Hello, I am Wai Yan, the founder of Evermore Flower.
Welcome to my first blog. I am going to talk about how I founded Evermore Flower.
Why paper arts?
Since young, I love making crafts and gifts for my family and friends. I was also "Ketua Papan Kenyataan" (in-charge of class bulletin board) for my entire high school years. During my time, printer was not a common home device. If I'd need to print something, I'd need to hit to cyber cafe, and the printing cost was not cheap at all. I tried to save money by hand-cut most of the things, like alphabets, patterns and pictures. Eventually, I fell in love with paper arts.
But I didn't further study in art, why?
I have always been wanted to study graphic design since I was 15, unfortunately I didn't get support from my family. I did quite well in my academy, so they thought it will be best for me to pursue science field. So I took their advice, and........... I regret about it.
When I first discover paper flower....
It was during my final year in university, my friends and I wanted to make something unique as convocation gift. My friend, Mei Li suggested we made flowers using papers. None of us had the experience in making paper flowers.
We made the bed into a crafting table. The post cleaning of paper scraps was a nightmare !
I vividly remember it took me a week time to make just 10 flowers. It was not easy and I told myself I'd never do this anymore. My friend was very happy to receive the flowers I made. Some of her friends ordered from me, and that encouraged me to continue making flowers.
How did Evermore Flower named?
In 2014, I told my friend Shi Jia about my passion in paper flower. He was very impressed and encouraged me to turn it into a business. I thought of the message behind these paper flowers - forever lasting. Therefore, I googled synonyms of "forever" , and I liked the name "Evermore" as it is quite easy to remember.
Shi Jia volunteered himself to design a logo for me. I wanted a clean and simple logo. My idea was a rose because rose is queen of flower. Shi Jia brilliantly combined the small letter "e" into a rose. I fell in love with the logo at first sight, "yes, this is what I wanted."
My first name card designed by myself. Working for myself is literally I am the cheap labor for myself. On the positive side, it gives me a lot opportunities to learn new things !
Working 18 hours everyday...
My business did not bloom immediately - I did not have enough orders to pay my bills. In my first three years, I had a 9-to-6 job, and I made flowers during my spare time. Everyday, I woke up at 6 or 7 am to start my day with paper flowers, and rushed to work, then I'd continue making paper flowers after dinner. I worked so hard until a point my life was only about work and paper flowers. It was not easy to work 18 hours a day.
But trust me, those difficult years are crucial to shape who I am today.
Without the 3 years, I wouldn't have disciplined myself to work productively in limited spare time. I wouldn't know how much I could satisfy for my passion. And I wouldn't so sure about my passion is real, but not just lust.
In my forth year, I decided to quit my day job and focus on Evermore Flower. I told myself to work on what make me happy. I do not want a second regret.
Today I am running Evermore Flower with a team of good helpers at my home studio. My dream is to own a commercial studio for visitors like you to visit. I will continue to work harder for my dream. I hope you do not give up yours too !
"Your dreams don't have to be big but they have to be yours"
-Gary Vaynerchuk-
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