Gaffney - Flower Power: Lessons from the Los Angeles School of Flower Design

W ithin this book, Im going to give you a number of very easy design ideas. These are simple arrangements and designs anyone can do. I spent approximately seven years learning from one of the best designers in America. I then spent the next fifteen years figuring out what I call the Da Vinci code of flower design, meaning, there is a reason why you put a flower where you put it. It is not hocus pocus. I based my career on being able to do any arrangement in ten minutes, qualifying some that Im able to do in even less time than that. Flower designing is a simple process. It is a trade, like the guy who does crown molding, or the plumber.

In class, I tell my students that flower designing is 90% technique, plus a little math, science, and 10% creativity. I often compare it to cooking. The creativity is like the salt and pepper. I say to my students that its not just about grabbing any item off the shelf and throwing it in a pot. You wouldnt combine steak with noodles and mix it with jelly, then call yourself a chef or a genius. It would be called a disaster. Youve got to learn the rules of design.

Every great artist, whether a painter, sculptor, ballerina, or actor, has been educated to learn the rules and the reasons behind their craft, performance, or movement. With flower design, it is the same thing. If you understand that two plus two equals four, then you can do this. One thing I love about flower design is that its an equal opportunity employer. Anyone can understand the simple rules in logic behind flower design. In this book, were going to show you simple techniques influenced by my time spent at the Los Angeles School of Flower Design.

Many years ago, although I was based in the Midwest, I dreamed of having a school on the West Coast. Of course, I tried to talk myself out of it. I remember sitting on the couch in my apartment, telling myself, I dont know anyone in California. I cant afford California. I convinced myself out of any chance of opening a school on the West Coast, until I decided to make waves- my favorite expression. You know how when you step into a puddle, and you make those ripples that emanate out from beneath your foot? Or, how the waves roll in on the great ocean? Thats called making waves. Youve got to make some waves to make things happen. This is what one has to do in life.