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How did you start your multi-hyphenate career as a floral designer?
About 8 years ago, I asked a floral company several times to be their intern. They eventually said yes, which turned into a part-time job for four years. I learned all the basics from that job. I also learned how hard this career can be. From all the heavy lifting, early morning market runs, late-night event strikes, and working through the weekends. That experience is the basis for everything I do now.When I was about 5, I told my parents I wanted to be a flower girl when I grew up. I imagined a life where I was picking wildflowers from a field. My childhood was a bit magical. My mom hand-built all of our furniture from grapevines and painted every room a different (bright!) color. My room had tropical murals that covered even the floors. It was so imaginative and full of light. We did not have a lot of money, so everything in our house was built or created by our own hands. We also had a small farm and garden that I would pick flowers from. Those were the moments that I realized I love flowers and wanted my life to be filled with beautiful flowers. Although being a florist is not that simple, I can't believe I get to live the lifestyle I imagined.
What’s your favorite part about the New York Creative community?This community accepts people with open arms. Within the florists' community, I have made lifelong friends. We support, challenge, and inspire each other. The more people I meet within this creative community, the more I feel like I am right where I am supposed to be.
What’s inspiring you right now?
I always feel very inspired by nature. Something I keep thinking about lately is creating with dirt. I think an installation with dirt mounds and one type of flower covering it would be really interesting. I also want to play with having dirt cover the center of a long dinner table. With flowers, veggies, and fruit coming out of it like a sculpture. It would be a fun way to showcase harvesting and floral design. Maybe the guests at the table could even eat from the veggies and fruit in the middle. That seems inspiring to me! A few florists who always inspire me are Fjura, Hattie, Rana Flora, Forma Flora, Colour Blind Florist, Isa Floral, and Renko.
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@flowersbyford on Instagram
www.flowersbyford.com