has been been bumpy at times. While I was working full time in law enforcement ,the demand for my floral services was increasingly becoming more demanding and balancing the two was a little challenging. With this I worked very long hours often not having much time off. Through this process I obtained floral assistants and now have a few interns that work with me from time to time. Also the internal struggle of me really wanting to leave my career in law enforcement was a big weight I carried over the years as it was not truly my passion in life. I am now working in a profession that is way more in alignment with who I am as a person and I get so much personal reward for adding beauty and color to my clients events compared to working in law enforcement which was very challenging and negative. Dealing with people and their problems on a daily basis was very taxing and the trauma of being in that profession become very personally draining and taxing on me, not to mention the politics and challenges with leadership associated in my career. Working in law enforcement really desensitized me to feeling emotions and prevented me from truly being a happy person. Also the personal reward/gratification of my work in that profession was very small despite my desire to help people. I strived to do my job in law enforcement with excellence and did advance to a supervisory role, however in my heart I knew after many decades working in field with so much negativity it was time for me to turn in my handcuffs. I implemented alot of programs, developed protocals/policys, and won many humbling awards through the years (about 25) however always knew in my heart and mind I did not fit or belong in that profession. I felt an obligation to follow my career path after graduating college and felt obligated to my parents who graciously paid for my education to follow through on what I went to college for, and stayed in the profession alot longer than I wanted. When I got hired at the second department I worked for, I was actually working in a large scale grocery store running and managing the floral department. From there, I went into the jail, where my office was across from the drunk tank. It was a huge shift, and I actually tried to get my floral job back, but they could not pay me the rate I was earing prior to my departure from there. From flower shop to inside the intake of a jail was a very hard adjustment!
On another note, when my floral business started grow I did not have the proper space and work environment to effectively design. I did not have areas set up where I could work and given the growth of demand of my services this become a challenge. I had to set up tables and work in the dark as I did not have proper lighting or power or storage to do my design work. I constantly had to pack up every thing including tools and supplies after every job I had during that time. I remember working in the dark under a motion light always having to dance and move around to get the light to come on. With this struggle, eventually a space at my property was built where I could effectively work and design. I was grateful to be able to create this space and it’s now my design studio which I was able to design and tailor towards my needs. Through that process I was able to get storage, a flower cooler, and other necessary tools to do floral designing better. While working full time in law enforcement having a storefront business was never the plan, as I was doing floral design part time on the side which really started as a hobby and that is why it was done on my property. It has been wonderful for me to have a workspace built that is on my property at my sanctuary place. It is not a place where customers and clients can just come to, unless an appointment is scheduled. It’s a fun place to come experience, decorated very nicely with a very shabby chic wedding esque look to it, and clients can come touch and feel decor, see colors and see where all the design magic happens.
I have also been challenged with not being able to call in sick when I am not feeling well when I have a event or wedding booked/scheduled for my floral services. It takes anywhere from 3-5 days for the full design aspects to do flowers for someone’s event-from obtaining flowers to setting up the final products at the event. At times, I have not felt good, gotten the flu, been injured and most recently came down with planter faciatias and a bone spur in the heel of the same foot. I have had to push through, it’s been hard and a struggle at times. How do you call in sick to someone’s wedding? It’s one of the most important days of someone’s life and I could never be that person, or would want to be that person.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I love to be creative, I love to be challenged and what sets me apart from some other florists in the industry is that I have the ability to create alot of different looks, styles and designs. I do not just have one “neish”. I am really good at understanding my clients vision and bringing it to life for their event, and have been told by many clients that is the reason why I was selected to do their event. The variety of my work and what I am able to create is clearly shown through my portfoilo and I am very active on social media posting my work from recent events on a regular basis. I am highly organized, a great planner, multitasker, great at project management and very efficient and professional and resourceful. I am proud that I turned my artistic side into a business where I can add beauty and color to enhance my clients events. I source most of my flowers locally from local growers in Santa Cruz County, and love to support the local growers. At times, I do need to import flowers in, which I am able to do and have found alot of great sources to work with.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
My passion to be creative, to design, to decorate and make things pretty. The ability to be able to keep learning is very important so you can continue to grow professionally and personally. Staying organized is a key to my continued success. With designing flowers there is so much other work involved other than playing with flowers. Its a very physical job, taxing on the body and involves alot of office and computer work in addition to very long hours of standing on your feet and hauling and transporting flowers and decor. Taking care of myself is important and I have a good self care routine that involves my family, friends, my 3 Boston Terrier dogs, working out, getting massages and finding time to travel and be in the sun. My motto in life is Live, Love, Laugh and I always do my best to emulate that in my professional and personal life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.luxuryfloraldesigns.com
- Instagram: @karlasfloralkreations
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarlasFloralKreations
Image Credits
Last photo of Bride holding bouquet: Photographer Destinations with Dana
Photo of bride and groom in Navy Suit Jacket-holding hands with colorful bouquet: Monterey Wedding Photographer
Fourth photo of bride holding white tropical bouquet: Rachael Salina
3rd photo of Bride and groom kissing under wedding arch on bluff Lauren Gonzalez photography
