Finding the Right Ones

This past week at the flower shop, we've had some really great clients come in for meetings.  It's always interesting to see how clients find us, and what they found that they like.  And it's also interesting to see what knowledge they bring to the table about flowers, and how interested they are in making their florals amazing.

We've recently had two or three clients that just stand out amazingly.  Just really excellent at communication (amongst themselves and with us), knowledge and interest in flowers and sourcing seasonally, and a general flexibility and trust that we're going to take care of their needs for their weddings.  It also doesn't hurt that they're adorable and tremendously in love, with the sweetest stories and dispositions.  It's a little bit sickening.  And it's hugely inspiring.

Just last weekend, I wrote my first proposal for a client, to just show my boss, to compare to the one she was writing.  To see how I do, since I look at all of them and reference them constantly during wedding season.  I kind of love writing proposals - it's a throwback to the days of writing lesson plans that never were looked at.  But in this situation, the proposals actually do get looked at, edited, and referenced a lot.  And that's a step up for me.

I just wanted to post a little bit about how awesome those clients are, even though they won't see the words.  It fires me up to think that we're not going to be stuck doing yet another mason-jar-peach-blush-cream-rustic-elegant wedding, for the umpteenth time.  There's nothing wrong with those weddings, but change and variety can be refreshing.  These couples and clients are making me so excited about possibilities out there, and it's seemingly a rare thing to be inspired by your clients.

Making flowers for any client can be inspiring or routine.  It can be just simply giving the client what they want, without a ton of soul.  Still pretty, still something nice to look at, but nothing that really fires up my heart.  But to be sparked by a client - motivated to make their awesome, personal vision come alive, because they thought of something that could be magical.  That's the hope I have for myself as I grow, and for other designers as they grow.

My friend and colleague, Dan of Floradelphia had something similar to say about being inspired and excited about his work, on his blog here.  Check out his words!  I really enjoyed reading them, and his thoughts really resonated with me.  Having a wedding speak to who the couple truly is - to have the decor and space and general atmosphere become a reflection of the couple.  I think a large part of being able to do this involves enthusiasm and inspiration.  What do you all think?  And how awesome is it, when you can truly be inspired?

Love and light,

Alyssa

On Going for It

I've been having a lot of thoughts about the flower business recently.  Not on any one track in particular, but that's the consequence of not being able to turn off my brain.

I've also been thinking a lot about our flower farm.  It doesn't have a name yet, so I'll be taking creative ideas from anyone who feels compelled to offer one.  Growing flowers is a way for me to have tons of flowers to mess around with.  They'll be all mine, which means that I can do anything with them.  Working at a flower shop does afford me the opportunity to work with some really pretty things, but they're not mine.  And I'm also subject to the budget and general desire of the client whenever I make something.  It's really fantastic when someone sending flowers just says "designer's choice" for the arrangement, but that doesn't happen every day.

Every day on our flower farm (does it even constitute being called a farm yet?),providing that things actually do grow, I'll be able to cut any flower that I want, make massive bouquets, and reap the rewards of what is sure to be hard work getting things to grow.  I know that lots of flower folk go onto farming because they want a better product from a better source.  And that's partially true for me.  But I think the big motivator is mostly wanting to expand my creativity and have more freedom.

And I just want to bury my face in a bucket full of nigella.

We're also tossing around the idea of selling the flowers, not only to the shop I work at, but as a bouquet order service or some such.  Possibly wholesaling to Kimberton Whole Foods, but that's a big maybe, since we're not sure how successful the growing will be.  Every web source has said to forget about trying to grow lisianthks from seed, but I have four varieties that we're starting right around Valentine's Day.  So hopefully the web is wrong.

Related: I read this article this morning, and I think you all should too.  The best part:

"How generous are you willing to be? How generous are you willing to be with your whole life? Will you share yourself with us? With the world? Do you dare? Or are you just going to hold yourself tightly in, hold these long arms and legs all to yourself? 

"Are you just going to be stingy? Just keep yourself to yourself for the rest of your life? In case you fall? In case you fail? In case you make a fool of yourself? In case we see how imperfect you are? 

"OR: are you going to choose to just be generous anyway? To just take up as much space as you actually take up? To be as big, as graceful, as long, as gorgeous, as enormous as you actually are?"

Love and light,

Alyssa

I Need to Stop Myself from Buying More Seeds (So I'm Posting to the Blog Instead)

Good morning to you all on this grey Monday.  Yesterday, I described Sunday as grey.  A lot has been happening here, and I've been terrible at posting for a long while.  Chalk it up to being busy, or even simply not wanting to share, but for better or worse, I'm back at least for today.

Things at the flower shop have been going really well.  I've been able to grow more as a designer, and have recently been completing more complex orders independently.  I've also been honing my skills at funeral flowers of late.  Last weekend, we had several funeral orders, a baby shower order, and a wedding order.  I think that they all make me appreciate one another - the work was different for each, but it's kind of nice to be reminded that there's a life cycle, a schedule for things.  

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the Lovesick Expo as a vendor with my boss.  She chose me to go with her since I will be taking on more wedding work this year.  I'll be independently meeting with the engaged, learning about pricing out proposals, and all of the nuts and bolts that go with wedding preparation.  

Do you remember this post from last year?  I am really just thrilled with the progress I've made.  My work has improved SO MUCH since last year.  It's good to be reflective and really see what I've learned and how that has influenced my work.  It's also just really good to see that I am growing as a professional.  Attending a wedding expo is a great way to really see what people are looking for out there.  It also gave me some practice with talking to prospective clients, and my throat paid the price by the end of the four hour expo.  It was a quiet evening at home, but that's the norm here and just fine by me.

This all isn't to say that things have been perfect and easy around here.  But for the most part, things have been wonderful.  And I'm really thankful for that.

In other news, my wonderfully accommodating husband will be helping me with a huge flower garden this year.

I never thought I'd be growing flowers.  Playing in dirt is never something that I've liked.  But I'll really do just about anything if it means that I can have my own flowers.  I think it also comes with just wanting to have an entire bunch of flowers that are mine and mine alone, to hug.  It's a really interesting reaction, if you're lucky enough to see me, when we get a particularly wonderful bunch of flowers in at the shop.  I'll make some silly noises, possibly stomp my feet. maybe jump around, and just kind of hold them like they're an infant, requiring all my attention and adoration.

So hopefully, I'll be doing that in the privacy of a garden, with handfuls of lisianthus, sweet peas, and tons of other blooms this summer.  If things actually do grow (and I'm terrified that nothing will grow at all), you can ask to come help cut the flowers.  We'll probably need the help, and you'll get some free flowers.  Win-win.

Love and light,

Alyssa