We’re looking forward to introducing you to Zanielle Foxcroft & Kelli Sweeney. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Zanielle & Kelli, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A Day at Wild Botanical Atelier
The day usually begins with coffee, followed by sketching or painting new pieces, we are working on so many projects simultaneously there is always something to plan or paint!
Late morning might be spent scanning or photographing new artwork, preparing listings for our website, or packaging prints and cards for orders, each wrapped with care and a botanical touch.
Afternoons often shift to the creative business side: posting on social media, drafting captions, or working on special projects, like our upcoming flower book, or preparing for an event.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
We’re Wild Botanical Atelier, a creative studio run by two friends who can’t get enough of flowers, art, and the wild places that inspire us. Based in Minnesota, we create watercolor artwork that celebrates the beauty of nature, from prairie wildflowers to butterflies.
What makes our work special is the story behind each piece. Every illustration starts with real plants we’ve found and loved; we’re inspired by the colors, textures, and quiet moments you find in nature.
Alongside our prints and stationery, we also make small-batch botanical goods like herbal eye pillows, simmer pots (featuring ingredients grown right from our gardens!), and bath soaks, all created to bring a little piece of nature into everyday life.
We also love hosting creative workshops that invite people to slow down, connect, and find joy in making something beautiful with their hands.
Right now, we’re busy expanding our seasonal collections and planning more community events — like our upcoming Plant Bingo! — all centered around sharing our love of art, plants, and the beauty that grows wild.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who taught you the most about work?
We’ve learned so much from nature, it’s been our greatest teacher.
The way plants grow, adapt, and bloom in their own time has shaped how we approach our work: with patience, curiosity, and care.
In our early days, artists like Katie Daisy inspired us deeply. Her joyful celebration of nature and her ability to blend art with meaning showed us that creativity can be both beautiful and grounding.
That influence helped shape the heart of Wild Botanical Atelier, a space where art, plants, and storytelling come together to remind us to slow down and appreciate the world around us.
We’ve also learned from the people who join us at our workshops, seeing others create and connect reminds us that art and community grow best side by side.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
If we could say one thing to our younger selves, it would be: trust the slow growth.
Every season has its purpose, the quiet moments, the detours, the small beginnings that don’t always look like progress but are shaping something beautiful beneath the surface. It’s easy to want things to happen fast, to bloom right away, but the best things, in nature and in art, take time.
We’d remind ourselves that creativity isn’t a straight path. It’s a rhythm, a cycle, a garden that needs tending and rest in equal measure. Every painting, every idea, every little seed of inspiration adds up to something meaningful, even if you can’t see it yet.
So, keep following what feels true, stay curious, and let your love for creating be the compass. The rest will bloom in its own time, wild, imperfect, and perfectly yours.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
A cultural value we protect at all costs is authenticity.
We stay true to what inspires us, the real, imperfect beauty of nature and the joy of creating with our hands.
In a world that moves fast, we protect the slow, intentional way of making, staying grounded in creativity that feels honest, meaningful, and connected to the natural world.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
We hope people say that we created beauty with heart, that we noticed the small things, celebrated nature in all its imperfect wonder, and inspired others to do the same.
We hope they remember that we shared what we loved generously, art, flowers, and community, and that we cared deeply about helping others notice the wildflowers around them.
Through our workshops, we’ve always wanted to teach people to create art themselves, to connect with nature through their own hands and imagination.
And we hope they remember how we brought botanical art into everyday life, adding beauty and meaning to homes through our prints, decor, and handmade pieces.
Above all, we want our story to remind people to slow down, make something with love, and see the quiet magic growing all around them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wildbotanicalatelier.com
- Instagram: @wildbotanicalatelier
- Facebook: @wildbotanicalatelier
