…When a Bloom College staff member (and floristry newbie) takes a class?
I’ve been with Bloom College for a while now, and while I can appreciate the beauty of flowers, and the work that the teachers and students create, I’d never actually had a go myself.
So – when the opportunity came up for me to join a class, I jumped at it!
The class fell just before Christmas – and when I found out we were making Christmas table arrangements I promptly bragged to my family that this year our table would look better than ever (no pressure!).
The day of the class, I was really looking forward to it, but I didn’t quite know what to expect. I was doing the class with another staff member (a devoted flower lover), and when the flowers arrived that morning for our class, I joined in her excitement.
When the teacher (the lovely Nicole) arrived I was still feeling pretty excited, but also a bit nervous. What if everyone else made this amazing table arrangement and mine was no good? Most of the other students had done floristry classes previously and I worried that I would be left behind as they ploughed on through.
As Nicole took us through what to do, I was feeling nervous – what if I couldn’t remember what she said and mine looked nothing like it should? Nicole patiently took us through the steps involved – but it seemed like so much to remember!
It was then our turn to have a go. I moved to my workstation (with my beautiful bucket of flowers waiting for me) – and I dived right in. Once I got going I found myself blocking out everything around me as I was fully immersed in what I was doing. I loved the feeling of being free to do what I wanted to, of placing the flowers in a way that spoke to me, and where I thought they should go.
Part way through I turned to my colleague and realised we hadn’t spoken for at least ½ hour. This was extremely unusual for us, but highlighted how ‘in the moment’ we’d both been.
As I looked around the room I noticed that everyone’s arrangements were quite different. I really enjoyed seeing how each person had interpreted what we were doing in a slightly different way.
After I was done I proudly took some photos of what I’d created – I couldn’t wait to share them with my family and friends.
Taking my flower arrangement and adding it to my family’s Christmas table was a proud moment for me, as they all gushed at how great I’d done.
Taking this class has given me a new appreciation for how enjoyable working with flowers is, and how great it makes you feel (both during and after the class). I also now know first hand how it can feel a bit overwhelming at first, but once you dive in and just get started, that thoughts of being nervous get pushed to the back of mind.
At Bloom College Flower Design School we create Floristry Courses and Flower Workshops for beginners, the hobbyist and those wanting to pursue floristry as a career.
Our classes are a place where participants have fun, meet new friends and find their inner creativity. No prior experience is necessary, and we have a range of Courses and Workshops available across our three locations: Port Melbourne, Collingwood and Geelong.
