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

Hi Teresa, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Opening my Floral Studio was more about the desperation of getting out of my work life at the time. I was working a really mentally taxing job that didn’t serve me. I had been in the floral industry for 15 years and the job I was working at the time was not in the floral industry. I never had the intention to open my own shop but I had priced myself out as a designer and didn’t like any of the floristry coming out of flower shops at the time. I didn’t want to go back to freelancing for event florists so I came down to the decision of opening my own studio. I wanted to create a new version of a flower shop that was inviting, welcoming, and modern. I wanted to re-introduce the art of floristry with premium and exotic flowers that traditional flower shops wouldn’t normally carry to the general public. I chose the name “The Vine” to represent continuous growth and adaptation to the ever changing design styles in the flower design world. Most of the contemporary florists are in Los Angeles and New York and I wanted to bring that style to everyday flowers here in Orange County.

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.
Building up to this moment in time outside of the Flower Industry I was an art student. I received my BFA in Art and Jewelry Design/Fabrication at Cal State Fullerton and studied in Paris, France for 1 year abroad. During my time in France I took classes in Soft Sculpture and Curating. This sets me apart from other designer because I have an art education in fabrication and curating. Floral designing is a lot like curating. You’re given a blank vessel and it’s your job not just to create something visually beautiful but create balance and harmony with what nature gives you.
Flower industry is far from easy. It’s very cut throat, physically taxing, and the design part is probably only 25% of your actual job. I would compare this industry to a restaurant. You’re dealing with a perishable item and catering to the public that has many preferences, wants, likes etc. This industry is not for the faint hearted and it goes back to having built that strong foundation in both my art education and first hand work experience. You have to be very detailed oriented, strict, and be considerate of the natural world and what it decides to produce. We are at the mercy of Mother Nature.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When I visit San Diego, my favorite place to go with friends is Part Time Lover in North Park as well as the Botanical building and gardens in Balboa Park.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to thank Stephanie Beason of The Wholesale Flower Place in Fountain Valley, Ca for giving a 16 year old a chance. Stephanie hired me as a bucket girl where I eventually moved my way up and she taught be the basics and foundation of flower care and design. Learning traditional flower design has been fundamental in my artistry since day one that has allowed me to branch out and build my own distinct style that I have as a designer today. If anyone wants to get into floral I HIGHLY stress that you work or apprentice in a shop to build a solid foundation. You can watch all the DIY videos, instagram posts etc… but there’s so much false and hear say information out there and there’s no better experience than in person. Even if you are just observing and washing buckets from the start.

Website: https://www.thevinefloralstudio.com

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresa-del-val-08916a294/

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thevinefloralstudio?lang=en

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