Many of you will know that a huge driving force behind my photography is getting Mums 'in the frame'. (I know how hard we can be on ourselves so it makes my heart happy when I can show a Mummy just how beautiful, important and loved she is)
But something else that I am really passionate about is supporting Mums in business.
I LOVE it when I see women encouraging and supporting one another - I really do believe in 'Community over Competition' and I think that when we lift one another up we can achieve truly amazing things.
When I look around, I see *so* many businesses here in Kent which are owned and run by incredible local Mums.
...so, to celebrate some of the fantastic ladies we have right on our doorstep, each month I will introduce you to one of them!
First up is the incredibly talented Jo Russell, owner of Eliza Rose Artisan Florist .
Not only is Jo one of the loveliest people you'll ever meet, she is bl**dy good at what she does (not sure if I can swear in a blog post so I am not going to risk it!) It is clear that she loves what she does and she pours her heart and soul into each piece to make it unique and personal to the needs of each of her clients.
I recently spent a lovely morning with Jo at her home workshop where I got to see her work her magic and asked her to tell us a little bit more about her amazing business:
Tell us about your business and what services you offer?
I am a freelance florist based in the lovely Kent village of Loose.
I offer flowers for all of life’s memorable moments from my home workshop and small cutting plot.
I offer bespoke blooms for weddings, events, doorway and venue decorating and celebrations, not forgetting sympathy designs and farewell flowers .
Is there a story behind the name you chose?
Eliza Rose is in its 5th year (eeeeek that’s madness) and I only know that because my daughter turns 5 in a couple of weeks.
I had worked full time in the NHS in a variety of frontline positions for 10 years and just knew I needed a change .
When I was on maternity leave after Eliza was born I knew I didn’t want to go back to the stressful role I had been in, and knew that my artistic streak was bursting to get out in some way and not just for my own pleasure or hobbies at home.
I signed on to a part time floristry course at a small local college when Eliza was 6 months old and have never looked back .
I often believe that Eliza made me push myself so it was only right that the business was named after her .
I am often asked what my 9 year old son thinks of this (not having something named after him) but to be quite honest he has never asked me! He is very much involved in the quality control and ideas in the workshop - he loves to help me create on site and often helps out .
What do you offer your clients that no-one else does?
Having a freelance florist for your event means that I have the time to design and create blooms tailor-made to you , they are one-off designs and totally bespoke .
No conveyer belt system.
No one bouquet fits all.
No two bridal bouquets are ever the same.
Where does your inspiration come from?
My inspiration in general comes from the British hedgerow, my style is very much unstructured, wild and loose.
I love the different foliage’s, wild berries and believe that any season you can create a stunning bouquet out of anything you can forage.
What is your favourite part of your job?
I love all elements of floristry (well not the cold icy bucket cleaning and cold hands in the workshop!) but my favourite thing is to hand over the bridal bouquet on the wedding morning and watch the bride to be's face light up- I’d lie if I said I wasn’t nervous every single time!
To see the joy when I’ve created something unique to their day makes it totally worth it.
If you are looking for an incredible florist and would like to see more of Jo's stunning work, please visit her website here and give her a follow on social media...
Claire xx