The Garden Nomad

The Garden Nomad

I’ve always been a creative, I spent my childhood drawing, writing poetry or making sure my dolls had just the right outfit with accessories and her house had to be fully decorated before she could fall in love with Ken. My first job was in retail, I enjoyed visual merchandising and floor-sets transforming the space from one color story to the next. I was coming up with new ways to make people stop and pay attention or start a conversation. I realized what I enjoyed the most was creating an experience; I was able to help people to see things in a different way while also connecting to a little piece of who they were.

One day I was putting on an event at the boutique I managed, and we had to throw an in-store event to help with promotion and I came up with a theme, decorated and made sure the store looked impeccable.

No one showed up.

However, during the process I caught the ‘event bug’ and I wanted to know more I took a certification course on event planning and started the transition out of retail into the event industry. I came across an event company that gave me an opportunity to work in their floral studio. I didn’t have any experience in events and outside of the occasional local flower shop or the flowers at the grocery store I didn’t know event floral designers was a thing.

Nevertheless, I was creative. I knew I would figure it out. How hard could it be they’re just flowers, right?! I had no idea, but I was eager, and I became a sponge. The floral director took me under her wing and showed me the ways of this botanical world. There were so many pieces to the puzzle a complete production, creative chaos and I loved it.

I started processing the flowers, understanding the need and care of each flower, how to cut them in such a way that they bloom brighter the next day, I learned which flowers needed warmer temperatures and which ones loved the cold, all the way down to packing them in the truck properly to arrive at the venue safely. The key was to maintain the beauty and life of the flower for as long as possible and present it in away that captures the essence of the narrator or designer, if only for a moment.

Once, I “graduated” I was able to start designing. My floral director at the time gave me my first pair of scissors and shears that I still have to this day. I affectionally named them Trusty and Trudy because no matter how crazy our events would get or how many times, I misplaced them they would always make there way back to me somehow.

When I began to design something changed. I changed, it felt so natural it was as if I discovered the truest way to express myself. I found my flow.

At this point, I was just working in the design studio and hadn’t set up my first event yet. The day of the event I arrived at the venue it was an empty ballroom. It felt like a blank canvas, and with in the blink of an eye it was lights, camera, action. First, the production team came in and literally set the stage, followed by lighting, and then the floral team. Although everything looked great beforehand, the flowers were the personality of the room.

I still remember that feeling after seeing the way the room transformed, I knew I wanted to the this for the rest of my life.

I fell in love with the process and the idea of cultivating experiences even in the smallest of details. Floral design has become an art form for me I’m constantly coming up with new ways to evolve in my craft. When I get into that flow it almost becomes a meditative state. A place of peace, designing is my therapy and it’s connected to my joy in a very special way.

I enjoy sharing that joy with others when I see someone’s face after they receive unexpected flowers or the vision for of a brides wedding coming to fruition, even when I receive positive feedback from floral installations I’ve created just for fun it feeds me and I bloom in a way that I never thought I could.

In the words of Rupi Kaur…

“bloom beautifully dangerously loudly bloom softly however you need just bloom”.

@thegardenomad