Occasionally on Flowerona, I write a personal post. It usually involves heaps of courage to press the ‘Publish’ button on these posts. But I always hope that some of you will find them helpful. So, here we go…
I’d like to share with you an amazing product that I’ve recently discovered!
Even though it may appear outwardly that I have lots of confidence, I can promise you, it’s something which I sometimes lack!
As some of you will know, over the last year or so, I’ve started to put steps into place to help make my dream of bringing floristry to television really happen. Since last September, I’ve been attending a weekly TV Presenting course in London. And on the advice of a coach, instead of putting together a showreel (a video showing samples of presenting work), I set up my YouTube channel last year. I also joined a website called Find a TV Expert and as a result have been approached by an agent. A few other amazing connections have been made in the last month or so, which I don’t want to tempt fate with at the moment. But as soon as I can spill the beans, I will. I really feel that something just might be on the horizon…
And I have to thank a very special person for helping me behind the scenes. Her name is Katie Spicer. You may already be familiar with Katie as she takes the stunning photographs at our workshops and has previously written guest blog posts on Flowerona.
Back in the summer, when I attended Sabine Darrall’s and Katie’s ‘3 Weddings in 3 Days’ workshop, Katie and I had chance to chat during a coffee break. She told me about her new business, The Floral Alchemist. She explained how people can commission her to create a bespoke piece of floral art to help them move forwards in their life.
I was very intrigued and wondered if she would be able to help me. After the workshop, we chatted more and a couple of days later, she sent me a questionnaire, which was the first stage in getting my floral print commissioned. It was all about choosing a word. The word, which resonated with me. It didn’t take me long! I knew that I wanted help with confidence. I need confidence in believing that this TV dream that I have and which I’m so passionate about making a reality actually happens. Too many things have happened in my life to make me realise that you only live once. So, you really need to give it your very best shot. And I hoped that with Katie’s help, further progress could be made…
Of course, choosing one flower for my commission was nigh on impossible! But, when I was at New Covent Garden Flower Market one morning, I came across a rose at Bloomfield, which I’d never seen before…and it’s called ‘Dancing Clouds’. I loved its pale lilac petals, but when I found out its name, I fell completely ‘hook, line and sinker’. The roses came home with me and the next day, they took centre stage at an audition with a TV agent. I passed the audition, which to me, was like a sign. These were the roses which I needed Katie to photograph.
Local to her in North London is a florist called The Urban Flower Company and it’s run by a lovely guy called Matt (who I happen to have met a few months ago at a bloggers event and bumped into him at the Market this week too…it’s such a small world!) Matt sourced the roses from New Covent Garden Flower Market for Katie and then she set to work in creating my bespoke piece of floral art. And here it is…
Isn’t it just stunning? When I received the print in the post, I just couldn’t take my eyes off it. It was that central rose which really captivated me. And if I’m honest, I couldn’t quite get over how powerful my positive reaction was to the photo! I love the striking contrast of the rose in the centre against the soft petals laying on the metallic dish.
On reading Katie’s beautifully written letter which accompanied the print, I got butterflies. She explained to me that the petals surrounding the rose (me) are my support and they’re there to help me know that there are no wrong turns. Every path I take will ultimately lead me to becoming more confident. She’d also included words for a wonderful meditation.
I had the photo framed and it’s now taking pride of place in my office…a daily reminder of my word.
Special Flowerona Readers’ Offer
I’m delighted to let you know that Katie is offering 20% off commissions for Flowerona readers until 11.59pm GMT on December 31st 2015. Simply use the promo code FLOWERONA.
Now, in today’s blog post, I just couldn’t resist also including photos of Matt and his beautiful shop in Crouch End. Do pop in, if you’re ever in the area. The address is 47 Park Rd, London, N8 8TE.
So, if you’re looking for a Christmas present idea or would like to commission one of Katie’s bespoke pieces of floral art for yourself, do pop over to The Floral Alchemist website.
I’ll let you know how things unfold over the coming months…!
(Images : Katie Spicer | The Floral Alchemist)
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