Life and Work with Abigael Dodd

Today we’d like to introduce you to Abigael Dodd.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in Lagos, Nigeria. I moved to Arizona when I was 11 years old and have lived here ever since. And no, I have not gotten used to the heat, haha! I studied Computer Engineering at ASU and have been working as a full-time Software Engineer for the last several years.

After working full time for a few years, I realized how much I was neglecting my creative side, which had been an important part of my life when I was younger. I found myself stuck in an unhealthy routine where I would go to work all day, come home and be too tired to do anything more. After some time thinking about what I could do to change my lifestyle and find that balance, I decided blogging was a start. In June 2018, I launched abigaeldodd.com. This blog is where I share my love for travel, style, and self-growth.

Pushing myself to start the abigaeldodd blog opened the door to further self-discovery. I started to look at more ways I could use my creativity to impact other peoples lives. Earlier last year, I got married and took on the big project of being the floral designer for my wedding. The initial goal was to save money but I soon realized that I LOVED putting floral arrangements together and it became an important part of my life. In 2019, I started Prettiest Blooms, a floral design business where I use flowers to enhance the beauty of special events in people’s lives. From weddings to birthdays to brunches with your favorite girls.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The journey has not been smooth and I’m ok with that. I’m a believer that if you want something, then you have to work hard to get it despite the doubts. Before starting abigaeldodd blog and Prettiest Blooms, I struggled a lot with self-doubt. I found myself thinking “Am I good enough?”, “I don’t think I can do this”, “I’m not as good as so and so.” Instead of letting all those doubts take over, I worked on changing my mindset. I replaced those negative thoughts with more positive ones by telling myself that “I am good enough”, “I trust in my skills and myself”, I will try to do my best at this and if I fail, it is ok.”

Notice I said, “if I fail, it is ok.” That doesn’t mean that I’m going to fail. It just means that if I do everything that I can to make my blog and business success and I still fail, then I am ok with that because I did *my best*. I’ve realized over the years that a lot of self-doubts comes from fear of failure and I want to encourage every girl and guy reading this that they shouldn’t be scared to fail. If you ever find yourself often thinking about working on a project or pursuing a career you don’t think you are qualified for or good enough for, go for it anyway! There is nothing worse than having regrets that you didn’t try. It will be hard to push yourself out of your bubble of doubts, but you will appreciate it when you do, no matter the outcome.

Please tell us about Prettiest Blooms.
As mentioned before, I own a floral design business called Prettiest Blooms.

What I love about flowers is that they remind me of people. There are so many different kinds of flowers in the world and each of them is beautiful in their own way. It brings me joy to pick some of those different flowers and put them together into one beautiful arrangement where they each still stand out. I find that so amazing!

Prettiest Blooms is catered towards special events such as weddings, birthdays and more. I specialize in garlands, bouquets, centerpieces and so much more. I love to create arrangements that highlight my earthy and romantic design style but also meets my client’s request and suits their personality. One of my goals is to combine my different passions, travel, flowers, and blogging. I hope to one day create floral arrangements all over the world! Enhancing people’s events with pretty blooms one country or city at a time and of course blogging about it!

Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well positioned for?
I definitely feel that there are many opportunities for women. We can do anything as long as we are passionate about it and put in the effort. As someone who works as an Engineer which is a male-dominated field and as a floral designer which is a female-dominated field, I believe we have opportunities from one end of the spectrum to the other and everything in between.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.prettiestblooms.com
• Email: prettiestblooms@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prettiestblooms
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prettiestblooms
• Other: https://www.abigaeldodd.com

Image Credit:
Photographers: Anna Phillips Photography, Cindy Maiyer Photography, Alyse Robinson

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