Simply inspired, by the painterly colours of a Borlotti-style red pea pod, Yan Ping’s wedding masterclass final project is suffused with dappled ruby tones tinged with translucence and delicate notes of forget-me-not blues.
We asked her to share some details regarding her course at the ZE Flower Academy, her future path in floristry and the essence of her creativity. Yan Ping chose the 4-week career course combined with a wedding masterclass.
Did you have a special reason for choosing Zita as your teacher?
“As Shilbe is a fellow Singaporean florist, I follow her on Instagram and am inspired by her work. I saw her raving about Zita, which led me to explore Zita’s Instagram and webpage. Zita’s style is so unique and different from other florists, I am drawn to her aesthetics and intrigued by this award-winning florist. I get the sense that it will be a more personal learning experience versus other floral schools, and that really appealed to me as well.”
Did you have a special reason to choose this class?
“I have just retired from my banking career and am considering floristry as a possible next career (I have been a floral hobbyist for 1 year+), hence I signed up for the career course. I later found out from Shilbe that she topped up with the wedding masterclass during her 4-week career course with Zita in 2019, and highly recommended this. After consulting with Zita, I decided to do the same to get the most out of my time here and push myself to see what I can achieve!”
Can you tell us how and why you chose the name for your final project?
“The grain of tolerance – these words were next to the red pea pod image that inspired the project, although I can’t say why they were used to describe it. Rather abstract for me!”
What colours did you select for the project and did you have a special reason for this choice?
“Burgundy, red, purple, magenta, grey, blue. They were inspired by the photo of a red pea pod which while simple and tonal, evoked contrasting emotions, and these colours to me, portray those emotions.”
Did you want to share a special mood?
“Contrasting emotions of bold, strong, deep, intense versus soft, light, translucent, tender.”
Which flowers did you choose why?
“Omg so many! To name some: roses, spray roses, ranunculus, tulips, freesia, lilac, scabiosa, astilbe, skimmia, anemone, clematis, forget-me-not, hellebore, cymbidium etc. The choice of flowers was mainly driven by the colours which I selected to convey the feelings/mood for this project.”
What was your personal highlight in respect of the class?
“The last week of the career course, which was also the wedding masterclass for me, when we started our conceptualisation from a single image, and turning that into a full-blown wedding set-up on the final day. Honestly I wasn’t sure if I could pull it off, but I put my faith in Zita and let her lead me through the process, and the result was beyond anything I could imagine.”
What do you feel that completing the course has given you for the future?
“Zita has taught me the skills and techniques covering most of the floristry work I need to do as a florist. On top of that, she has given me a whole new perspective that shapes the way I think and plan for any work in and outside floristry. I finished the 4 weeks with a lot more confidence in myself and my work. Prior to the course, I often feel like an imposter in the industry.”
What are your future plans in the world of flowers?
“Now that I have retired from my full-time banking job, I have the capacity to explore floristry as my new full-time career. However, I am still working on the business strategy, model and branding etc.
Anything else that you would like to add…
“I thoroughly enjoyed my 4 weeks at the academy, I wish it could have lasted even longer! It was really heart-warming to see how Zita’s family was involved in the business and the amazing hospitality that was extended to us. I am also so grateful to have met Fei, the other student on the course, who has such a different style from me but inspires me in so many ways.”
“Yan Ping has a wonderful aesthetic sense and made some beautifully refined choices in her design. We had a lovely journey together, from concept through to implementation and I feel sure that she will do very well in her new career. It will be a pleasure to see her flourish, she is a lovely girl and I wholeheartedly wish her all the success that she deserves.” Zita Elze, February 2022
You can follow Yan Ping’s progress via her Instagram account.
With thanks to Nadia Chin Creative for the wonderful stationery.
Photography © Carin Thakrar