Life & Work with Ysabelle Ocampo of Glendale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ysabelle Ocampo.

Hi Ysabelle; so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hello! My name is Ysabelle Ocampo. I am a Filipina-American based in Glendale, AZ. I started Flower Peace YMA right when I was 17 & just graduated high school in 2014. It began as a hobby for my sisters, our mom & me. I’ve always loved being creative. I started making flower halos, hair ties, hair clips, and headbands. At the time, I was making these for fun. My little sisters would wear them along with their friends. They were so popular at the time & it was fun being artistic with the designs. I always loved being crafty & my mom gave me the idea to begin selling them. So I started on Instagram. Photography was also my passion, so it was a plus. I created fun little photoshoots with my sisters, cousins, friends & family. I would use that to help promote Flower Peace. I would take the accessories with me everywhere, especially on vacation.

When there were little event pop-ups, I worked so hard making many accessories to bring. I handmade every piece, but all the hot glue gun burns were worth it in the end! Eventually, I wanted Flower Peace to be more meaningful. I checked into my spiritual side & started working with gemstones. I created handmade bracelets, which turned into a new jewelry line. I now make bracelets, earrings, keychains, wrap rings & still my hair accessories! The jewelry was meaningful because I have always loved jewelry & designing. My mom loves jewelry & I always remember wearing it since I was little. She would give me earrings, bracelets, and rings. It brings us closer together. I also wanted to bring a piece of that to people who support Flower Peace. Gemstones have healing properties. These stones come from Earth & it’s amazing to bring that into jewelry. Each gemstone has different meanings & that’s what I love about it! I was every supporter to have something meaningful to them.

Flower Peace is my happy place. It’s brought my sisters & me close together too. Now that they are older, they can help me create. That’s where YMA comes from. It’s our initials for Ysabelle, Melissa & Angela. My sisters are my whole world. I wouldn’t be here without them or my parents. Flower Peace, for me, has continued to be something fun; it’s continued to be my favorite hobby over the past decade. I never want it to feel like a job & it never has! There’s so much more I would love to do to keep it going. I am blessed & happy to be where I am with Flower Peace.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Flower Peace has been a smooth road for the most part. The most important thing to me is keeping it fun because I never want to get tired of it. I love creating & designing; that’s something I will always appreciate. Of course, like any other, it took a lot of work to begin selling. I want the perfect quality & perfect look for all of it. Every piece I’ve ever created, from hair accessories to jewelry, has been handmade. Luckily, I have an amazing support system & social media has been the biggest blessing! All my family & friends have helped keep it alive & I couldn’t be more thankful!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I started working as an influencer at 16, almost 17. I was a senior in high school & would promote new, smaller brands. I started off thinking wow, this is so much fun! The photography, the creativity & being able to help someone else was fun for me! That’s when I got the idea to create something of my own. Now, I mainly specialize in jewelry. Flower Peace started as a hair accessory brand, which I still create, but we are primarily known for our handmade gemstone bracelets. When I first started with jewelry, the bracelets popped off! Everyone wanted one of each design & it was amazingly crazy! I was so excited, finally feeling like my hard work paid off. People loved MY creations. That empowered me so much. That’s what I’m most proud of as well. It’s always been something that has brought my family, friends, supporters & me close together. I can create something that someone loves & can bring with them anywhere.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
What I love best about our city is the community. People can be mean & it’s a scary world. When it comes to small businesses, people are ruthless. I’ve been blessed to have amazing opportunities within our community to support my creativity. What I love least about our city is the division of diversity. I come from Bay Area, where diversity is so common; it’s less common here in Phoenix or Arizona. In my perfect world, everyone would get along & work well together. I wish it were like that everywhere!

Pricing:

• Flower halos & headbands are $10
• Hair ties & clips are $2
• Handmade Bracelets vary from $15-25
• Earrings, Rings, and Keychains range from $7-20

Contact Info:

• Website: flowerpeace.storenvy.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/flower.peace
• Facebook: Facebook.com/flowerpeaceyma
• Twitter: twitter.com/flowerpeace_

Image Credits
Ysabelle Ocampo