Ethical Florist

Name:

Lauren Craig

Location:

London

Company/College:

Thinking Flowers

• Tell us about your job – where do you work and what do you do?

  As the founder and director of Thinking Flowers, I determine and provide the creative direction to the company.  This involves coming up with new concepts and services, whilst at the same time designing client delivery and aftercare services.
  Our new shop in Brixton Village means that I also have to manage a team of interns.
  

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• What inspired you to do what you do?  How did you get into it, did you have a plan?

  Prior to starting Thinking Flowers, I actually explored photography and image-making; I used it as a kind of healing tool for troubles in my own life and the lives of others.  I studied Marketing & Advertising, then decided I wanted to learn a trade that I could take global.  I fell in love with flowers, realising that they, too, could be used as a healing tool – and that they were a product that a lot of people wanted to buy!  I soon learnt that there are a lot of unethical practices in the industry, and I wanted to change that.  I had my first client in 2003 but didn’t have a real plan until 2005, when I began to incubate ideas as a result of doing my masters degree in Enterprise & Management for Creative Arts.

• Why is your job meaningful?  Both to you personally, and in how it benefits the wider world in terms of climate change and other environmental challenges.

  On a personal level, I think it’s a gift to be able to work with what I love; it’s rewarding to be able to create products from my passion.  I enjoy being able to offer people the benefit of my knowledge and share my experiences with them.  My company gives me the chance to raise awareness of flowers and their deeper healing ability – both as plants and the emotional lift they can provide.
  In terms of the wider world, flowers remind us of how beautiful the earth is, and my job forms part of a living cycle because the ‘product’ can be composted and returned to the earth.  Unlike a lot of large flower companies, we are very close to being 100% sustainable throughout our entire supply chain.
  We support local (British) flower farmers and encourage them to move towards more sustainable agriculture.  We use ethical farms - meaning farms that don’t infringe human rights, working rights or planetary rights.
  

• Many jobs in this sector are very new, how long has your job existed?

  The company, and hence my job, is now 7 years old.

• What personal qualities do you think have got you where you are today?

  A positive attitude – one person’s waste is another person’s pot of gold.
  The ability to look for future trends, a determination to succeed, passion for what I do - and hard work!

• What are the essential skills for your job?

  •  Sensitivity – both to client situations and the flowers themselves (it’s important to use them
      in the best way possible).
  •  Future thinking – looking at how the world is changing, and predicting needs for the future.
  •  Receptivity – being open to new learning experiences.
  •  Physical fitness – there’s quite a bit of heavy lifting.

• What qualifications do you have? Are these typical for people in your role?

  •  GCSEs - Business Studies and Geography
  •  A-levels – English Literature, Media Studies and Psychology
  •  BA in Marketing & Advertising
  •  City & Guilds course in Photography
  •  Access course in Floral Design
  •  Diploma in Floral Design
  •  Post Graduate Certificate in Floral Design & Enterprise
  •  MA in Enterprise & Management for Creative Arts
  
  I also qualified as a Flower Essence Therapist, a Business Mentor and Action Learning Set Facilitator.
  My personal belief is that people should just do what they’re good at – and not feel that they need a formal education.
  

• What do you think most helped you get where you are now?

  As a creative person, I work 24/7.  If I wake up with an idea at 4am, I have to get up and write it down!
  With the flower markets opening at 2am, I often get up early and visit them before heading into the shop for 10am.  However, if we need to have flower arrangements ready to go out to customers first thing, I'll arrive earlier.  Normally I’m kept busy for the rest of the day, with orders and customers in the shop, until I leave at 6pm.
  

• What do you enjoy most and least about what you do?

  I really enjoy the sense of connection that I create between people and flowers.
  I dislike the early starts and very short weekends.
  

• What kind of people do you meet through your work or do you work alone?

  Since flowers are used for so many different occasions, I get to meet a huge range of different customers from very diverse backgrounds.

• Do you feel well paid for what you do, or is it not about the money?

  Fortunately, it’s not all about the money!  Plus, it depends on what you mean by payment – working towards replenishing the earth is a kind of payment in my eyes.  That said, it is important to ensure that you’re paid well for your creativity; creativity is a high value currency.
  It's a matter of time and patience too – I know the financial rewards will come after I have built my business up.

• Finally, what do you know now about jobs, careers and the future that you wish you’d known when you were at school?

  The importance of doing what you love.
  To follow your intuition, and that business knowledge can be taught; the reason I pursued so much formal education was that I knew I was creative and I felt that I'd be good at business.