Design Challenge: Where Do You Get Your Inspiration?

Florists everywhere are enjoying the FSN Design Inspiration Challenge contests over the past few months, and for good reason. This contest is a lot of fun! If you have not seen the contest, basically we pick an interesting photo to give the florists and they interpret it into their own creations. There have been some crazy, crazy designs! The photo can be ANYTHING… it’s a surprise every round. We’ve had everything from a van Gogh painting to a pair of acrobats (seen above).

Currently, we are on Round 4. This inspiration is a beautiful photo of a coral reef.  By picking such a range of subjects, we hope florists are learning to see more than just the beauty around them, but how it can be interpreted into floral designs.

Florists: Do you carry a sketchbook? Do you even use a sketchbook?

I already hear people whining, “But I can’t draw!” This is not a problem! You don’t need to draw.. you just need to remember. Next time you see something with an interesting shape, balance or even great colors together.. jot it down! Take a photo with your phone. You just need to remember what you’ve seen. Next time you need to whip up a masterpiece of floral design, turn to your sketchbook and find that great design you saw in the iron-work of a fence you passed. A sketchbook is a great place to keep resources and references. They even make sketchbooks with pockets and file folders, great for keeping things you’ve torn out of magazines.

Maybe a sketchbook will be less intimidating if you rename it.. your inspiration book. Even if you can’t draw a stick figure if your life depended on it, you can still jot down notes about something that inspired you. No one has to know what it is but you! Remember — you are a floral ARTIST!

FSN wants to know, do you use a sketchbook? What do you think of this post? Leave your comment below!