Teaching Sympathy Design with Smithers-Oasis
By Ace Berry AIFD, PFCI, CFD, TMF — Ace in Full Bloom
It hit me the second I stepped off the plane in North Dakota:
The instant regret thinking that sneakers could handle 20 degrees and wind that could bend a flagpole.
Teaching and traveling feed me, but combining them? That’s purpose. That’s getting to share my love for flowers with people who speak the same language.
North Dakota, you didn’t disappoint.
You showed up hungry to work, hungry to learn, and hungry to talk about what really matters — the why behind what we create.
The Heartbeat of Sympathy Work
Sympathy design isn’t about being trendy or reinventing the wheel. You are creating something for someone whose world has just been flipped upside down. It’s a privilege. It’s no small thing.
It’s mechanics and skill, but that’s only half of it. The rest is heart — the kind you sharpen at 2 a.m., over your table, creating something you hope helps a family breathe through the kind of loss words can’t describe.
That’s why I teach it. Not for a perfect design — for the meaning they hold.
North Dakota — You Showed Up
Let’s talk about these designers for a second.
Sharp eyes, quick hands, zero ego.
They ate up color theory, mechanics, storytelling, and didn’t hesitate when I pushed them to stretch outside their comfort zones.
That’s what separates good from great: the eagerness to get uncomfortable.
We laughed and learned while we designed (and broke a few stems along the way), but every mistake turned into a lesson, and every design had something honest beating at its core.
That’s what this industry needs more of — florists who design with guts and intention, not just aesthetics.
Florists are a rare breed — we’re builders, problem solvers, storytellers. We make emotion tangible. And when things fall apart — whether it’s a flower or a moment — we rebuild.
That’s the job. That’s the art.
Gratitude Where It’s Due
North Dakota, you impressed me. Your warmth matched your work ethic (and that’s saying something in a place where warmth’s hard to come by).
Thank you for showing up, asking hard questions, and creating work with soul.
Thank you to Smithers-Oasis for backing programs that actually teach something real.
Thank you to every florist out there chasing better. When you choose this craft, you’re choosing a lifetime of learning.
That’s floristry, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Peace,
Ace
Ace in Full Bloom
@aceinfullbloom