My Palace in Dallas - Patricio Rivera
“Solitude requires you to move past reacting to information created by other people and focus instead on your own thoughts and experiences – wherever you happened to be”
Hello folks, how are you holding up? It’s the beginning of May, and we’ve entered what I’d call “Preheating the oven” part of Texas spring, standard package comes with rare occasional breezy days and a scorching lunch hour, a bonus for those who are lucky: the shortest window for wearing a hoodie and short shorts. Oh, not to mention, this blog just turned 4 years old! They grow up so fast, don’t they?
I started My Palace in Dallas during the height of the pandemic, and it was born from pure curiosity: I want to know, I want to see, and, most importantly, I want to document what the people around me have become after these unprecedented years. They can be artists or comedians, or they can also be the people you meet on the street—which is quite hard cause, supposedly, people in Dallas don’t walk at all. So, what is it that they do? This project delves into their stories and, as the name suggests, explores their Palace in Dallas.
Without further ado, allow me to introduce you to Patricio Rivera. Patricio is the powerhouse creative force behind Twelve Thirty Four and a fabulous human being himself. To say this article is a long time coming would be an understatement. After meeting him at Olivia (Little Blue)’s Christmas party, we’ve been in touch, and it wasn’t until last year that I felt ready to do this with him. We talked about his journey in floral, the healthy boundary between your work and your own identity, his favorite thing at home, and how important it is to keep fluidity alive from within.
Hello Patricio! Thank you for sitting down with me today! Before I bomb you with questions, for anyone who might not have the chance to know who you are, would you like to tell me a bit about yourself? Who are you, and what is it that you do?
My name is Patricio Rivera, the creative director behind Twelve Thirty Four. Twelve Thirty-Four is a form of art curation through flowers, and 1234 represents the four stages of life between humans and plants. We aim to tell a story through life and connection with humans and flowers.
You had such a great eye and passion for your craft in florals, and have integrated your craft into the weave of the Dallas community flawlessly. Could you tell me what the journey was like for you? How did you get to where you are now?
When I started the business, I felt that I had something to offer nobody else could or was willing to pour time into. Throughout the years, I’ve had great mentors who played a huge part in helping me figure out the nooks and crannies and navigate through this business by being great examples of what they’ve overcome and accomplished.
It all comes from having a high standard for life, nature, and how I carry out my sense of originality. I have my own standard for the way nature should be looked at, and the way I do so is by implementing those standards into my practice and the quality I aim to achieve with every piece we put out.
Having a vision and standard for how nature should be looked at is such a beautiful way to put it. Could you share more about how this studio came to be?
I used to work for a restaurateur and was assigned to do all of her cooking sets, and we just so happened to cater for many top fashion brands around the world. Through working with her and watching how she operates, I got a clear understanding of what the standard should be in effort and obsession for details, whether it’s something as practical as cleanliness or less tangible, like the intention you establish before going in
Growing up in a strict household taught me how important order and structure are; having your own business requires just as much discipline as you would with creativity. As an artist, you are born with this gut feeling, this need to create, to produce from within. I felt called to do what I do, and it’s been a long journey of never-ending projects as I follow the crumbs down the road. We’ve gotten to do all kinds of different projects related to flowers, and that’s what I enjoy doing the most.
In florals, you’ve worked on everything from small arrangements for special occasions to big, almost sculptural installations. Was there ever a need to switch gears or a different allocation of energy when you worked on various scales of projects?
I don’t think I ever needed to switch whenever I’m working on different sizes of work because the level of care stays the same, no matter the scale. We try to be intentional in everything we do, no matter whether it’s a single order or for our lifetime client.
I guess I would say the only difference between scales is the labor we pour into them. As you work on smaller-scale arrangements, it’s actually harder because you could easily impact people with size when you’re working on something as big as what we did with Northpark, but when they get to see things up close and hold it, you might require more detail to make it a piece that elevates their life. If the intention isn’t there, your flaws would so easily be amplified depending on the scale, so the level of care and attention to detail is something we held with pride when we put out any form of work.
Humans are so brilliant in so many ways we can’t understand, we feel before we actually look at the work as a whole, and we try to honor that.
You’ve been in this field for many years now. Were there any changes in your practice that you’ve noticed – whether intentional or unintentional-- comparing to the beginning stage and your current state?
It’s easy to get lost in tying your self-worth to the work that you do or the appreciation from others, as I grew as a person and company, I understand that my brand and my self-worth are two very different entities. Since the beginning of launching my business, I now have a very clear boundary for who I am and what my brand is. My brand is like a hair on my head in the grand scheme of who I am as a person.
We as people are multidimensional, just like humans, the concept of Twelve Thirty Four contains an abundance of layers. People need to understand that it’s always ten times more than what you see. For every piece we sent out, we aim to make it as unique as possible. As we grow and expand throughout the years, how to give our clients a one-of-a-kind experience, that special feeling, has always been the core value that’s been driving us since the beginning of Twelve Thirty Four.
You mentioned that setting the boundary between Twelve Thirty Four and Patricio Rivera is important, not just for an independent self-worth but also for the longevity of the concept. How do you keep yourself and your concept two separate entities?
I’ve met people coming up to me saying, “You’re Twelve twenty Four, right?” I still remember how confused I was the first time that ever happened. It’s a strange feeling knowing your name and face are tightly correlated to your brand. I’ve seen companies named after the founder, and the only way the business would’ve continued to thrive after their departure would be by bringing in a new creative director, like most fashion houses do. I think when you’re a named brand, the new candidate you bring in has to be someone that people love, someone that gets people excited about the new chapter, because you have a lot to prove to the existing client that associates your face with a brand in a very tight-knit fashion.
When I started Twevle Thirty Four, I knew I didn’t want to use my name, so finding the right name took me almost two years until it came to me in a dream. This life we have is so fragile, and I didn’t want people to think the concept drastically changes once I’m gone, but the intention has always been to create something that will last much longer than I will.
The clients who have connected with the business through meeting me loved seeing me popping up in the photos, so I still let myself show up in the feed once in a blue moon. It’s taken a lot of work, but at this point in my career, people know our work through Twelve Thirty Four instead of me, and that’s always been the intention I had starting out.
The best art comes out of you when you’re free and fluid. Keeping the identities separate is how I get to stay creative and grow individually alongside the concept.
Since the opening of the boutique, you’ve introduced many different medium and objects through pop-ups, exhibitions, or included them as store collections on top of floral services. Were there any growing pains or uncertainty when you introduced new concepts into the brand?
Oh my god, yes, I genuinely think that will always be the biggest battle one will have to fight. Deleting the control your brain wants to have over your actions, and understanding that if it’s coming from the same core value, things will fall into place, even if it seemed very scary at the time.
The energy we try to imbue into our client’s life is a necessity for their well-being, with that being the end goal, the different objects and mediums we have in the boutique all flow well together.
You mentioned keeping yourself free and fluid. Knowing you enjoy both creativity and structure, coming from a strict household, how did you discover the fluidity within?
I think it has always been there, more specifically when I allow myself to be. I often find myself floating in a bowl of gratitude because I have a gift in bringing people peace and joy through the work I do.
None of us is the same, and I do believe once you’ve let yourself evolve and be, the fluidity exists within everyone.
Like how you’d be curious about their letterbox account when you meet a film lover or would love to take a peek at someone’s mood board, can you tell me where you usually get your inspiration from?
Being observant is how I get my inspiration. I was the type of kid that you can’t get anything past me, I will know things that you don’t even know yet by being observant. My brain is always lending me ideas to the point I doubt I could ever turn it off, and I think being observant on a daily basis with all of my receptors open feeds into that energy consistently.
I would also say having the patience to let my ideas sit made me a better artist, too. As I take my time to let my ideas marinate, they become more saturated and bold in the best way possible.
A team that wants to grow and learn with you, like a sponge, is also really important to my craft. On the one hand, it is important to translate your concept into words in a way that is authentic to the vision, it is equally important to have a team of people that are eager to absorb and enjoy your creativity also brought me tons of inspiration as we work together to let our ideas mature and grow into some of thehtings you’ve seen now.
It’s been five years since the pandemic hit, and for some reason, we all came out alright, if not stronger. What did you do to stay centered and sane? Have any of those new habits carried over now that things are back to normal?
I was working out and cooking a lot.
As a business, we were pretty busy because with the quarantine, sending flowers to each other became a gesture of check-ins and how they stay connected to each other without leaving home. We were leaving flowers on people’s doorsteps all over the city.
Staying at peace was much easier as we stayed busy, and the intentions from our clients were all so sweet and genuinely pure. It was a stressful time for sure, but being surrounded by energies and emotions our clients wanted to express through our arrangements was something really beautiful to witness.
I’m sure you have your fair share of traveling experience and exposure to different scenes across the states and even countries. From an industry perspective, what do you think sets Dallas apart from all the other well-known big cities or any other city you’ve been to?
From my observation, I would say it’s the economy of the city. I find Dallas to be more stable than LA or New York at times; people here have the space to slow down and enjoy being a human rather than being wrapped up in the speed of a more bustling city.
To have time to connect with more people is really important to me, and I think, like I mentioned, fluidity and creativity flow through me when I allow myself to be, and Dallas, as a home base, offers that.
Are you a Dallas native? Knowing you for quite some time, you must’ve spent quite some time finding your creative identity here. What do YOU think of this city?
I love Dallas, I've been here for so long! *laugh
Moving here has been one of the best things I’ve done for my career, and for that I’m really grateful. There are a lot of opportunities here; most of my clients here are international travellers themselves, so they all share a craving to be enriched by culture and beautiful works. People here aim to make their lives better, and we are immensely lucky to be one of the many pluses to help them get there
Dallas will always be Twelve Thirty Four’s headquarters, that is for certain, but for me, I have many goals I’d like to achieve, so I don’t know what the future holds for me. I am here today, that’s all that matters for now. *laughs
As I look around, I can see a lot of your taste in a tangible form! Now, the hard part is, what would you say is your most prized possession in your home?
My love for my home plants runs deeper than just tending to something green — they have become a reflection of the kind of love I need most: quiet, patient, and endlessly giving. Day after day, they offer their beauty, their growth, and their life without expectation, asking only for a little care in return. In their stillness, they remind me that love doesn’t always need to be loud to be profound. Their steady presence fills my space and my heart with a sense of belonging, a soft kind of devotion that asks nothing but gives everything.
And we are almost to the bottom of my list of Qs for today, for those who are interested in getting into this business or starting something of their own. What suggestions or advice would you like to give them, or wish you had known sooner?
Create a resume. Accumulate and organize all the work that you’ve done, even if it has nothing to do with florals or whichever genre you wanted to go into. Find a way to help people understand your level of taste and what you’re passionate about through your resume or portfolio.
Work under someone who excels in what they’re doing, and make sure you’re working under someone you respect. Be trustworthy and learn as much as you can from someone who is willing to pay you for your time. Learn and find your own voice once you feel you’re ready to go independent. Things will fall into place gradually, but be ready to put in a lot of work.
Know how to mark up the flowers, how to take care of them, and be open to lessons that will help you run a business better.
To wrap this interview up, also because I am curious personally, what’s on the horizon for you? Are any “Big things coming” in the works for you? What would you like the world (whichever random soul stumbled upon this article) to know about?
There’s so much stuff happening and in the works all at once, and all I can tell you for now is they’re going to be great. If anyone is interested in knowing more in real time, our Instagram would be the best place to be!
James Kung : https://www.instagram.com/j_kung/
Patricio Rivera: https://www.instagram.com/twelvethirtyfourflowers/
https://www.bypatriciorivera.com/
