Finding Joy in Painting Flowers with Safiyyah Studios

This article features an interview with Safiyya Choyocha of Safiyyah Studios. Safiyyah is an incredibly talented floral artist located in the United Kingdom. She specialises in floral print and pattern, taking inspiration from her original artwork. Her unique watercolour style embodies the magical, unexpected beauty and wilderness found in nature, with all its imperfections. Safiyyah’s style encapsulates nature in its entirety as she strives to transport you to a world full of enchantment and beauty through her art.

So how did she begin her floral art, and where does she find inspiration? Read on to find out!

Describe your floral art journey. Why flowers?

My journey began back in 2016 when I sadly experienced a loss in my life. The only thing that got me through such a difficult time in my life was being surrounded by flowers in my garden. I just wanted to keep planting and watering my garden to watch it bloom with different colours and scents. 

I wondered if there was a way to bottle up this feeling of soothing therapy that flowers gave me, and I started to enjoy capturing them with my camera—picking flowers from my garden and bringing them indoors.

I started painting them to enjoy them a little longer, to appreciate their beauty. Those paintings soon became part of little corners of joy in other people's homes, and flowers became my way of telling my story.

What artistic mediums do you utilize? Do you have a favorite?

My home will always be watercolour as I've studied it so intensely the last couple of years. I love the semi-translucent properties watercolour has, and that combined with flowers and all the imperfections of flowers and nature make the perfect combination. It's also great for creating extreme darks and lights. 

I committed to myself when we went into lockdown in March 2020 here in the UK that I was going to paint every day, and through that process, I got to know my medium very quickly. Since then, I have had another baby who is now aged one and have had my hands full with loving and enjoying my little petal and her big sister, so I only really work 3 hours a day. This time is usually spent on a couple of paintings a week, catching up on emails and planning launches. It's a difficult balance to achieve, but right now, I'm happy with how things are going!

Where do you find inspiration?

I have a lot of florists I follow on Instagram, and I'll take a handful of different photographs and start combining various elements that I love from each picture.

If I can, I will use some of my own photographs. One thing that I am aiming to work towards is painting from live flowers.

On a personal level, my biggest inspiration is Oprah! Her advice, mindset, and life story were among the most significant factors that motivated me to pursue my dreams of being an artist.

How would you encourage another artist who is stuck in a creative rut?

Go out on an artist date once a week! We all have a well of inspiration we constantly dig into and use up, and we need to make an effort to refill the well by our experiences.

Once we learn to be open to new environments and experiences, I believe the inspiration will just flow.

What is your biggest dream regarding your business?

I would love to meet fellow flower lovers and do in-person workshops in the future. I love the flower community and would love to collaborate with some amazing creative florists!

What mark do you hope to leave on your community?

I want to leave a legacy of hope, joy, and inspiration. To create a light inside of people that uplift them when they see my work.

I love to remind myself and others of the immense beauty of God's creations. Flowers have a way of connecting us to our feelings, taking us down memory lane. I would love for my paintings to be a part of that process. 

You can purchase Safiyyah's beautiful artwork on her website and you can follow along for releases of new work on Instagram @the_soulful_creative.