Something I wish I learned in the early years of my career is that style develops over time. You can’t force it.

All successful creative business owners have gone through the process of developing their own style. It takes building a foundation, looking at inspiration, and then making it your own. Overall, it takes time, but learning these steps can help you bypass long periods of comparison and deliver a product with a style that’s all you!

Build a Foundation

I started my floral design career when I was twenty-four, fifteen years ago, when I worked for a well-known floral designer in Boston, Orly Khon. Eventually taking on my own clients under Orly’s guidance, I learned many fundamentals of floral design through her expert eyes and direction. At that time, I didn’t know what my own style was, but I was slowly learning about what I was attracted to, some basic principles, and options for adding my own flair.

When building the foundation of your style, pay attention to the ways different elements strike you. From colors and shapes to more general aesthetics and approaches, take note of how it lands with you, how it inspires and keeps coming into your mind. I remember certain moments in those early days—the firsts. Like the first time I smelled the intoxicating peppery fragrance from a single stem of stock flower; getting lost in the vibrant color and patterns of an orange dahlia; and studying the freckles on a foxglove. Let these moments become precious to you, because I promise they will become part of your own personal style inventory!

Read the rest of this post at https://madefloral.substack.com/p/developing-style-in-creative-business