Meet Kyla Walker
{ on merging passion, mindfulness, and purpose }
The great beauty of little things. This is where this New York-based floral designer and yoga teacher’s work always kicks off. Through her contagious appetite for leaning into life’s wonders and enchantments, Kyla got forced to sit and figure out her purpose and seized the time and space the 2020 pandemic has created to start her business called Tiny Feelings. And in the midst of the crisis, she made to make peace with an acting career that she wasn’t resonating with anymore and use the teachings of yoga and meditation to find the outlet that would lead her to design a life filled with meaning, grace, and intention.
We met Kyla Walker who talked us through starting a new venture in a difficult time and spreading joy in mindful ways.
Can you tell us about yourself?
I’m a floral designer and yoga teacher. I grew up in Palm Harbor, Florida, and then flew the warm nest to attend college in a very cold Boston, before I graduated in 2015 and moved to New York. Growing up, I was a very dedicated actor and went to a high school conservatory program which led me to a vigorous college conservatory. All of which made a big impact on who I am today, mostly by giving me a deep respect for feelings!
But pretty quickly into my college experience, I lost almost all joy in acting and I graduated quite lost, which led me to many part-time jobs. I had a unique experience in that I managed to only work for women-owned companies, or assisted women who were business owners, which definitely planted a seed for what was to come. Everything shifted for me though when I did my Yoga Teacher Training at SKY TING Yoga (where I was also working part-time at the desk). That experience became my measure for meaning in my life, and I think it really allowed my heart and mind to find its purpose: Tiny Feelings.
At what point did you realize you wanted to create flower arrangements?
When I was little I dreamed of owning a flower shop where my neighbors could come and I’d know everyone’s name. That dream got pushed to the side, but little did I know it was slowly sprouting all along waiting to come to fruition. When Covid-19 came into our world, all of my part-time jobs disappeared overnight, and I remember thinking very clearly, okay this is my time to figure out what really gives me joy. Nothing I had done so far felt right to me, and I was so busy trying to make ends meet with my many different jobs, being unemployed actually gave me a gap in time to explore my own mind for what would truly make me happy.
And after taking the time, peeling back a lot of layers in my mind, one day I woke up and said “I’m going to be a floral designer”. It really was just like that. And I think it felt so right because it was a private conversation with myself. I didn’t ask others for their opinion. I didn’t feel the need to prove I was good enough at it before pursuing it, I really believe working with flowers is a sort of birthright! So it was a very pure decision that I made with myself, for myself.
Credit: Tiny Feelings
What are some of the challenges you had to face personally in 2020 experience?
This past year was full of some of the lowest valleys and some really wonderful peaks. I got to know myself more closely than I ever could have imagined. I started my own company, I fell even more in love with my partner, all while physically and emotionally being so far away from the many people and experiences that I love, and that I relied on to make me feel whole. The uncertainty I felt financially and spiritually was extremely stressful, and I know these experiences are deeply shared.
Like so many others, I can be a very anxious person, so this year was beyond challenging at times - and yet, it was also a sneaky gift to feel so entirely uncertain. Something I was gripping onto my whole life, the illusion that I could control the future was swept away. For everyone. So although it was difficult, I now feel so much stronger in my trust to re-center myself amidst uncertainty after this challenging, but necessary lesson in letting go.
How did that change your relationship to yourself, to others, and to your creative purpose?
I think the pandemic has taught us all a very meaningful lesson in gratitude. It definitely has for me! Everyone has been missing something they never thought they would miss, and although this collective experience has been painful in so many ways, I think it has also opened us up to feel more. I think about the intense joy I will feel to simply breathe freely again, to touch the subway pole without thinking twice, to hug someone so tightly, or to meet someone new at a party and shake their hand! I love shaking hands!
I really hope that even when this virus is a thing of the past, we are still able to access that deep sense of gratitude for the little things, because what a wonderful feeling it is. I mean, how amazing would it be if we just saw people stopping in the middle of Manhattan to appreciate taking a deep breath? To think: what a joy it is to touch the subway pole! That sense of appreciation for the small joys in life was the biggest inspiration and is the forever mission behind Tiny Feelings.
Credit: Tiny Feelings
What ways have you found effective to better take care of yourself and get your “creative juices” flowing?
I do some form of yoga every day, and I have a meditation practice which definitely helps fill my cup. But I also love walking around the city listening to really loud music (during the day). I don’t know why, but that fuels part of my soul and really clears my head. I tend to come up with designs or ideas in this way. And reading is my absolute favorite type of self-care.
“That sense of appreciation for the small joys in life was the biggest inspiration and is the forever mission behind Tiny Feelings.”
Kyla Walker
What kind of impact do you hope to achieve through your creative efforts?
I hope that Tiny Feelings and I can be a resource for people to celebrate the small joys in every day, and connect with themselves and one another in a really meaningful way. I’m also currently developing a workshop that blends meditation and the act of floral design, and I am so excited to share that by the end of this year. I really hope the workshop makes an impact by providing a really unique and mindful experience for people, through the use of flowers, breathwork and meditation.
Would you say that you are living a meaningful life?
Yes :) I used to think that I could only live a meaningful life once I achieved a successful career or hit some sort of life goal. And it was very hard for me to let go of that idea. I was really scared of not "being" someone, or something. And I think that fear is really common, especially during this past year where so much of our productivity has been halted.
But after doing a lot of work to really let that thought go, my heart was flooded with meaning. And that feeling is so amazing, and it is a sustainable feeling! Because I found meaning in all that I am, and not in what I do. So whether I'm making an arrangement, teaching a yoga class, or making my morning coffee, that same meaning is present.
What words of inspiration were given to you that you would like to pass along to others?
What’s meant for you won’t pass you.
Discover Kyla’s floral design work on her website www.tinyfeelingsnyc.com and on Instagram @tinyfeelingsnyc.