Life & Work with Yana Polshina and Jacquie Aphimova of Vespera Floral Studio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yana Polshina and Jacquie Aphimova.

During the COVID shutdown, Jacquie was looking for a way to keep up her photography practice. She asked her mother Yana, who has a natural talent for designing floral arrangements, to collaborate on a photo series. The intention was to create still life scenes reminiscent of various art historical styles: Flemish, Baroque, Rococo, etc. However, as they shared their work on Instagram, people were really responding to Yana’s floral compositions!

So they changed direction and put all of their focus into developing Vespera Floral Studio online. At the moment, they take all of orders via email, phone call, or Facebook/Instagram message and deliver in and around Los Angeles County. They have also enjoyed partnering with local businesses, such as wellness center Luna Body and Mind and cafe Demitasse in Santa Monica, to provide florals for their office spaces and storefronts.

Vespera (a word taken from the Latin “vesper”, meaning “spiritual evening song”) has brought so much joy and oneness with nature to their lives, and they are so grateful to bring this energy to others.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In the beginning, we were both working full-time day jobs, so making time to build a small-business required each of us to juggle a lot of hats and work late hours. But we took it step-by-step and focused only on what we needed to set-up based on each project. Yana has also accepted the beauty in “clutter”; we have been stockpiling materials (vases, decorations, set pieces, and more) because we are raging shopaholics and can’t let a beautiful piece go unbought. Jacquie, in turn, has been trying to keep up with Yana, who creates flowers that should not go unphotographed, even if she made them 10pm at night.

At the moment, we have accepted that it is going to take some time for events to come back post-COVID and for businesses to invest in florals. So we’re focusing on individual orders and meeting event planners and business owners for future collaborations.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
For years, out of passion, we have been studying the rich cultural history behind flowers and all the meanings that they carry in art. With this knowledge, Yana loves telling a story through the language of flowers. When receiving a custom order, we like to get to know the recipient (their zodiac sign, their preferred colors, their hobbies and interests, and more) to create a piece that makes them feel seen and truly appreciated. And when working with businesses or events, we like to design florals that evoke a cinematic scene to truly inspire.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
We have noticed in the floral industry a shift to developing educational content. Online lessons, event workshops, books and more. We have also noticed florists use their high-quality photos to create printed materials such as magnets, calendars, clothing patterns, etc.

For Vespera, we are preparing educational videos to share online and post-COVID would love to host workshops where we combine floral design and mindfulness meditation. Yana especially enjoys shinrin-yoku and ikebana, the Japanese arts of forest-bathing and making flowers alive. They are aesthetic and spiritual practices that we can guide others through.

Contact Info:

• Email: hello@vesperafloralstudio.com
• Instagram: vesperaflorals
• Facebook: vesperaflorals