I actually knew little about flowers this time last year except I adore them and felt excited about learning. I googled "flower school" and found that floral design classes are offered at cities all over the world. I researched like crazy and found FlowerSchool NY as the best option for me. I liked that FlowerSchool NY offered a five-day, all-day intensive program for beginners, and that was perfect because if I ended up not liking floral design, I only wasted one week of my life. Most schools had their basic classes spread over several weeks meeting for 2 hours per each session. I appreciate that at FlowerSchool NY, I'll learn a lot in shorter time. Plus, there was icing on the cake: I get visit NYC, which is one of my favorite cities and only a short plane ride away from Chicago.
large scale arrangement perfect for an entryway or display table
The week of learning floral design surpassed my expectations! I learned so much in a week--how to use a florist knife and clipper, how to process flowers to lengthen their lives, how to navigate the flower market, and of course, how to design bouquets and arrangements of all shapes, sizes and styles. The class comprised of about 15 aspiring floral designers and hobbyists, who were all so nice and eager to learn and The FlowerSchool staff were so inspiring, knowledgeable and open to sharing what they know.
a low garden-inspired centerpiece
I love that place so much that I went back 3 times! For my second time, I took the school's flower shop series. It was actually more of a business course for two days. We talked about pricing, marketing and managing costs, customer relationships and operations. We had homework that entailed preparing pro forma income statements (so glad my finance/accounting background isn't going to waste!). But it wasn't all business. Each students had to create 2 original arrangements in a timed manner based on pretend orders. It's important to work fast in floral design. It was not unlike being on Project Runway! Instead of Tim Gunn, Sullivan Owen, an alumni as well one of the best designers out there provided guidance. She, along with Eileen Johnson, founder and creative director of the school, gave constructive, detailed feedback on my two designs. Seriously, to this day, after I finish an arrangement, I ask myself, "would this pass the Sullivan/Eileen test?"!
The third time in April, I went to see Ariella Chezar for two design workshops. She has her own workshops (which I hope to attend one day), but she also holds a few classes a year at FlowerSchool. I love her style--loose, airy and natural with a freshly-picked from the garden look. She is pretty much a floral icon who helped champion local and seasonal flowers and foliage. Under her tutelage, we learned the compote arrangement and soft cascade bouquet. These two classes had a handful of hobbyists, but there were some established florists who were fans of Ariella. So besides learning from Ariella, I got to network! I met a few and exchanged contact info. Priceless!
a wedding bouquet in soft cascade style with hellebores, anemones and grape hyacinths
Last month, husband had a two-day work trip and went with him. I signed up for two classes. First, I learned how to line an entire chuppah with flowers with Beth Horta, the school's design director. I'm so glad I attended as I learned a few new mechanics. Then I attended a master workshop with Olivier Giugni. I'm also glad I took his class because his signature style is quite unique. I would describe it as contemporary and constructed, and I really haven't had much experience with this look.
at FlowerSchool NY, you get to play with high-quality, gorgeous blooms
Currently, I don't have any plans to go back to NYC (I've run out of airlines miles and hotel points!). Hopefully, I get to attend more classes there in future because there is always more to learn! And it's also such an inspiring place. There are so many non-floral tasks when launching a floral design business (sales, marketing, bookkeeping, developing supplier relationships, etc.) that are frustration-inducing at times. It's wonderful just to play with flowers that's been curated for you in an inspiring and organized space. It is a chance to design just for me, without anyone to please, and remember why I chose to work with flowers in the first place.
So, FlowerSchool NY, I say thank you for facilitating the start of a new career a year ago!
