What We Learned from Flowerstock 2020
As we get ready to unveil Flowerstock 2021’s educator line-up, we’ve been remembering how wonderful last year’s teachers were. We all know that 2020 wasn’t the easiest of years to get through—to put things very lightly. Ending a tough year with a beautiful celebration of flowers and with people from around the world was exactly the boost of joy that our lives needed.
For those of you who attended Flowerstock 2020, you still have access to all of the classes, just as our 2021 attendees will be able to watch and rewatch their classes. If you weren’t able to join in the fun, here’s a look back at what we learned in 2020 and the sort of valuable education that you can look forward to for this year’s Flowerstock.
Using Sustainable Floristry Methods
As one of our focuses for 2021, sustainable floristry has long been an important value for the Flowerstock team. When you look at our 2020 educators, you can see that commitment in place already.
Last year, Holly Chapple, Flowerstock’s founder, held a live joint demonstration with Jessica Hall of Harmony Harvest. They showed us how to use Holly’s signature pillow armature and Jessica’s 3” pin holder flower frog. These methods allow floral designers to keep arrangements in place without using floral foam, which is not friendly to the environment. They also used seasonal flowers from Jessica’s flower farm for their arrangements, proving that you can use local, sustainable blooms to create stunning pieces.
Christin Geall of Cultivated by Christin also used seasonal flowers to show how to create a show-stopping statement piece. She explained how to choose the flowers and foliage, the color theory behind those choices, and the mechanics of her foam-free design.
Susan Mcleary also focused on foam-free methods when creating an autumnal arch. She shared the guiding principles of design such as the rule of thirds and the golden ratio for creating a gorgeous, layered arch.
Finally, Gregor Lersch of Gregor Lersch Design taught us how to make reusable armatures out of birch and twig. Their asymmetrical design made them perfect for making a big statement with a floral arrangement.
Focusing on the Fun of Flowers
Learning in an enjoyable way has always been one of the main goals of Flowerstock. We want designers to remember why they fell in love with florals!
Last year, Sarah Richardson of Leafy Couture reminded us how to have fun with bold color choices and lots of texture. She created a bridal bouquet and gave tips on making flatlays that can help with mindfulness (more on that in a bit).
Paulina Nieliwocki of Blue Jasmine Floral helped capture the whimsy of the natural world in her centerpiece design. She taught us how to create a natural shape with lots of movement that is reminiscent of wild nature, yet still stylish enough to elevate any event.
For a live Q&A session, we had the pleasure of chatting with Leatrice Eiseman of the Eiseman Center for Color Information & Training, as well as the Pantone Color Institute. As a color expert, she answered a plethora of questions about how to play with color in a cohesive, yet fun way.
Moving a bit outside of the world of floral design, Julie Tobi, life coach from J. Eliza Creative, helped us focus on our passion and how to find fulfillment in what we do. She talked about really honing in on the soul of your business, the reason you fell in love with your work in the beginning.
And finally, from the growing paper flower industry, Quynh Nguyen of Pink and Posey showed how beginners or experts can craft realistic paper flowers from crepe. If you’ve never created a paper flower before, you are missing out on a whole new world of fun for floral enthusiasts.
Practicing Mindfulness and Creativity
To go along with Quynh’s paper flowers, Sarah Simon of The Mint Gardener demonstrated how to use watercolor to color the crepe paper in very realistic ways. Besides sharing watercolor techniques, she also shared how mindful painting can help recharge creativity and leave us better centered to take on challenges.
Being very purposeful and meaningful with our work and lives was also a focus of several other 2020 educators. Debra Prinzing of Slow Flowers Society encouraged us to stand out by better telling our personal story and brand message through the words we share. Her practical tips helped us better focus our writing and what is unique to us.
Carlene Thomas, a registered dietician nutritionist of Healthfully Ever After, shared how to focus on dietary wellness through addition. Many diets are about avoiding certain things, but Carlene is all about adding to our lives to improve health. She shared ten additions that can make a big impact on our wellness.
To boost creativity, Jacob Eastham of Thinkerton Agency taught us how to use creative problem solving in our personal and professional lives. He talked about how we can use tools to guide our thinking process toward creative solutions.
Megan Pollard of We Choose Joy gave us four easy steps that can improve any team. We loved her advice for motiving groups, and in fact, she is one of the reasons Holly’s team has been so successful.
If you can’t wait for Flowerstock 2021 on November 9th, follow @flowerstockathope on Instagram. That’s where we’ll share details about our 2021 educators, tickets, and more. Also keep an eye on @hollychapple, as she’ll be sharing Lives about Flowerstock 2021. We’re so excited to learn with a new line-up of fantastic teachers!
