Meet Emily van Vught, a brand designer, strategist and the founder of The Spirited Garden. For Emily, branding is about feeling, intuition and bringing energy to life. This is shown through her brand The Spirited garden, where the focus of essential oils and flower remedies can help and guide you into remembering who you truly are. In Emily’s brand designs you can find it challenges you to step into a better and next version of yourself.
T. Where do you find your source of energy?
E. For me creativity is my main source of energy – and the place where I find it most is in nature. In the woods, between the trees and the wet moss is where I recharge and connect with myself and my feelings. It’s where inspiration comes and my creativity is nurtured.
T. Why do you think people often lose touch with their energy?
E. Many people live their lives mainly from their heads… A lot of thoughts, a lot of ego – and a lot of masks to meet external expectations. Add to that a society that values intellect over intuition, thought over feelings and it becomes a real struggle to stay in touch with those – in my opinion – essential parts of being human. Especially us woman have such a strong intuition, a strong sense of the things that perhaps can’t be seen with the eye.
I believe reconnecting with the heart is the way to get in touch with those feminine and powerful qualities of yourself again and reconnect with your source of energy. Not the energy from the surrounding, of what’s expected or what your head thinks of it, but your true energy, that comes from the heart.
T. What was your starting point into creating the spirited garden?
E. The Spirited Garden started from a passion and deep love for the healing power of mother nature. My mom and grandmother (oma) passionately shared their love for plants with me and we can say: that worked addictive…With a ‘oma’ born in Indonesia and a mom with healing hands – a holistic view on life was something I was raised in. Alternative medicine, Bach flowers, drawing mandalas, astrology and tarot cards – were part of the day to day life.In 2020 the flowers called me. I felt that I wanted to deepen my relationship with them and as soon as I knew, I applied to an official training in becoming a certified Flower Essence Therapist – followed by a certified training in Herbal Medicine. Not knowing where it would lead me, but one thing I deeply felt: this is the right path.
Photographer : Sanne Marije Sanders
T. Where did you discover the healing power of mother nature?
E. The flower essences (Bach flowers) were always part of my upbringing and something I felt I could always rely on when I needed support in a natural way. My mother and grandmother shared their wisdom of the plants with me and having alternative medicine in our house, made them a perfectly normal ’thing’ for me. So being able to rely on Mother Natures healing power, has always been a given to me.
T. How have the flower essence helped you? And what can they do for others?
E. The flower essences helped me when I was younger with feeling confident – we all know that wonderful phase as teenagers where we just don’t know who we are exactly and as a sensitive kid who always felt and did things differently from others, this was an intense time for me. So the flowers helped me to stay connected to myself, to feel confident, no matter what.
What I love about them is that they can really help when things are off balance, when you have feelings of anxiety, depression, fear or self doubt. But they are also here to enhance the positive qualities in our lives. Like boost creativity, focus and dedication. They are here for the darker parts and the light.
T. What do you hope to see in the well being industry in the future?
E. Most homeopathic remedies and alternative well being products are let’s say, very eco and a bit too alternative for people. In Dutch we say: geitenwollensokken. I want to bring the flower essences to the 21st century in a modern, fashionable way. So more people will open up to them and see and experience their natural healing power for themselves.
I hope to blur the line with The Spirited Garden between beauty and healing. Because in the end it all comes down to feeling great about yourself, which radiates from the inside out.
T. How do you define when one finds your true self ?
E. Finding your true self for me is mostly about ‘unbecoming’. Shedding layers of limiting beliefs, expectations of others and society and getting to the core of you. For me it’s a magical discovery of hidden and new parts of myself. Getting out of my comfort zone.. and the funny thing is – in my experience your ’true self’ can only be found when we stop trying so hard to find it in the first place. Surrender, soften – and start loving yourself unconditionally.
Photographer : Sanne Marije Sanders
Instagram : @emilyvanvught
