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.
PHOTO: JULIE PAISLEY
SHOP: AGED ESTATE URN, COLONIALHOUSE.NET
At the beginning of the month, Mayesh announced the first bracket style tournament of this kind they've ever had to celebrate a ten year anniversary of Design Star. 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 the Final Four! Yes, girl. You heard that right!
PHOTO: JULIE PAISLEY
SHOP: AGED ESTATE URN, COLONIALHOUSE.NET
Here's How The Tournament Works
Each of the participants receive a box of surprise flowers in one of three color palettes. The contents of a box, which we call a "pull" or a "recipe," is a mystery.
We hope you are as excited as we are to see what these brilliant designers come up with upon receiving their surprise box of blooms from the one & only Kelly Pulls. - Mayesh.com
The only instruction Ali Dahlson, Graphic Design and Content Creation Specialist at Mayesh Wholesale, offered is "to design absolutely anything your heart desires." Contestants are required to stick to the box. For me, foraging is a part of my creative process so I found this restriction challenging. But, I did it.
Contestants sent a photo of their work to face off in a March Madness bracket-style tournament, voted on by YOU! Each round is open to public voting for five days to decide which designers move to the next round. Once it is narrowed to the last two, they will both create a final-round design to determine the winner!
This is an example of a pull, or flower recipe found in a box as I mentioned above. The highlights of this pull from Kelly Girard at Mayesh LAX are blooming acacia, kumquats, garden roses, daffodils, novelty tulips, ranunculus, hellebores, astilbe, anemones.
Here's The Participants
Here's How The Brackets Work
It's no secret that floral design championships are hot in the United States and about the globe. Whether for a national or international honor, a sense of accomplishment, a drive to compete or a yearning to inspire each other, competitions are popular for the best and most experienced designers and upcoming talent who want to show their tricks. According to Florist's Review, these contests "offer great opportunities for designers to show their peers and industry experts their unique styles and innovative ideas."
The Mayesh Design Star All Star March Madness Tournament is 100% virtual and in line with trend that started with the COVID-19 pandemic. It is bracket style and based on online submissions and public voting. After watching these design stars all these years and now seeing their work each week through the brackets, one thing I know is true. There's no denying, each and each one is remarkably talented and rightfully credited with their title. They are good!
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, biggestl feeling of joy and winning when I find the word I’m looking for. It feels like I have completed a puzzle.
The fascination with prose and it's expression led me to the acclaimed UGA Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication where I studied the art, science and integrity of the story. Despite my 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 fascin
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. Flowers are a creative and ingenious tool to express yourself and communicate so it makes makes sense that I find flowers a powerful way to say what I want to say.
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 my friend Julie Paisley, 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. To tell you the truth, a lot 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.