Flower Power!

Opting for a career in Floral Designing is ideal for those who want to explore their creativity, Finds Beverly Pereira!

A lot of people like to stop and smell the roses. If you want to do more than just please your olfactory senses, then a career in floral designing might just do it for you. A floral designer is one who specialises in the art of creating floral arrangements. Required in a host of shapes and sizes, and designed using fresh and artificial flowers alike, these floral setups can range from a single bouquet of flowers, to the entire floral décor of an event.

Privately owned florists have in-house designers that cater to small orders such as birthdays and to larger orders like weddings. You could also choose to be a self-employed designer and run your own business, the responsibilities of which include sourcing and selecting the required flowers, creating different kinds of setups and at times, delivering these pieces to the destination.

High prospects

Flowers are perishable items, and thus arrangements need to be created as close to the delivery date as possible. You might find yourself working long hours through the night and on weekends too. The work atmosphere is generally comfortable. But you might have to stand for long periods at a time when you create your arrangements. You might even have to travel long distances to event sites to set up or deliver floral arrangements. Frequent trips to flower vendors and wholesale suppliers also form a part of this profession.

Qualities

A keen eye for detail, a good deal of imagination, speed, patience, flexibility and top-notch time-management skills are the basic attributes that one needs to be a successful floral designer. Your problem-solving abilities and communication skills should also be well in place. Lastly, the ability to work under pressure is a must in this field.

Fruitful or not?

Flowers are used as décor at almost every type of event right from weddings, bridal showers and funerals to birthdays and holidays such as Valentine’s Day. Nowadays, exotic flowers are flown in on a daily basis, giving floral designers the chance to incorporate more creativity. Thus, a career in the field of floral designing is a very lucrative option especially for those who are looking for a creative outlet.

Where to study?

Even though most floral designers learn from on-the-job experience, formal education is an added benefit for this profession. Short-term courses offer one the chance to learn design techniques of floral arrangements. One also gets an insight into the different trends, and exposure to flower varieties and their colours and textures, methods of handling flowers, techniques of cutting and pricing. The Institute of Floral Design (IFD) has tied up with the famed Instituto Mexicano Técnico Floral (IMTF) to offer a three-semester floral design diploma, a course that costs `18,000. Since there are not many formal floral designing courses in India, opt for an Ikebana workshop to encourage your creativity. A course might seem like a grand investment, but be assured that the returns are equally grand.
The demand for floral designers is at an all-time high and it’s thus a great time to get started. It’s time you get out there and let your career bloom.