In the last 18 months or so, I have taken a real interest in flowers. I’m not 100% sure where this new found joy came from; perhaps it’s a result of getting older - or maybe from being surrounded by nature where I live down south. Regardless, I decided that I would spend my Playtime amongst the flowers.
Where did the inspiration to do what you did come from?
I love how plants just finish a space. Whether it’s a bouquet of flowers, a few stalks of foliage, or a singular tree branch - plants have the power to bring positive energy into any environment with their liveliness and fragrance.
They are also subjected to the circle of life. They bud, bloom, and then die. This cycle gives the creator an opportunity to create, complete, and then design all over again - especially if you didn’t end up liking what you had created in the first place. A benefit of this cycle is with fresh flowers you won’t have stacks of your creations lying around the house, looking for a space to occupy - or stored away collecting dust. Flowers free you to be as creative as you like, as often as you like - because if you or someone else doesn’t like them then it’s no problem, they’ll eventually die, you can throw them in the bin and let them return to nature.
Lastly, I just love being in nature. I always feel very wholesome and alive in nature, connecting me to the environment I’m in - which doubles down in the joy stakes when I happen to come across beautiful flowers along the way.
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How did you use the time and what did you do?
My Playtime hours were spread out across five different activities; seeking inspiration, creating a nice space, sourcing the goods, preparation (alongside conditioning and sorting), and then finally the design and creation.
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How’d it go?
Inspiration and setting up
Just like any creative process, I began by looking for inspiration to guide my approach. I found some really great artists through Instagram, who produce some pretty smart work. One of my favourites, an account called Blue Jasmine, creates really nice displays that incorporate peculiar items that you wouldn’t think would look nice as part of the scene, but do. Another favourite is a Russian artist I found called Yulia who explored how the shaping of flower displays can mimic the forms of ballet - which I thought was really beautiful. Another artist I admire is Anne Ten Donkelaar who created this awesome exhibition which displayed flowers as art in water.
Before getting into the artistic headspace, I wanted to ensure that I had a nice space to work from. I cleared out our garage, or rather, reorganised our garage to accommodate a small dining table for me to work from. I find it’s definitely worth the effort to do a big clean up of where you’re intending to get creative, because it is nice to create things in nice spaces.
Sourcing the goods
I’m lucky that where we live down south in Queenstown that there are a few hobbyist flower growers in the area with stalls. There’s also a few areas to forage for interesting foliage or branches to add interest to an arrangement - an old nut farm (now owned by the council and open to the public) is a good spot to find an interesting stem or two as it’s edged with rambling plants on its border. Once I’ve collected my selection of goods, it’s time to prepare the stems for arranging. This entails removing any lower leaves and any bits that don’t look as fresh as they could, before resting their stems in ice water.
Choosing the vessel and creation
I start by choosing a vessel. After selecting the vase I think is best for the job, I fill it with water and add a bit of bleach so that any harmful bacteria would be killed. I also add a little bit of sugar in the water too to feed the flowers. The creation stage entailed using foliage to create some basic yet interesting forms. Playing around with colour and textures as well as different types of flowers such as snapdragons and hydrangeas, I began to bring about a form I was happy with. The end of this Playtime project saw the creation of two finished pieces, the first of which I gave to my partner's mum. The other I kept at our house.
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What did you learn along the way?
Connecting with my neighbourhood
While walking around my neighbourhood I have come to know much more about where all the most beautiful flower gardens are and have a heightened appreciation of the energy that goes into having a thriving cutting garden. I also know where the best trees and bushes are along the roadside to snip a couple of stems from - roadside foliage is some of the most interesting due to the irregular shapes and forms you can find.
Creating with flowers
One key takeaway was that after all the time taken to create a meticulous arrangement and putting things just where I'd like them to go, I would be just as happy with a single stem sitting inside a vase - which takes no time at all. Even the simple can be beautiful.
Another learning is that if I don’t like something about what I’ve created, ie a bit of stem or foliage that might not sit quite right with me, it can easily just be cut off. Leaving me with something that gives me great joy, every time I see it.
