Am I an award-winning florist?

Short answer: Kinda?

Long answer:

When I was studying for my Cert III at TAFE, they encouraged us to participate in the student categories at the Royal Easter Show. It was free entry, so I thought why the heck not! It’s a great learning experience and I’ve always wanted to enter something in the Royal Easter Show. In a previous hobby life I was a knitter, and was constantly in awe of the knitting entries and told myself “one day!” but never did. Now, it’s time, evil laugh.

I entered in two categories - a box arrangement, which was prepared prior and then displayed for judgement, and the surprise box, which was a 45 minute challenge in person with materials provided.

For the box arrangement, the brief was to make an arrangement for a fashion store’s new season launch. I love gorman, and drew inspiration from a Meg Fransee print called New Realms. I thought that since gorman does such colourful and bold designs, my arrangement would hopefully replicate the striking colour combinations and represent something that celebrates fashion. Below, you can see the evolution from sketch to result.

Leading up to the day was not without its challenges. Firstly, whilst sketching the design, I had an idea to incorporate the scarf. Which meant I needed to buy it. I saw online that it had a couple left in a store in the CBD, so I left it to the weekend (aka last minute) to venture in to purchase. Unfortunately, they didn’t have it in stock and said that the website lied about being in the store, and I needed to purchase it online. Leaving it so close to the deadline, I hurried home to purchase it immediately and paid for express shipping. I also saw that the mesh shirt was on sale, so I decided to wear a matching outfit for when the day comes.

Secondly, some floral materials did not eventuate. I had tried doing my due diligence by visiting the flower markets the week before to scout what is and will be available, but sadly on the day when I needed things some were non-existent. Such as the blue hydrangeas - it was starting to become end of season and honestly there was an abundance the week before. But on the day, I had to scour until I settled with some green with a hint of blue hydrangeas. On the plus side, it was cheaper, so I was able to buy two bundles. Despite the challenges, I did find some awesome purple anthuriums, which made me very happy.

When it came to construction, the other thing that didn’t go according to plan was tying the scarf onto a branch which I had sketched in my original design. A) the scarf was too long, even after making a florette out of the scarf, and B) it made the arrangement look too busy, and it messed up with the shape. So, I decided to drape it around the box instead. Also, I initially had the idea of having a bird of paradise, but it overwhelmed the design, so I didn’t include it. Goes to show that too much can be such a thing.

Dropping off my competition entry was an experience in and of itself! I had to go in at 10pm to Sydney Olympic Park. It was dark and eerie, and felt like a ghost town only because I’ve only known the Easter Show to be packed full of people. I survived the post-apocalyptic venture, and headed home in anticipation for the next day.

In true Ness fashion, I was running late for the surprise box session. I was thankful that the submission for my other entry was overnight. Otherwise, I think I would have had a tiny meltdown. Yet, I made it to the surprise box just in time, and participated with several other competitors. Unfortunately, I did not get a place, and my feedback was that I had one technical error (the protective plastic did not flow out enough to make the arrangement waterproof) that prevented me from getting a place. After having my “duh” moment and some internalised regret, I reframed it as a positive learning experience and took onboard the nice things the judge said about my arrangement, such as the shape and placement of the flowers.

I hung around with my friend, who came to support me, for a little while after the surprise box comp until the winners were announced at 2 pm. To my delight, I was placed third in my box arrangement student category and stoked to receive a ribbon. The feedback was once again on technical aspects, such as tying the scarf to the box instead of draping it alongside, as it would not be considered part of the judging unless it is attached. Some other technical slights the judge mentioned made me feel I could have gotten a higher prize, such as having “growth points” if I cluster one kind of material together. However, the compliments he made, such as the overall shape and the material and colour choices, still gave me a boost of confidence. Even though I didn’t get first place, I did observe quite a few passersby who took photos, which was also encouraging to my ego! Hahahahaha.

My Third Prize ribbon! And proudly coordinated with my arrangement.

So essentially, yes, I am an award-winning florist, even though it may have been in the student category. Yet, many lessons were learnt, which is a win overall. Unfortunately, I missed out on this year’s Royal Easter Show entries, mainly due to forgetting the deadline and also because I no longer have the “student” buffer to hide behind with my imposter syndrome. But if you would like a bespoke floral arrangement or installation for the launch of a new season at your fashion store, I’d be keen to be your florist!