With a touch of honesty, a bit of fun and a whole lot of beautiful flowers it seems everything Mayesh does is nothing short of wonderful. The way this brand is committed to authenticity and supporting the flora industry with expertly chosen agricultural product, marketing collateral, education and human resources, who can get enough of every single thing they do?
You're gonna fall in love with all the details of the Mayesh Design Star All Star March Madness Flower Tournament going on right now.
At the beginning of the month, Mayesh announced the first bracket style tournament of this kind in their history to celebrate a ten year anniversary of Design Star.
I am honored to be asked to participate. The contestants are some of the most innovative and acclaimed in th world so watching what they come up with is nothing short of amazing.
Since submitting my own entry, I have been looking at designs that totally have my heart. But today, I am excited to jump into what the best news yet: I made to the Finals! Yes, girl. You heard that right!
This round, your votes determine the winner. I certainly need your help! You can vote and share by clicking the link above. To be honest, I didn't expect to make it too far so this design is impromptu and really from the heart. Since it was designed without planning it was actually in a completely different container. It's a vase inside a vase. Let me tell you a little about the contest and my entry for round one.
And The Contestants Are
I can't remember how many times I said, OMG when I first saw the entries. The only qualification for an invitation is that you have been a design star in the last ten years. Here is the impressive line up of the designers for the 2022 contest:
About My Entry
I always tell people to be themselves when working and designing. You'll be way happier in the long run if you are YOU. Being yourself allows you to find your people.
I believe that floral arrangements are representative of an artist. The aesthetics tell a story that say everything about the one behind the shears including influences, beliefs, energy and feelings. Every branch, berry, leaf, petal, stem and bud communicates a story that mirrors the creative executing the design.
To me, floral arrangements are like finger prints, there are no two the same. Every arrangement has a sense of time, place and a person that is unique and naturally insightful.
For my entry, I chose to stick to a simple design. Simple things work best for me. Since I find botanicals deeply expressive I just wanted to make a statement. Floristry is to me as journalism is to a writer. Words are a tool of communication for a journalist like stems are for a florist.
The language of flowers transcends the ages through cultures, race and gender in a way that speaks to me. Those days being sent to the garden by my grandmother, riding dirt roads with my mom and sister, and decoding the birthdays of pine trees with my dad translate well into floristry.
When words can not express the depth of emotions, flowers can. I didn't really know what the flowers would say as I got ready for round one but I know the effortless language is innate and they'd say something whether I like it, or not.
Now that we are talking about language since I am being honest, words don't come easy for me. I often find words feel like they are sitting on the tip of my tongue. You know like, what's her face? Or, thing-a-ma-jig. It's a feeling like, I-am-100%-sure-there-is-a-better-word than thing-ah-muh-jig. And, it's the biggest feeling of joy and winning when I find the word I’m looking for. It feels like I have completed a puzzle. I love that feeling!
The fascination with prose and it's expression led me to the acclaimed UGA Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Somehow I was accepted into the program and that's where I studied the art, science and integrity of the story. I love stories!
Despite earning an advertising degree refining the mechanics of expression, word recollection, spelling and usage surprisingly has remained a challenge. People have always been taken by my requirements of time and focus to read, write and comprehend.
To bring this full circle and explain why I am sharing my fascination with language and storytelling is that after coming home from the Mayesh Design Star Tour, that year I learned that I am dyslexic. Although it's hereditary and can be a gift, it was a surprise to me and something I knew nothing about. There are so many people who are dyslexic like Jennifer Anniston, Agatha Christie, Richard Branson, Charles Schwab, and Henry Winkler just to name a few. It's not easy to find this out in your late 40's but it sure does make my life make sense.
Flowers are a creative and ingenious, visual and multi-sensory tool to express yourself and communicate so it makes makes sense that I find botanical elements a powerful way to say what I want to say. Flowers help me tell a story.
What I Think The Flower Say In The Story Of My Design
When I look at the round one design that's beautifully photographed by the talented Julie Paisley who is famous for her remarkable talent to curate pretty things, it tells a story.
To me it says:
I look back fondly on my time as the Mayesh Design Star. It is one of the best seasons of my life. The feeling of fulfillment and adventure I get when I think of it is blooming with pride and a sense of accomplishment. I love every single second including the ups, the downs and the times I felt turned on-my-side times.
During my year as the MDS, I often encouraged designers by sharing mottos that I used in the flower shop. A sign that I"d made at the flower shop that said, it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful seemed to become the theme of classes and workshops that year. To tell you the truth, so much has happened since I was the Mayesh Design Star. My life has changed a lot. But one thing I've learned is that the language of flowers i universal. What applies to flowers applies to life, too: it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.
If the design inspires you to make something of your own, check out the Aged Estate Urn by Park Hill Collection in the shop. It's light weight and great for plants and floral design, and it's pretty!
It takes about every penny I have to pay for my children to go to school. I donate as much and as often as I can to the Schenck School, Dyslexia Resource, Swift School, Decoding Dyslexia - Georgia, Saint Francis Schools and for the wonderful work they do. If you want to learn more about dyslexia the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity and Made By Dyslexia are great resources. And, if you wanna talk more about how to design flowers, talk to me: christy@colonialhouse.net!
Credits:
Julie Paisley, Nashville, Tennessee
Fox & Brindle, Mittie, Birmingham, Alabama
Shop Park Hill Collection, Atlanta, Georgia
Mayesh Wholesale Florist, Los Angles, California
Lena Larose Boutique, Johns Creek, Georgia