We’re looking forward to introducing you to Mekai Ely. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Mekai, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
I recently signed a lease on a studio with my best friend that is a tattoo artist (@Maryhannahtattoos) in the area. We both are workaholics an have been spending the little free time we have working on making the studio cozy for both us and our clients. The other night I was home attempting to relax at 8 PM and decided to go to the studio and get things in order for our big furniture move in the next day. When I arrived, my best friend was already at the studio doing exactly what I was planning on. It was such a funny moment but also SO reassuring that we both love and care about what we are doing and are so excited to be opening this space. It really reaffirmed that we are in this together and we chose the best person to do this with.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello! I am Mekai Ely, I own a wedding and event floral design company called Sparks & Sand Floral Design. I am originally from the desert in California and started my business out there in 2020, but moved to Raleigh in 2022. I specialize in super fun and funky weddings and have the coolest clients ever. I like to keep my work totally customizable and don’t really stick to a specific style or specific rules on things. I’m working really hard on being better on everything that I do both in systems and designing and even myself in my personal life which is super exciting. I’m sharing a studio space with both my bestie that is a tattoo artist and my other bestie that is an event planner so we will be having some super fun stuff in the works together as well!
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
My parents. Both of my parents have an insanely strong work ethic and they definitely passed that onto me. My brother and I knew how important it was to work for our goals and dreams from an early age. My parents also instilled that we can be whatever we want in life as long as we put the work in and can be happy working to make a living. If it wasn’t for them putting that in my head early on and being my number one supporter growing up, I would not be where I am today. I’m insanely lucky to have the parents I do, for sure.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Use that stubbornness and ornery-ness to create something beautiful. I always knew I wanted to do my own thing and wanted to do something creative in life and I am so glad I never settled each time I thought I figured it out. Although I did find my passion pretty young, I had a couple opportunities to push it to the side and have something stable. I was even offered my dream job as the Visual Merchandising Manager at Free People and said no because it would have meant not giving my all to my business. Thinking about what young me would have thought if I would have pushed my dreams aside is what kept me going so knowing my stubbornness would pay off one day maybe would have pushed me even harder.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Probably to be as accommodating as possible. I know wedding planning is one of the most stressful times in a persons life so I really try to be as helpful and kind as possible during this. I know we are a “luxury” service but there’s no reason to lose the humanity in doing what we do. Whether it’s giving advice to my bride that’s DIY-ing her bud vases or allowing my clients to make as many changes as they need to get to a comfortable price for them. These people are trusting me to be a part of their most special day, the least I could do is make it a little easier.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What light inside you have you been dimming?
I’m a big people pleaser. If I could just stick to my guns on things I could definitely have a more “stable brand” but I just want to make people happy and do what they want which definitely burns me out and I don’t get as much enjoyment from certain designs and events. It’s hard to say no, especially when the client is insanely nice or I love the planner, but it’s extremely hard for me to stand my ground on things and not just do whatever people want. If I did hold onto keeping a stable brand, I feel like I would definitely be further along than I am or even happier with the progress I have made, but I LOVE my clients and the work I get to do so I am content with my decisions.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sparksandsand.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/sparksandsand
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/sparksandsand
Image Credits
Personal Photo: The Hendry’s
1. Fancy This Photography 2. Love & Wolves Co 3. Brittany Bear Photography 4.Shalom Imaginative 5. Parallel 33 Photography 6. Michelle Lyerly Photography 7. Michelle Lyerly 8. Nichola Rae Photography
