Introduction
Note: I started out writing this post with the intention of using it in full, as a single introduction post for my floral-specific Instagram account @flowersbythemoon (FBTM). Clearly, the format was not going to fit within 20 carousel slides. So now I'll also be hosting my floral design journal here on this blog, like a text companion alongside Instagram which would be more visual-driven.
With FBTM, I've set different parameters for writing within this pillar as the primary focus is on the actual making and learning with flowers: casual in-the-moment capturing of thoughts, some tidying up of words for coherence. No over-thinking/polishing. If you're ever curious about how I free-write unfiltered in the private pages of my journalling notebook, many of the casual entries would be most similar to this flavour, before any editing process.
I am learning the medium of floral design. To explore, experiment, and create with flowers and plants — working with as many natural materials as possible.
When I was first drawn to exploring the path of flowers in September 2025, I didn't know that floral design was a thing. I was only vaguely aware of Ikebana and commercial retail floristry. So I followed each breadcrumb that appeared after every new thought and possibilities I started seeing in my world: an Instagram post, an ad, remembering old acquaintances who became florists over the past decade, new studios and profiles that were categorised as Floral Artist / Educator / Designer. The horizon started opening up, stretching far beyond what I initially knew about floristry.
Even though I’m not new to the broad world of design, it still humbles me to see the diverse types of disciplines within its spectrum. In my past lives, I’ve practiced User Experience (UX) Design, Web Design, the Human Design System, and if I may add, spent hours of joy playing design-related games and watching design shows growing up (still do during long-haul flights). The biggest aspect of design in my life is the ever iterative, ongoing journey of designing my most fulfilling life. And yet, none of those involved working with something tangible and alive in my hands.
I’ve always wanted to create by hand but until now, I hadn’t found the right medium that felt like a right fit for me, to invest my full self in. That made me believe for a long time that maybe I was meant to only work and create digitally. So to have ‘stumbled’ rather clumsily into floristry has been a huge change to how I typically work and create, but one that I fully embrace and welcome into my life.
In December 2025, I made the decision to fully commit to this path of flowers and plants. I specifically mention plants because the mainstream misconception about floristry (which I also used to have) is that flowers are the main character - always. When I started to notice the overwhelming visual overload of only colourful flowers being used for wedding celebrations, something at its core experience didn't sit right with me. Something felt missing. And the more I explored different portfolios, it clicked in that I am all for both flowers and plants, and that 'secret third thing' (which could be things like fresh produce).
As I got to experience workshops and courses across different levels, meet different people who love working with and being around flowers, assist for an event setup even without any experience at all (at that time I had not attended any basic beginner course), I’ve since come to a clearer understanding that the path of floristry is what one makes of it. For me right now, it’s about learning to work with a new set of ‘tools’ and creative process on a whole new level, all while staying open to witnessing and listening to what Nature reveals.
"Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible. Life itself is possible." ― Thich Nhat Hanh, No Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom for Life
I once read (unfortunately I don’t recall exactly from where) that flowers are already dying the moment they are cut and harvested, and we can only slow the rate of their decay. Somehow, that matter-of-fact simple sentence impacted me profoundly. I was right at the very beginning of my new beginning, concerned about handling flowers because it did sometimes feel like such a pity that I might screw up by cutting the stem too short or break a bud while struggling with the mechanics of an arrangement.
We are like cut flowers too. The moment we left our mothers’ wombs, our bodies in essence have already begun its journey toward death as it continuously age, only that unlike flowers, we have no way of knowing how long each of us has here in this existence. What matters is how we treat it, work together with it, and what we make of it. It is human to fail, make mistakes, but and also it’s within our human potential to transcend that by learning from our mis-takes (as my previous mentor would call it: take one, take two and so on), and still be respectful and responsible humans while learning not to take ourselves too seriously.
In this form of working with Nature, be it in my solitude or with others, I am not only learning about the materials I get to work with and the people I get to meet, I am also learning more in-depth about myself, and the deeper rhythms of Life. It is truly one of the best ways I connect with inner wisdom and something larger than myself. Working with impermanence in this way aligns with how I move through the cycles of time; life, growth, death, and rebirth. This is how I came to deciding on the name, Flowers By The Moon.
Lunar gardening is rooted in agricultural traditions and some ancient civilisations, and is still practiced today. Likewise, I am experimenting with structuring my learning along the cyclical nature of the Moon — observing how my energy and creative focus shift through different phases.
I stopped using social media in December 2025, but now I feel the call back to utilising it as a container to learning in public. As I rebuild a more intentional relationship with social media and the online world, I’ve decided what Flowers By The Moon will be for, at this stage:
💌 A floral design journal;
💭 Field notes from experiential learning, experiments, and mistakes;
🪸 A collection of plant, flower, and nature-inspired references;
🧩 Frameworks and principles shaping how I practice.
A living portfolio of my entire journey — the highlights, mess, and all.
The recurring advice I’ve gratefully received from some professionals I’ve met is to keep practicing a lot, grow with confidence over time, and trust the process of it all. That is what I'm focusing on as a start. (Simple… Though not quite easy especially when I don’t keep my Mind in check or am not well in-tune with my Body!)
Welcome to my forever-a-work-in-progress tiny corner for slow, intentional, gentle creating. If you’ve ever felt the nudge to start something before you fully understand it; if you feel drawn to flowers, plants, or the quiet wisdom of Nature, you’ll probably understand this space. I’m glad you’re here. Thank you for being here at this beginning.