Interview Conducted by: Louisa Lam AIFD
Name: Chao Pui Wa, Cindy Chao AIFD
Hometown & Country: Macau, China
Current Floral Job:
Education: Pui Wa Floral Design School
Design: Valentine Flower Shop
Why did you go into the Floral Industry?
When I was young, I was dumbfounded when I was questioned by several flower lovers sadly – ‘Why do you cut off the beautiful flowers without hesitation?’ Maybe some of you think that killing a flower’s life for earning money is no different from seeking wealth and murdering one’s life. Yet, now I will answer with a smile – the life of a flower is very short, and it only takes three to five days to wither and bloom on the branch. Hence, as a florist, I vivid flowers’ life and let them have a more splendid life.
In the beginning of being a florist, floral design is undoubtedly one of the ways for me to make a living. More importantly, the beauty of flowers made me unable to stop doing flower arrangements and finally made me a florist as a lifelong career. Another advantage of being a florist is that I can use flowers as a medium to have pleasant communication and connection with a stranger at any time, yet other professionals may not be able to do the same thing.
In Asia, the pace of life is very fast and people unconsciously make themselves tense. In recent years, there has been a new topic called “Flower Healing”, which uses flower arrangements to relieve people’s pressure so that the heart can be fully rested.
Except for designing floral art, I also give lessons on creative flower arrangements every week. I am grateful that my students enjoy the lessons a lot, and their stress and anxiety can be relieved through the joy of doing floral art. Moreover, I don’t think people who love flowers should be a florist, but I hope they can enjoy the process of arranging flowers. Last but not least, why do I enter the world of flowers? Is it just for making a profit? Of course not, floral designs and flower arrangements are being used to heal myself, enrich my inner world and my family’s lives. I believe flowers will bloom the most dazzling brilliance under my care.
Why did you become an AIFD® member?
I have been working as a florist since 1980. At first, being a florist was just made for living, then I gradually fell in love working with flowers. The exquisite principles contained in floral design really fascinate me, and I enjoy the process of learning as it shows me a wider world. During my study journey, I learned about the organization AIFD from various platforms and places, I deeply yearned to become a member of it. For me, AIFD represents a professional and important identity as a florist. As a lifelong professional, I desperately wanted to be recognized by this industry, so AIFD is a shortcut to achieve my one of my lifelong goals.
In 1996, I successfully passed the exam and became an AIFD member. To be honest, it is far more than a professional identity since It updated my understanding of this career, and gained me a lot of good friends in this area. In AIFD, I saw the possibility for developing florist industry. Besides, floral design is not only a commodity, it can also become a work of art displaying in museums, or shining on the stage. Florists can be called as artists, and floral art is one of the effective ways we communicate with the world. To sum up, AIFD has brought me a deeper understanding of the floral industry, and it has also given me a sense of honor as a floral artist.
What are your plans for flowers in 2023? Goals? Inspirations?
My career was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which hindered to a certain extent, especially floral education. In order to comply with the epidemic prevention and control policy in Macau, our school adjusted the teaching plans and accept the requests to any suspension of classes. The COVID epidemic gradually came to the end in 2023, my career can finally “start” again.
In Chinese there is a word “zhefu” means torpor. It refers to the animals like insects hibernating without eating or moving, waiting for the arrival of spring. Hibernation is not avoidance. It is accumulating energy and wait to fly again. The period of the epidemic is a process of accumulating energy and self-adjustment to me. My shop and school have been rearranged the hardwares and softwares; classrooms were renovated, and the teaching environment has been improved. Furthermore, I modified teaching materials and lesson plans, and analysised of teaching quality with my team. In addition, I finally have time to think about the deficiencies of our teaching and services, and make some reasonable improvements. This year, the world restarts; my team and my teaching qualities have been improved. Besides, my school Pui Wa Flower Design School will provide the students a better environment, image of advanced professional skills, knowledge and colorful image. This year, we will continue to carry out the AIFD designer training courses, which has been interrupted in the previous three years. I believe there will be more and more young people follow my floral design path, participate in the huge and colorful florist world and enjoy AIFD brings them a sense of honor.
