Branching out

Hello. I thought I’d start this blog by introducing myself and sharing a little bit about my story so far. My name is Chantal, and after 12 years of working in the industry, I    finally took the plunge last summer and decided to branch out (ahem) on my own and launched Twiggy Thistle. 

 I first came to floristry after a lot of soul searching. It was a combination of being fed up with the humdrum 9-5 job I’d fallen into after Uni and turning 30, that got me thinking there must be more to life. Part of the problem was that like many people     going through a bit of a mid life crisis, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, just that I wasn’t enjoying my work and I felt I wasn’t being true to myself. 

So I started the only way I knew how. I made a list, brainstormed and spider-graphed the hell out of my hopes and dreams. I came up with a few goals. The words creativity, flexibility, autonomy, and authenticity kept cropping up. I’d always felt that I was      creative in some way, but I just hadn’t really found my thing. I’d enjoyed photography and art at school, and gone on to study Design History at Uni - which fascinated me and still does - but I wanted to so something more hands on.   

Whilst daydreaming about what I could do, I went out with my camera for walks in the parks and countryside around Preston. I realised how much nature inspired and         refreshed me, and wondered how I could incorporate that into my work. I’d never really had a garden to speak of, but had always enjoyed buying flowers from the local       market and foraging for branches to display in cheery vases around my little flat. 

That’s when I had my eureka moment and decided to enrol on a floristry course at the agricultural college just out of town. Soon after, I landed my first job as a florist in a busy family-run business. I never looked back. I’ve learnt something different from every shop I’ve worked in along the way, and its been a pleasure and a privilege to have worked with some really talented florists, who have generously shared their knowledge and experience. 

Ambitious and plucky from the off, I’ve always had confidence in my own taste and style, valued quality products and presentation, and pushed back against the tide of traditional styles and rules of floristry. I was once told never to use more than 3 types of flowers in a bouquet, and that the stems of bouquets should be completely covered – but to that I say, “pah”! 

Finally the natural style that I love is becoming more popular. There seems to be a move towards using more foliage and texture, more brides are now asking for natural just picked bunches and wild whimsical wedding bouquets. For me though, this        approach is not a trend thing. It’s always been about using fresh, seasonal flowers and arranging them beautifully, simply and naturally.