Saturday has come round again. This week I am delighted to share my 5 Question interview with the wonderful Sarah Statham of Simply By Arrangement. Based in Yorkshire Sarah has been a florist for nearly ten years. She works out of her workshop and hosts larger classes around North Yorkshire and in Scotland. Sarah’s Instagram account is a beautiful reflection of her seasonal style. Her use of beautiful blooms, colour tones and fantastic photography makes her account a treat on the eyes and I find such a calmness when I scroll through her grid. Teaching is a big part of her business and hopefully one day when this is all over I hope to make a trip up to Yorkshire and maybe even join her on one of her Simply By Arrangement Retreats, now that sounds like heaven.
So on this slightly grey Saturday morning, sit back cosy up and enjoy the 5 Questions with Sarah.
Alicia: Sarah could you please let our readers know about how you created Simply by Arrangement and your journey into floristry?
Sarah: Flowers weren’t my first job, but they have always been a place of refuge. I trained and spent my first 20 years in work as a criminal lawyer, a really great job, but, one where you never ever see the beauty in life. Some winter days I didn’t see daylight because old fashioned court rooms often have no windows.
Flowers were my relaxation and hobby. I did weddings and small parties for friends and I did a ‘crammed’ two week business of floristry career course in London before eventually taking a career break from the day job that I never went back to. Back then (almost 10 years ago) there were only a few places offering floral workshops. There was nothing at all up north that I could find in the style I liked and so I decided to make workshops/ classes the focus of my own small business, as well as weddings.
Alicia: Your work is so elegant, beautiful and I feel a sense of calmness when looking at your creations. Where does your inspiration come from?
Sarah There are a few answers here. Gardens/places/light /art/literature/the environment/vessels/ people- there are so many things that influence us all, often without us realising. I suppose ‘nature’ is the main answer because I like to work with seasonal flowers. But, I think the real answer is that the flowers themselves are my inspiration. There’s always something new to work with. I get a shiver down my spine as each fritillary appears in spring and I know I have to make something which shows off that flower to perfection. And so it goes on through the seasons, from tulips to roses to dahlias, we grow them all here as well as lots of delicate and unusual things too.
I’m really chuffed that my flowers make you feel calm, because that’s exactly what flowers do to me, they bring instant calmness
Alicia: In traditional floristry students are taught in some colleges to work in odd numbers, flowers are crammed together tightly and students are encouraged to not put certain colours together. Your work is obviously very different to this. Can you explain why you don't follow these traditional methods and what are you guided by when you are creating?
Sarah: I think my first guideline is the vessel (which I’ll chose to fit into a specific place). Then I’ll pick flowers and foliage that I know will sit beautifully within it. So, obviously, small delicate flowers for a tiny bowl and larger ones for an urn. I don’t like working to rules. I know that ‘generally’ odd numbers work better than even but, if I think that two roses look better than three then that’s what I’ll use. There’s no real magic to what I do. I suppose the real challenge lies in selecting the right ingredients, and from there I just look at each one and let it tell me where it wants to go. Most flowers, branches have a best side so I’ll decide which that is. Most importantly each flower or piece must have its own space so that it can be seen and also so that it can have room to grow.
Alicia: Do you have a highlight of your career so far?
Sarah: That’s such a hard question. I think for me, highlights come when I see someone I’ve taught go on to do great things. There are several people who have started on classes here and who I’ve helped in the early days of their businesses and I love seeing their work and, from time to time, answering a few of their questions along the way.
I’ve been in a couple of good flower books which I never imagined would be possible. I love to do things which bring people to this area of Yorkshire so, a real highlight for me was running a class to celebrate the bicentenary of Charlotte Bronte. The group who attended that class created breathtaking floral designs that were displayed in The Bronte Parsonage Museum for hundreds of visitors to see.
I also love the Simply Yorkshire Retreat that we do here in summer. It’s small (like this place) but it brings together 4 people from around the world and again, that’s not something I ever imagined would happen here.
Alicia: What advice could you give someone who is considering entering the floristry industry?
Sarah: Hmmm, where to start! It’s not pretty, it’s not glamorous, it’s exceptionally hard graft, but it might make you happy. I would also suggest finding someone whose work you love and either training with them or asking to do some work experience with them. Also, learn as much as you can about the flowers themselves. How to grow them is, I think, the most invaluable piece of knowledge for any florist because only then will you truly understand how they will work (or maybe not work) best in a design.
Alicia: We are obviously experiencing an incredibly challenging time at present. How are you coping during this time and what creative activities are you embarking on to give your mind a rest from what is going on around us?
Sarah: I think we have all developed our own coping strategies for the current climate. It’s not an easy time for any of us and many florists, like me, can’t actually do their job, or the job they would normally do. It’s impossible at the moment to hold classes in person and I think we have all had weddings postponed into next year.
I’m really lucky to have a garden so, my main focus has been to use this time to make it as good as it can ever be. We’ve created a couple of new areas and are growing lots more so that when (if) guests return, their experience of the calming, outdoor space should, we hope, ensure they have a memorable time. More and more I’ve realised that creating happy memories are important.
And, on the creation of memories, I’m also finding photography is helping me to escape from the news and to really focus on finding something beautiful to look at for a few minutes each day.
A big thank you to Sarah for sharing her love of floristry so eloquently. Join us next week where I am will be sharing my 5 Question interview with Brigitte Girling of Moss and Stone.
Simply By Arrangement
https://www.simplybyarrangement.co.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/simplybyarrangement/