Hello,
November Flower Thoughts
This month’s theme is creativity. I’ll share my thoughts on the subject and how I use sketching as part of my creative process - with links to a gallery of sketches, including some of mine that range from very rudimentary scratchings to more detailed renderings.
This month’s theme also leads me to mention my friend, teacher and International design leader, Gregor Lersch's approach to creativity.
Our November Design of the Month is taken from the amazing array of creativity in our most recent Online Exhibition with Duc Thuan Bui.
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Design of the Month - Wearable Creativity
A refined approach to creativity - Duc Thuan Bui has crafted an exquisite decorative piece to be worn, using a combination of exotic Orchids (look at those Bulbophylum and their elongated petals!), a fibre-wrapped wire structure and a rich, jewel-like colour scheme. The handling of all materials and placements highlights Duc’s masterful approach to colour, working from the deeper tones in the core and transitioning to the eye-catching lighter, vibrant hues closer to the surface.
The design takes the concept of a shoulder spray and elevates it to a new level of excitement. Imagine, where and when might you wear it?
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.Body decoration with asymmetrically placed areas of interest.
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Creativity & Sketching
What is creativity? Essentially, it is the ability to come up with new ideas or solutions, or to be innovative with available resources. For most people who create with flowers, creativity is a readily available talent - more for some than others. An underutilised and accessible tool for developing creativity is sketching.
I hear so many floral colleagues tell me that they can’t sketch - I’m yet to be convinced. If you can make simple marks (a relatively straight line, a dot and a circle) you can sketch. Mostly, I believe, people are fearful of sketching because they assume the sketches will be viewed (and judged) by others. Sketching can be for others, but the greatest value it has is for ourselves - for expanding our own creative processes. Sketching is about communicating ideas - if only for yourself. It can help you to capture ideas and concepts, and to refine and develop ideas. Practice, of course, makes perfect, so start with your very next project.
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Don’t start with the idea that your sketches need to be museum quality works of art. See them as simply a means to record, evaluate and progress ideas for yourself. If you do this, sketching will VERY quickly become another useful tool in your toolbox of design skills.
I have written about the value of sketching, with examples, on the Flower Thinking website. You can access the article here:
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Gregor Lersch on the Creative Process
Gregor Lersch has written extensively about his approach to understanding creativity, most comprehensively in his book Sources of Creativity. Sadly the book is not longer in print (search for secondhand copies online). Within the pages, Gregor contemplates where ideas come from and how they are created, and categorises the paths into five pillars of inspiration - craftsmanship, theory, botany, culture and emotions. Gregor has spoken about his approach in a recent newsletter, which you can see here:
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Flower Thinking Connections 2026
A quick reminder, Gregor Lersch is returning to Australia in August 2026, for what is sure to be another special event full of amazing learning and inspiration.
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An innovative floral design blending an 'arrangement' with a 'handtied' design - an exploration of linking or connecting floral design concepts in search of new styles.
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I hope the November Thoughts above have inspired you to unleash and refine your own creativity and creative process further.
Thank you for reading.
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.Three ideas sketched onto a container, and the final, realised concept focusing on the element of form - part of the creative process presented in Flower Thinking’s One Container, Five Elements program.
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