Step by Step: How to Become a Florist
Florists are simply miracle workers. They can bring beauty and grace this close to you, and bring endless smiles and emotions to the receiver. They use their talents to create beautiful flower arrangements and help their customers select gifts. It is not a simple task to become a florist. You need to love flowers and be passionate about that to become a successful florist. You also need practical skills, creativity, and artistic talent.
Moreover, floral design is an art by itself. If the musician composes musical creations to please your ears, the florist gets to arrange flowers to charm your eyes. No matter how effortless this job may seem to you, trust us when we say it is not. Before starting your journey, you should consider a few things as you might have several responsibilities that go beyond arranging flowers, and even beyond flowers.
In this article we are going to consider the following tips that may help you to become a professional florist, or at least, give you an idea about what to suspect in this career:
* Get hands-on experience
* College courses
* Know how to market yourself
* Consider the other work that a florist does.
Get Hands-on Experience
As in all the fields in the professional world, the best person suited to give you great teaching is someone more experienced than you are. Start by working with an experienced florist. With this, you may be able to allow yourself to see what it would be like to work as an actual florist, how to behave, and what the necessary skills are. There is no shame to start as a cashier or delivery person in a flower shop, and everyone needs to start somewhere. You can also get a lot of experience doing that type of work.
Take the maximum out of your internship experience, as this is the best way to learn. Pay attention to the techniques your mentor uses, as well as the customer service and the business side.
One very important element in your florist journey is passion. You should love flowers. This may help you to enjoy your work, therefore, be successful, and be more creative in your bouquet to respect the event they are meant to.
College Courses
In the professional world, college-based training is one of the ways that a person may take to learn the job of a florist. Many colleges offer floristry courses that vary from purpose-built training facilities to a general one without special facilities. You can find a large panel of floristry courses and study options so we recommend you to seek pieces of advice before choosing any course.
The main decision you may need to make is whether you wish to study full-time or part-time. Additionally, there are floristry programs and courses that can give you valuable lessons about how to identify different plants and flowers, plus tips and tricks to cultivate and care about them and the fundamentals of this art. If you want more independence, you can seek marketing courses to start your own business. Finally, it is important to step up your game as part of self-development.
Know How to Market Yourself
After succeeding in your basic education, mastering the fundamentals of floristry and floriculture, and achieving a great internship, plus developing yourself, it is time to prove yourself to the world as an efficient professional.
First, keep your CV/resume and portfolio updated. It is easier to keep track of your accomplishments and let others know about it by keeping an updated portfolio.
Second, maintain an active social media presence on all relevant platforms. Always take time to display your creations, and create dynamic descriptions. Some contemporary florists start as Instagram florists, so that is always a good idea, too. Always remember that people are buying feelings, not objects.
Third, make yourself famous but creating your community. You can give free flowers to your friends so that they may share information about you on their social media, or send free floral arrangements to influencers to make them talk about you.
Consider the Other Work Florists Do
At this point, you are most likely aware that being a florist requires hard work, passion, and patience. It is not only about flowers, but it is also a physical job where you may have to lift heavy containers and get few holidays off because your shop should be opened during occasions where flowers are required, such as Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or international festivities. Part-timed work is common in this industry, but full-time opportunities are also available, especially if you are aiming to start your own business.
No matter how hard it may seem, being a florist is rewarding and very meaningful when you think about all the people that may be comforted by you, or happy because of your arrangement. You may require other qualities you can gain progressively such as time management and good communication to express your passion and make your clients very satisfied.
Flowers speak louder than words. Those beautiful creations can speak for themselves. Whether it is to celebrate a happy occasion such as weddings or to express a painful feeling during a sorrowful funeral ceremony, flower arrangements are always highly appreciated. For all these reasons, florist is an important job.
If you enjoy being around flowers, maintaining them, composing crazy arrangements with them, and mostly wanting to please people through your work, you might choose becoming a florist as a career. It may seem easy for you as a job, but it requires a lot of implications and passion. The best way to learn it is by having a mentor and starting with a simple internship or work in a flower shop.
However, always remember that floral design is mostly about creativity, patience, love, and passion. This is the best way for you to bring back clients to you and create your community.
