As a former florist and currently in a little hiatus from flowers, I still find myself coming back to Basapuspa from time to time.

For eight years, I was the founder and florist behind Basapuspa, a flower studio I started simply because I loved flowers and the idea of turning them into something meaningful. I wanted to create arrangements that were not just beautiful, but also carried a little story; something personal, thoughtful, and made especially for the person receiving them.

There are so many arrangements I made throughout those years, but this one remains one of my favourites from Basapuspa. Perhaps because, beyond the flowers themselves, it reminds me of a time when arranging flowers was one of the ways I learned to tell stories.

Classis arrangement are lovely. But customized contemporary one is more challenging. Mix media arrangement is one that i want to keep attached with my personal style, following what story that the flower wants to tell.

I also made painted arrangements for multiple occasions. But this one’s my favorite.

Handbouquets for special occasions. Oh how I miss bringing something beautiful to one’s wedding day!

I’ve read this sentence multiple times: “If money didn’t matter, I’d want to be a florist.”

Being a florist is a dream for many people. It’s beautiful, fun, and romantic to imagine having a little flower shop on the corner of the city, working with flowers every day. I’ve lived someone else’s dream.

But basically, money does matter for florists too. We need to keep things going, especially when there are other people depending on the business such like other florists, technicians, suppliers, and all the other people who make a small business work.

When I was still (chronically) active, being a florist was actually good money. The idea of having a small flower business, connecting with other florists, going to flower markets, and keeping up with trends was exciting. I loved that part of it.

But somehow, I feel like I can no longer bear the current market situation, especially in Bandung. There are so many (interesting) florists out there, and many of us are competing on quantity and on who can offer the cheapest price. We even end up having our own little perang harga with the suppliers.

Call me a coward, but apparently, I just need some time to look back at what I really love about arranging flowers. I love bringing stories through flower arrangements. I love the business, too. But I miss the feeling of telling stories, rather than simply making flowers commercially. I still remember the first time I made Basapuspa because one of my friend, Kak Deye, said that Basapuspa means Bahasa and Puspa (bunga). So technically, Basapuspa will deliver stories through the arrangements.

I don’t want to complain here. I just want to archive some of my favorite pieces from my life as a former florist. I love all of them. To be precise, I really do. So, I’m taking some time off to figure out what I want to do with Basapuspa.

Money still matters. It always will.

But sometimes, when you do something only for the money and slowly forget what you loved about it in the first place, it starts to feel empty. And somehow, the arrangements you create don’t feel as special anymore. I feel really sorry for the customers for giving an empty stories even though they loveeeed the arragement.

As Chris Gardner said in The Pursuit of Happyness, “I think people are realizing that a life spent just accumulating wealth is a pretty hollow life… You want to do something that makes a difference. You want to feel like you matter.”

That’s what I’ve been thinking about lately.

I want Basapuspa to matter. Again.

Let’s see where it goes.

Anya