Meet Stephanie Domingo | Florist & Creator of Mauve Roots

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

Hi Stephanie, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I feel like I often hear business owners joke about how we all opted out of Monday through Friday 9-5 careers, just so we can work 24/7 for ourselves. While it’s comical, let’s be real— It’s funny because its true. If I go unchecked, I can fall into working all hours of the day— because there’s always something that needs to get done. Rather than seeing a checklist for the day, and what can realistically be done within 8 hours, I see lists upon lists of things that need to get done for events, sometimes years in advance.

All that to say, I’m finding that the healthier of a person I become, the more my business thrives. I think it’s so funny that we think that we can work ourselves to death and see good fruit come from that— when in reality, doing what we can with the energy we have, is sufficient. The healthiest version of me knows to set boundaries with my workload. It looks like having a routine (isn’t that ironic? The thing I fought so hard to have freedom from, is the thing I really need to flourish). Truly, it all ends up working out more when I prioritize rest and pursuing things and people that bring me joy, rather then a fully checked off list.

Pro tip: Take some time once a month to create just for fun. It reminds me why I love what I do, and why I started a floral design company.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My works are an expression and extension of the best version of myself. I am very intentional and put a lot of effort into curating my flower + color palettes to be the very best it can possibly be. I believe if I curate the best selection of flowers, the natural byproduct is that they will all mesh harmoniously in bouquets and arrangements.

Taste for curation isn’t necessarily something that can be taught. For me, I can have confidence in my taste to be good, because it’s an extension of my inner being. I’ve put forth so much effort into becoming the best version of myself. The more I challenge myself to love people and myself better and with intentionality, the better my life has become. I mirror this practice in my floral designs.

Michelangelo once said something along the lines of his most renown pieces of art being hidden within the raw slabs he was working on. He just needed to partner with divinity in order to find the artwork.

To me, partnering with divinity yields the same fruit— the best floral design I could possibly create.

My works are an embodiment of that internal process of growth I had to go through in order to be successful. Getting to this frame of mind was one of the hardest, excruciating journeys I’ve ever been on. Truthfully I didn’t always want to say yes to the process of refining myself. However, people in my life that I trust to know more than me, people that have proven to be full of wisdom, people I wanted to be like, unanimously taught me that refinement and saying yes to the process of growth, no matter how difficult, was necessary, if I wanted to
get where I wanted to be.

And being on the other side of that specific growing season, despite the pain, I would do it again, because it’s worth it. Doing hard things are worth it if it means experiencing freedom and joy internally, and therefore being able to make beautiful things externally.

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?
Coffee: Maru
Dayglow
Dinosaur
Laveta
Verve

Food:
Kensho
Konbi
Pikunico
Burgerlords
Slammers
Destroyer
Prince Street Pizza
Courage bagels
E.P. & L.P.
Republique

Ice cream:
Salt and Straw
Kith
Jen’s

Shop:
Dover Street
Rachel Comey
Brain Dead
Fabrications
Round 2
Heaven

Stay:
The line
Ace
Hotel June
Proper Hotel

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Enzo Domingo, Angela Nasegesege, Katherine Warnock, Jeanne Swanberg— thank you for knowing more than me, and inspiring me into more than I thought was possible. Thank you for having faith and letting me borrow that faith that things work out when I didn’t know how to. Thank you for equipping me with tools that taught me independence and growth. You all empowered me into believing that I am a powerful, capable human. Thank you for using your time investing in my heart. I would not be where I am at without your touch on my life.

Michelle De La Cruz, James Catalasan, Veronica Basili, Angel Domingo, Sabina Lee, Anthony Lee, Francis Fransisco, Kayla Lane, Sarah Kuhn, Jess Thorpe, Marina Basili, you guys have loved me so well. Whether it was slinging flowers with me and creating Mauve Roots from the ground up, validating my feelings, loving me well, letting my externally process my thoughts, I am so grateful for the community I have in you all. You make my life brighter.

Dad– you taught me how to have will power. Thank you for being a provider, and taking me to the park every day as a kid.

Website: Mauveroots.com

Instagram: mauveroots

Image Credits
Stephanie Sidaros @mauveroots Alexa Jaclyn @alexajaclynphotography