Whit McClure Interview

Meet Whit McClure

Whit McClure is the creative mind & muscle behind W H I T H A Z E N, a design studio focused on creating beautifully crafted flowers and home goods in Los Angeles, California. Despite lifelong artistic inclinations, Whit spent years after college working on farms & in the nonprofit world teaching folks of all ages and walks of life how to grow their own food. Eventually she found floral design as the perfect blend of working with plants, crafting beauty, and collaborating with others, while remaining committed to social justice in her free time.

Whit has worked with other designers both in the U.S. and abroad as she has developed a style that is whimsical, dynamic, and seasonally-inspired. Ever inspired by nature’s abundant beauty & driven to respect and protect its resources, Whit helps clients bring more beauty in their world to share and enjoy.

Q&A with Whit McClure

What are you passionate about?

I’m passionate about experiencing the fullness of life and in creating a world that allows everyone to have access to that. With that, I’m passionate about the intersections of art & creativity, wellness, and social justice as a way of recognizing the beauty this world offers us in understanding ourselves and our communities, finding healing so we can step into our power, and the ways we must fight & demand that that beauty & healing is accessible to everyone.

Who has most influenced your personal growth? How?

I think that naming individual people would make a very long list, as I’m very fortunate to be surrounded by very big-hearted and supportive people in my life. But if I have to name one entity, I would say that nature has influenced my personal growth the most. I’ve learned so much about myself, my cycles, my patterns, by working closely with nature for many years. It has served as both a mirror and a vessel to my personal experiences.

What is your superpower?

My superpower is making people feel seen & special.

What are you currently reading?

I usually have a rotation of books happening at one time. Currently I am reading Race and the Cosmos: An Invitation to View the World Differently by Barbara A. Holmes – a fascinating read about how quantum physics and cosmology can offer us a different approach to viewing the quest for social justice & liberation, and Austin Channing Brown, I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in A World Made for Whiteness.

Who is a fictional character that inspires you? Why?

Lauren Oya Olamina, the main character from Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents. I love the way in which she sees the collapse of the world around her and dares to truly envision our place among the stars.

What is your favorite way to spend a Sunday?

My ideal Sunday is sleeping in, making coffee, going to the farmers market, tinkering around in my garden for a bit, taking a nap, and then meeting up with friends in the late afternoon/evening for lots of laughs & tasty food.

What is the most unusual thing you own?

A custom Barbie doll that is dressed to look like David Bowie’s character Jareth from the film The Labyrinth.

Where do you dream of traveling to? Why?

The next place I would love to go once we can travel abroad again is Senegal. I would love to visit the beaches there, eat really bomb seafood, and visit Lake Retba with it’s beautiful pink-hued water!

When do you feel the most at peace?

I feel most at peace when I can be outside–gardening, hiking, or just taking a stroll in my neighborhood. I am the most present in those moments.

Words to live by?

We’re currently in a time that is demanding that we become more courageous than we ever thought possible, so I have been returning to this hybrid definition of courage (both from Wikipedia and said by the character Richter Abend in Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World).

“Courage is the choice & willingness to meet and confront the anxiety, pain, agony, uncertainty or intimidation that arises as one achieves freedom; it is the magic that turns dreams into reality.”