On cultivating connectedness
A few years ago I was in the Musee D’Orsay in Paris when I was almost reduced to tears by a painting of sunlight on snow by Monet. That sort of thing had never happened to me before and, to be honest, I was a bit shocked and felt like a bit of an idiot. But I also understood why.
My mum is Swedish, and I return to where she comes from each year. That Monet painting was like looking at the landscape in Sweden on a bright winters day. The way the light, coming in at such a low angle, glistens on crystals in the snow. And it triggered an emotional response in me.
I have just been in Sweden. We had thick snow on the ground, it was -12 degrees and the sun was bright in the sky. And I remembered the painting… all of which got me thinking about the power of nature and connection.
In Sweden the nature is big. By that I mean you can immediately feel the enormity and power of nature. The sense of space, the size of the sky, the density and height of the forests, the extremity of the cold and the low angled sparkle of sunlight on the snow in the winter.
Being in big nature is vital for me. It has the power to make me feel very small and humble. It triggers my emotions and but also makes me feel a deep sense of calm. A connectedness. To something deeper, bigger and to a wisdom that I can’t quite articulate. A homecoming of sorts.
Connecting to nature—whether that’s big nature or the tiniest link through a posy of freshly cut flowers on your table (or through a painting) —is vital for us all, I think. Increasingly so, with our more digital, distracted lives perhaps.
“When we take notice of the cycles of the planet, and choose to live in accordance with its seasons, something remarkable happens. We become connected. ” Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way of Being
Season-led floristry, and everything we teach at the School, is driven by that connectedness. To watching the seasons change, and evolving our designs and practice alongside it. To getting our hands into the soil, breathing in the scent of the flowers and foliages, to evoking the natural landscape in our designs, to bringing the outside in. And ultimately to connecting ourselves to that process and to that part of our brain… thereby allowing our inner creativity the freedom to express itself.
“We begin to see ourselves as part of a greater whole that is constantly regenerating itself. And we may then tap into this all-powerful propagating force and ride its creative wave.” Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way of Being
We want all our students to tap into that sense of connectedness. If we can help you tap into your creative self, your untamed edge, and help translate it into artful, naturalistic (and a little bit wild) floral design then we have done our job well.
We have developed an array of considered workshops and courses for 2025, and cultivating connectedness and creativity is at the root of everything we do. So whether that is a half day Garden to Vase workshop, a full Day on the Flower Farm or a full year of our in person or online Season Led Florist programme, we hope to connect with you this year.
