What's in a Florist's Workshop Bag?

Today for free on The Flower Scout…

Last week I attended a two-day floral workshop on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, with a couple of extra days added either side for travel. Given the bad weather causing me to miss a connecting flight, having to stay in Sydney overnight, I’m very glad I did! Also, it’s always wise to travel with the same airline with connecting flights so they have to put you up overnight and find you another flight at no additional cost. Which also explains why this week’s article is very, very late, but I’ll make it up to you, I promise. All photos by me.

The workshop was part of the WAFA Wildflowers Australia Conference, which takes place every three years. The conference brings together wildflower growers, both large and small, to share their knowledge and experience. Apparently, it’s quite unusual for a group of growers to be so open about sharing information, which made the whole event particularly interesting. The workshop was run by Katie Marx. Katie has her own floral studio, is passionate about sharing her knowledge and experience and is a generous educator. She has an original, imaginative and contemporary style using Australian natives and foraging sustainably. I will share some of what we learnt at the workshop in next week’s post.

While packing my workshop bag and clothing, I thought it might be something you’d get a few tips from.

You probably think a florist’s workshop packing list sounds a little lame, but after years and quite a few national and international workshops - I’ve got it down to something of a fine art. There are the obvious things, of course, and then there are the slightly unexpected things that I’ve learnt to take because, you can never know the location and conditions of where you will be, the weather and what you’ll be creating. I would pack this list as the base pack for freelancing plus a whole lot more mechanic and sundry items in which to create arrangements. I’m assuming that any additional items will be provided at the workshop.

The trick is to be prepared for anything. This is all exactly what I took.

Enjoy!

My philosophy is simple: take whatever you can reasonably anticipate needing to be more comfortable and because you never quite know what you’ll be asked to do.

My workshop uniform has evolved over the years, and the following is my list of no-brainer items.

Shoes have taken me years to work out.

OHS - Occupational Health and Safety standards require florists to wear enclosed shoes, particularly when you’re working with snips, knives, heavy buckets and ladders .

I’ve tried many sneakers, however the soles wear out surprisingly quickly and can eventually become slippery on wet concrete floors. Gum boots I find too stiff, heavy and hot and can’t be worn casually (but they are waterproof) but now swear by proper hiking shoes.

Walking shoes are designed for exactly what we ask of them: hours on our feet, day after day.

Mine are Salomons with elastic laces, so I don’t even have to tie them. They’re a neutral colour, which means I can wear them while travelling even when I’m not flowering, with jeans and a coat, without looking as though I’ve just walked off a floral workshop floor.

I also put my customised orthotics into them, which makes an enormous difference. They aren’t waterproof, either, which I actually prefer because in summer they allow my feet to breathe.

The other bonus is, as they look like sneakers, airport security doesn’t ask you to take them off going through the x-ray.

Discover More

One of the best things about travelling to workshops is that I always come home with more than just new floral ideas. Every workshop seems to add another little item to my packing list.

This time, Katie had in her tool belt a foldable pruning saw, for cutting branches whilst foraging. Another student recommended a Silky Pocketboy. So I’m looking at getting one with a 170mm blade, the cost around AU $75 for Christmas.

Each time I pack for a workshop, I’m also reminded that it all depends upon my working habits, what will make my day easier and being prepared for the unexpected.

Because in floristry, you never quite know what you’re going to be asked to make.

And that’s half the fun.

Whilst packing for this event, I needed to consider what to wear to the gala dinner. What to wear to flower festival finales, workshop dinner and VIP evening has always been an issue for me because I’m not your typical floral print, brightly coloured kind of gal. But I think I’ve worked it out. So in a future article I’ll analyse what other floral designers wear and how I choose outfits that suit me.

But as I’m a week behind, I’ll start preparing this week’s article on sharing some of the fantastic tips and mechanics that Katie introduced us to and the beautiful native arrangements we created.

Thank you for being here and supporting The Flowerlogue. You can help support me by following me on Instagram or Linkedin.