From Potpourri to Purpose: A Very Real Origin Story of Fiction & Florals

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Written By Ivy .

Let me tell y’all the truth.

I didn’t set out to become a florist or a book influencer or start some aesthetically pleasing brand. I just wanted a hobby that didn’t involve liquor. That’s it. That’s the tweet.

Back in 2023, I signed up for a floral arranging class on a random day when I needed something — anything — that felt grounding. That one workshop sparked something. I started buying flowers from Trader Joe’s and making arrangements in my apartment. They were terrible. Like, potpourri-in-a-hotel-lobby terrible. But I kept going. Not for the ‘Gram, not for business — just to have a moment with myself, talk to God, and turn the volume down on everything else.

A Little Breakdown Never Hurt Nobody

Fast forward to November 2024. I got laid off.

Life was lifing. Bills were billing. I had no roadmap — just stress and a vase full of clearance roses. So I did what had become second nature: I made a flower arrangement. Not because I had a strategy, but because I needed peace.

I posted that arrangement. Just a quick photo. And unexpectedly, people felt it. It was giving calm. It was giving beauty in chaos. And for the first time in a while, I felt like maybe I was onto something.

My girlfriend had just gifted me an iPad for Christmas (shoutout to her, she’s a real one), and I used it to start creating content: book reviews, floral pairings, playlists, soft life vibes. And just like that, Fiction & Florals started to bloom.

What This Brand Really Is

Fiction & Florals isn’t about perfection. It’s about storytelling, softness, healing, and hustle. It’s for the women who read romance and thriller novels, who light candles at night and cry while watching anything cute and fuzzy (me, I’m women).

It’s a space for Black women, creatives, and sensitive souls who are tired of being in survival mode and ready to step into their soft era — one bloom at a time.

This brand is my love letter to the women finding beauty in their becoming.

Where We’re Going From Here

I didn’t mean to start a business — I meant to buy myself time to breathe. But now that we’re here?

We’re doing it all:

  • Floral workshops that feel like creative therapy

  • A book club with actual vibes (flowers and meaning)

  • Merch that speaks to your spirit

  • Brand collabs that align with softness, storytelling, and a little sauce

  • Subscription boxes full of petals, plot twists, and peace

  • A growing community of folks who want more than just pretty things — they want purposeful beauty

And one day? A Fiction & Florals studio. A creative space where you can walk in heavy and leave light — book in one hand, bouquet in the other.

If you’ve ever supported, liked a post, bought a bouquet, joined a workshop, or simply rooted for me — thank you.

This is bigger than me now, and I’m so grateful.

We’re blooming on purpose.

— Ivy 💐

Ivy .