Maddie Guame is a MODG senior who has a beautiful passion and true talent for the art
of floristry. Her flowers are not only an expression of her colorful personality, but her
love of beauty and goodness. Maddie has agreed to share her passion and some
helpful tips for beginners in the following article!
1. What inspired you to start working with flowers? To be honest, the reason I
started working at the flower shop was because I wanted money. However, it
soon turned into finding the beauty in flowers and I think that’s why I continue to
work with flowers.
2. What does a typical day of work look like? A typical day can look like a lot of
different things. Some days I’ll be cutting flowers all day and I won’t do anything
else. Or the phone will constantly be ringing and I get to help customers place
orders for the family and friends to receive flowers. On other days the front
doorbell will go off what feels like thousands of times, in that case, I get to make
fresh-cut bouquets. On any day, however, you’ll find me doing mundane tasks
like washing buckets, taking out the trash, sweeping, washing vases, putting
flowers away, prepping the wrapping stations, and crushing down flower boxes.
3. What’s your favorite part of working at a flower shop? My favorite part of
working at a flower shop has to be seeing how flowers affect people and knowing
that my work brings strangers joy. I also love the community of women I get to
work with.
4. How does your personality affect your work? I would say my personality
affects my work through making fresh bouquets. My style of making bouquets is
usually light and free-looking with a lot of bright colors and flowy flowers. I feel
like that says a lot about who I am. My personality is very joy-filled and I like to
bring that to be visibly seen in my work.
5. What are your favorite flowers to work with? My favorite flowers to work with
are any filler flowers. Filler flowers are the little dainty flowers that add to a big
arrangement. I think these are my favorite because they are always a bright color
and the flowers themselves are usually very intricate. Some of these are wax
flowers and limonium. I also love working with seasonal flowers, especially
summer flowers. It is always so exciting when the seasonal flowers start coming
into the shop
6. How does your passion for flowers play into your life aside from work? My
passion for flowers plays a role in my life in a couple of ways. The first is that I
say it’s another love language for me. Any excuse I have to give a family member
or a friend flowers I will. Secondly, this past summer flowers had a great role in
my prayer life. I’ve always loved flowers and I began to ask the Lord “ Why do I
have this love for flowers even more than just working with them”. Was it their
beauty? Their littleness? It wasn’t until I was praying in front of a Mary statue that
it clicked. There was a vase of roses and the Lord revealed to me that I pick
flowers with Mary and for Mary. Since then whenever I see wildflowers I make a
bouquet with Mary.
7. What tips would you give students who want to learn the art of floristry? My
biggest tip is it’s not that serious. It’s an art for a reason. There’s no right or
wrong way to design a bouquet. It is all about having fun and creating something
beautiful out of the creation God has given us. Step out of the box and put things
you wouldn’t think together!
