Learning Flower Appeal Through Funeral Decorations
Floral Design Course：Haga Satsuki(Instructor: Yoshida Kumiko)
1. Introductions
When I worked at the internship company where I received the job offer, I found that I
lacked knowledge on how to handle flowers, that I had not mastered the techniques, andthat I lacked communication skills. Therefore, with the aim of overcoming these issues, I
decided to work on flower offerings and flower altars. For the flower altar, I decided to takeup the recently popular small funerals, and family funerals, which are increasing in demand
due to the COVID-19 pandemic and asked Associate Professor Maeda to be a tentativeclient to create an altar for a living funeral. The purpose of the project was to develop
communication skills through meetings, planning skills through design, and technical skills
and knowledge of flowers through production.
2. Method of Production
I made the theme "A Dragon Rising to Heaven from theSea," and the key words were "Chunichi Dragons, "Dragon,"and "Sea."
The following steps were taken to create the altar andimplemented 4 times.
Meeting → Design drawing → Meeting again → Survey

Figure-1 Design Drawing

the market for flower materials → Change the design (Fig. 1) →Procure flower materials at the market → Prototype making → Final meeting → Production(feedback from the client, guidance from the instructor → improvement)
The design was created by setting the upper part as the sky, a dragon in the center, andwaves and the sea in the lower part.
3. Summary
After having experienced everything from planning to production, I found it most difficult
how to create an altar close to the client's needs. To that end, I thought it was important tobe able to elicit as many and as detailed requests as possible through communication
during meetings. Through this experience, I was able to learn how to respond, tips forpresentations, and the flow of meetings. During the meeting, I found that I had no idea whatflowers were available at what time of year, and that I lacked experience, knowledge, andthe ability to make suggestions. Therefore, I strongly felt that I should keep learning morefrom now on.
The instructor repeatedly pointed out that I should "stand back and look at the wholepicture" and "the flowers are not facing the front" for both flower offerings and flower altars.

By looking at the whole picture, I could notice which flowers are not facing the front, so I
would like to make it a habit to look at the whole picture.
The most important thing I learned through the production was that "the actual
performance happens only once.” Since this was a graduation project, I created the altar
repeatedly for the same client, but at a funeral service company, they can only create it
once within a limited amount of time. Since my technical skills will be tested even more, I
would like to again remind myself that "the actual performance happens only once," and I
am determined to produce an altar that will please the client with a sense of earnestness
at the company I will work for.
Hereinafter, I will write using C=client, Y=instructor in charge, and M=my impressions.
(Prototype) Production time: about 12 hours
Y・M: The dragon does not stand out.
→ Insert the blue flowers in the dragon at a lower
height to make the line of green mums
(Chrysanthemum) stand out.
Y: The sea and sky parts are not expansive enoughand the "oasis" (water absorbent sponge) isvisible.
→ Insert the flowers not only on the top of the"oasis" but also on the sides.
(Production 1) Production time: about 7 hours
C・Y: The sea part is asymmetrical.
→ To make it symmetrical, insert them neatly sothat it looks more symmetrical. As it was difficult
to insert them symmetrically, I intentionallymade an asymmetrical design.
Y: The dragon's tail and the sea are the same leatherleaf fern, which does not show creativity.
→ The color should be a different green toemphasize the tail.
(Production 2) Production time: about 5.5 hours
C・Y・M: Although the production time has beenshortened, the work was a bit rough. (Somegerbera petals were missing, and some flowers
were not facing the front).
→ The work should be done more carefullyand quickly, and the final check should bemade more thoroughly.

(Production 3) Production time: about 7 hours and 15minutes
C・Y: Unevenness and irregularity in the dragon arevisible.
→ When the mums were inserted from the top,
there were not enough of them at the bottom.
To hide the irregularity, we need to make it
more uneven.
C: To make the dragon more powerful, I would like to
see the center of the dragon raised to give it amore three-dimensional appearance.
(Production 4) Production time: about 6 hours and 50
minutes
C: The dragon has a three-dimensional feel, and theoverall effect is very dynamic, as if you can hear thesound of ocean waves.
Y:

Overall, the feel of the Chunichi Dragons hasdisappeared.
→ It could be expressed by just placing a baseballor something.

M: I was happy that the image of "A Dragon Rising toHeaven from the Sea" was properly conveyed fromhearing the opinions of those who saw the altar aswell.