- Words and photography by Lia Crowe

Shauna Grobowsky, owner of Passionate Blooms in West Kelowna, creates art that connects people through nature and allows them to feel special. Her love of flora stems back to her childhood where she has fond memories of being in her Nonno and Nonna乌鸦传媒檚 garden. It was her happy place, and it乌鸦传媒檚 a feeling she loves to share with others.

Shauna admits she乌鸦传媒檚 never been one to fit into the norms of society. Today, she encourages people to not be afraid of who they truly are and to acknowledge what drives them.

乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 the type of person who likes to make my own rules, to do things my way,乌鸦传媒� Shauna says. 乌鸦传媒淚t was natural for me to become an entrepreneur. I love to be challenged by being told that I can乌鸦传媒檛 do something. Then I ignore that negative attitude and find a way to do it.乌鸦传媒�

Passionate Blooms has been around for nine years and is busier than ever.

乌鸦传媒淚 believe one of the reasons we乌鸦传媒檝e been so successful is that I don乌鸦传媒檛 put limits on my dreams or ideas,乌鸦传媒� she says.

Asked why she chose the name Passionate Blooms, she replies, 乌鸦传媒淚 believe you should be passionate about what you do, otherwise, what乌鸦传媒檚 the point? We need to honour who we really are as artists; we express ourselves through design.乌鸦传媒�

Shauna乌鸦传媒檚 passion is visible the moment you walk into her store: beautiful d茅cor, tropical plants, and a heavenly scent. You can see it in the arrangements she creates and in her face when she talks about Passionate Blooms.

乌鸦传媒淧assionate Blooms is much more than a florist shop,乌鸦传媒� she says. 乌鸦传媒淚 can execute someone乌鸦传媒檚 vision better than they can imagine when it comes to florals乌鸦传媒擨 just see things differently. When we create arrangements, we find out as much as possible about the sender as we do the receiver. We use only high-quality products and artistic design to evoke a feeling of happiness. We want our arrangements to mirror the personality and the intention of the sender.乌鸦传媒�

It is evident that Shauna loves her career.

乌鸦传媒淚 love going into work where I am able to Zen out by creating with flowers, with nature. It gives me internal bliss. And I know from experience that when I乌鸦传媒檓 in that space, whoever receives the arrangements I make feels that same type of feeling.乌鸦传媒�

Shauna, who also teaches floral design, says some people don乌鸦传媒檛 even realize how creative they are until they finish one of her workshops.

乌鸦传媒淚 find creative people more complex than the average human. We need variety and excitement, and we want to express ourselves in unique ways. I love hosting workshops with people who think they aren乌鸦传媒檛 creative. I love inspiring them to be imaginative and to push themselves beyond their perceived limits in creativeness. It乌鸦传媒檚 so fun when they leave with a beautiful arrangement and a satisfied smile.乌鸦传媒�

One of Shauna乌鸦传媒檚 latest passions is creating large-scale moss walls. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 like a live piece of art in your house. We use moss and lichens, which are preserved with a non-toxic dye. The beauty of these walls is they are super low maintenance.乌鸦传媒�

Shauna is very much hands-on in gathering items for her specialty walls. As she explains about sizes, frames and the plants she uses, she breaks into a big smile. 乌鸦传媒淚 love venturing into the forest to gather pieces of bark and bits from the forest floor and add them into the moss wall. Traditional arrangements and styles just aren乌鸦传媒檛 on my palette.乌鸦传媒�

While Shauna loves her career, like everyone, she appreciates balance in her life. 乌鸦传媒淲e all need to release, to let go and forget about payments, employees and processes and all the things we have to manage over the week to succeed.乌鸦传媒�

It also doesn乌鸦传媒檛 hurt to have a piece of nature nearby.

The 7 Sins

Envy:

Whose shoes would you like to walk in?

Madonna. She乌鸦传媒檚 such a queen. I love the way she expresses herself and enhances emotions through music and fashion.

Gluttony:

What is the food you could eat over and over again?

Pizza. It has all the food groups and multiple combinations. If you don乌鸦传媒檛 like olives and pineapple on your pizza, we cannot be friends.

Greed:

You乌鸦传媒檙e given $1 million that you have to spend selfishly. What would you spend it on?

Latex outfits and designer shoes, of course. If you乌鸦传媒檙e going to splurge, why not look fabulous as your outcome?

Wrath:

Pet peeves?

People who don乌鸦传媒檛 refresh the water in their floral arrangement (or add water at all). I mean, let乌鸦传媒檚 be honest, this is pure cruelty. You receive a luxury item such as fresh flowers, and they only last a short period of time, so, for goodness乌鸦传媒� sake, give them some life!

Sloth:

Where would you spend a long time doing nothing?

Anywhere tropical with a cabana boy, lots of tequila and house music playing loudly on the speaker.

Pride:

What is the one thing you乌鸦传媒檙e secretly proud of?

Pulling people outside of their comfort zone. Limits don乌鸦传媒檛 exist in my world.

Lust:

What makes your heart beat faster?

This is easy乌鸦传媒攅xecuting a large event. It乌鸦传媒檚 a thrill, a feeling of anticipation and a total adrenaline rush to get it done in time, all while maintaining a calm, happy composure. All of the logistics of creating that perfect art piece for everyone to swoon over are very exciting!

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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