WELLBEING · LIVERPOOL WOMEN’S · WORKSHOP
Liverpool Women’s Hospital
I partnered with Liverpool Women’s Hospital to deliver a mindful floristry workshop for people supported by the Honeysuckle service.
The idea was simple: create a calm, welcoming space, put beautiful seasonal flowers on the table, and give people permission to slow down, make something and see where the process takes them.
Mindful floristry workshop · Honeysuckle service · Liverpool
In the room
Ikebana-inspired arrangements, made slowly.
Mindful floristry
Mindful floristry brings together elements of ikebana, Zen philosophy, Western floral design and hands-on creative practice.
Rather than beginning with an idea of what an arrangement should look like, I encourage people to notice what they’re drawn to.
A particular stem.
An unusual curve.
A colour, texture or shape.
There is no perfect arrangement to recreate. The flowers become a way of paying attention to what is immediately in front of you and, perhaps, to what is happening within you too.
Making space
The session began with an introduction to mindful floristry and the principles of ikebana, followed by a simple demonstration. From there, everyone created their own arrangement using flowers and natural materials, with guidance available when it was wanted and plenty of space to simply explore.
For a little while, there was nothing that needed to be achieved or solved. Just stems to choose, shapes to notice and flowers to play with.
Because wellbeing doesn’t always need to look like wellbeing. Sometimes it can just look like sitting around a table making something beautiful.
Something to take with you
At the end of the workshop, participants wrapped their arrangements to take home, alongside their bowl, flower frog and floristry scissors.
The workshop wasn’t intended to be a one-off encounter with flowers, but an introduction to a simple creative practice that could be returned to again.
A bowl. A few stems. A little time.
Sometimes that’s enough to make a bit more room in the day.
Where this connects
More like this, and how to bring it to your own group.
WORKSHOPS
The same session, for your team, group or care setting.
EXPERIENCES
Everything I run that’s hands-on and slow.
MORE WORK
Gardens, flowers and the occasional prize-winning orchid.