Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Altshuler.
Michael, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My initial background was in philosophy and spirituality. Upon graduating from college with those interests, I had no idea how I’d make a living, and so was doing various odd jobs to pay the rent. One of those jobs was helping someone landscape the front slope of their neighborhood store in Encinitas, CA, where I was living. One thing led to another and my passion for working with nature was born.
Starting out on the construction end taught me about plants and hardscapes and water features, and so on, but eventually I realized how important detailed planning is for such projects, which led me to learn designing. A good design addresses the functionality and the aesthetics, but also maximizes the budget. The construction background enabled designing according to actual building costs.
After years of focusing on learning how to design and build landscaping, I began returning to my initial core interest of spirituality, as I was seeing how powerful landscaping is as a healing tool. Now I understand this is what I’ve always loved about the work, and like to let people know I’m not doing this as a “landscape contractor” but as a spiritual healer.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My greatest challenge has been to get clear about why I do this work and what it means, on a spiritual basis, for my clients. It’s easy to get caught up in the working world of earning a living, or in the excitement of doing a large project, but ultimately the most important thing is that my daily work be aligned with my spiritual purpose. It’s a simple viewpoint that took a long time to solidly grasp.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Top To Bottom Landscaping story. Tell us more about the business.
Currently my work focuses on creating a spiritually vibrant space, custom designed for the location and people who will be using the space. Some have asked if I use Feng Shui or similar systems, since the finished product aligns with such principles, but my method is just to directly access my intuition.
Los Angeles is a vortex for much spiritual energy, and there are many people consciously working on their growth and healing, as well as wanting to uplift others. These are the kind of clients who suit my style…. people understanding the beauty and power of nature, who want to work with someone gifted and experienced in this kind of energy, turning their residence, workplace, or spiritual venue into a vibrant healing energy field which relaxes, heals, and inspires.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TopToBottomLandscaping.com
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