In Conversation with the New York artist behind floral brand, Chloe Berlin Studio
In a chattering coffee shop on an off-street in Tribeca, Julia and John lose themselves in conversation with Chloe from New York-based floral brand Chloe Berlin Studio.
Being the neighbour to 2PEONIES whose home base is Toronto, New York is a land we are eager to explore in the world of flora. We’ve been spending our weekends at Johns farm just outside of Buffalo, but have always maintained a curiosity about what was going on in the inner city. Chloe Berlin Studio crossed our feeds, and we stopped mid-scroll. Now two years into botanical design, Chloe has set out to foster a practice that strips away the noise and amplifies the wonder of the natural world, as is.
The conversation started as soon as we sank into our chairs and coffees.
Directly following the initial hellos, Chloe picked up on the dynamic of our work…and life balance.
Chloe
That’s nice that you guys get to work together. I was like to my partner, “next year you’re taking over all my vintage stuff for me, my e-commerce, or something because I do not want to touch it.”
Julia
What were you up to before you pursued Chloe Berlin Studio?
Chloe
Prior to florals, I worked in brand strategy and innovation working with companies like Uber and Google, Club Monaco, and some other major fashion houses. During that period, I built my entire life around this narrow perspective about how society wanted me to function and move through the world. I got pretty boxed in by one definition of what it meant to be successful or creative and how you make money as an artist in today's world. That kind of trajectory is so fast-paced and you kind of just get sucked in. At that same time, I had these chronic health issues that I just kept ignoring until it finally reached the point where I had to take medical leave multiple times. After walking away a few times, I started to question whether or not I even had a career anymore — and that (having a purpose) was so much of what I wanted.
Julia
And ultimately it’s really hard to make all of those decisions with the added stress of your personal well-being.
Chloe
Exactly, so I started diving into things like meditation and mindfulness. I made it a daily practice and after six months of meditating every day, I got better. Once my health issues were in full remission, I was able to function happily and go back to work — whatever that meant — with joy restored. After that huge wake up call, I knew it was finally time to honestly pursue something that would fill my cup. Becoming a creative entrepreneur was always a suppressed dream of mine, so I listened to the universe and went for it.
Julia
Do you have any sort of, traditional artists in your family?
Chloe
Yes! My mom is a professional abstract painter. Growing up, I always thought that if you were going to be an artist, that was the lane you needed to be in. I saw the ways she struggled throughout her career to find "stability" and that majorly influenced my hesitation to go down a similar path. In hindsight, I was so wrong about that but I guess everything happens in its own time for everyone.
Julia
You’re a creative spirit that wasn’t going to last for long!
Chloe
Honestly, I'm glad how it all shook out. Thanks to all the traditional positions I've had in the past, I feel comfortable with the operational side of what I do now from invoicing and client management to email etiquette and stuff like that. If I hadn't had those jobs, I'd be a little lost with all the housekeeping that comes with my work now.
Julia
So once you started exploring the world of flowers, what sorts of things were you looking at?
Chloe
Ikebana was a huge influence throughout my whole process. It was the idea of using less to express so much more. The movement and the curvature. All those parts. I could just sit, as you said, and stare at the way one flower looks for hours on end.
Julia
I know! It’s the reason I started. It’s beautiful the way it makes you feel. I guess that’s why workshops are an important part of your brand.
Chloe
Exactly. I also think it goes so perfectly with the creative process too because of the way creativity is positioned. You have to go to school and follow this rigorous thing before getting good but that’s not creative. So the way that I run my workshops is really all about using your own intuition and what is beautiful for you, and how you champion yourself in your own work.
I think another part of my work is the juxtaposition of having things that are shiny and metal and industrial as well as the very natural plant.
Julia
Is there any other big inspiration you draw from?
Chloe
I really do follow my own path and allow myself to get lost in the creative process. So I would say that journey is my muse, or source of inspiration for the current project. Outside of that, a big inspiration of mine since before I had even ended up in the world of florals is Tara Donovan. She uses organic shapes and materials and pulls a lot from nature to make these really amazing pieces.
What I think is so great about flowers is it’s using a language that isn’t English, to teach people that nature isn’t foreign, and by you working with it and understanding it, you will in turn respect it more and want it to be a part of your life. It gives you this profound feeling of being connected to nature— knowing that we’re nature. Respecting the planet so much more and wanting to help make a change.
Julia
I’ll have to check out all of her work. And I really know what you mean about following the creative process.
Chloe
When you're working on projects in real-time, you sometimes think: yeah, this is my favorite thing I've ever done — and then you look back some time later and think :... Wow, that was terrible! What was I thinking?
When I first began exploring flowers and plants as a medium, I would challenge myself to make something just for me every day. For maybe the first six months or so, I wasn’t creating pieces for anything other than the joy of it — I was just exploring and discovering my voice. That's all a part of it, the evolution of your creative perspective. I have a lot of respect for that part of that journey, even though it wasn't always easy.
I was still working at my full-time job and trying to figure out:
“I want to do this full time but I want it to be different. I want to push boundaries and I want to change the way people view flowers. I want to show you here is this nature and there is this dance between humans and nature and you’re able to create this thing that never would have existed in nature but feels like it could.” And I saw the journey I went on and the impact it had on all the people in my life and that they realized “wow this is a tool that I can use to make myself happier and be more connected with nature, especially in a city like new york.”
Julia
And that makes it a good testament to the industry. It’s always a feel-good thing.
Chloe
Exactly, it’s rewarding and always has been. The need to love what you do might be the one cliche we should all try to embrace.