Annick Mertens' Floral Workshop Adventure

Annick Mertens is one of the inspirational Fleur Créatif designers we’ve teamed up with on our Autumn Workshop Adventure. We asked her to tell us how she got started and why workshops are so important to her practice.

ECT: How did your career in floristry begin?

AM: I wanted to be a garden architect, but my parents saw more future in a degree in agriculture and agribusiness so that's what I did. However, while I was studying, I worked for a florist at the weekends and that's where my passion for flowers began. The philosophy between the two art-forms is actually quite similar; in both cases artistic creations are made using natural materials. The only difference is that gardens last longer than flower arrangements. 

ECT: What three words best sum up your work?

AM: Female, romantic, natural

ECT: Workshops form a large part of your business – why is that?

AM: I really enjoy meeting other people who share my passion for flowers and I love it when people visit my rose field – as they walk through the field picking flowers and branches to use in their displays, they feel like children in a sweet shop.

ECT: And what do you hope your students learn from your workshops?

AM: Well I do teach lots of technical tricks and tips, but the most important message I want to pass on is that people should feel the flowers with all their senses. My workshops are also a time to for people to unwind surrounded by beautiful flowers, laugh together, work together and finally return home with a feeling of deep satisfaction.