The EMC Go Live Experience

Integrating the Benefits of Digital Education

EMC Go Live when recordings become the Experience itself, with Ana Maria Grigoras

When I heard about the EMC GO Live Event, I was jumping of joy! Finally, something big and interesting was coming my way and I could de-freeze from the numbness that surrounded me in the last period. I miss live courses, I miss the interaction with people, floral events and getting together with my colleagues and teachers. The last period was a tough one for everybody in terms of nearness, but flower people are creative and we found ways to connect and to be near even if we are miles and miles apart.

This event was just like a light that I was seeing at the end of the tunnel. I marked my calendar and waited patiently for it to take place, but something happened and I couldn’t take part at the live event!!! Imagine... I was waiting so long for this and paradoxically I couldn’t be in... I was sad about it... I felt that I was losing all the fun and interaction, all the great energy from those people that I couldn’t wait to meet and learn from.

After a few days, things calmed down and I was able to get a cup of coffee and listen to the recordings at my own pace, which is a great benefit of working digitally, I have to say. It was my moment with me, where I was in contact with my inner wishes, my passion and my need to grow and evolve.

The first video of Tomas was like a strong coffee or like an energiser. He managed to transmit so much good energy and so much passion, that I felt empowered. I suddenly felt the need to get up a just do something about what I love to do, and that is working with flowers and learning about them. This was the best example for me that emotion can break the screen barrier and can move people’s souls and feelings if the right connection is created by sharing the same goals, passions and points of view.

Step by step I was more and more captivated about what I was listening to. Lots of new things started to pop up and I paused and started the videos again, and again as if I wanted to imprint in my mind those words... I listened to the struggles that other creatives faced during these hard times in the pandemic, and I felt empathy because at the end of the day, no matter in which sector of the floral industry we are, we all faced the same fears and mixed feelings... we all had to figure out ways to keep going and to continue doing what we love.

At that moment I didn’t felt alone anymore. I truly felt that I am part of a community that I was identifying myself with. I was amongst my people... the ones that spoke my language and the ones that were going through the same things I was. I realised that no matter what level we are at, it has no importance when it comes to global issues like the one that we are facing, because the human mind and soul faces the same fears and emotions. The EMC Go Live event was like a roller coaster, bringing me from the moments when I was inspired, to the moments I was emphatic and a little sad, to the moments I was happy and laughing, and most of all, to the moments that made me reflect to certain things or get in to action, like in demonstrations. I literally took materials and started to work, trying to practice a certain technique, trying to see if what I have already learned matches what the demonstrators were teaching, if there are ways to create things different. This made me un-freeze. It made me wonder about possibilities, about new designs that could be me made upon what the demonstrators showed, it made me exclaim: ‚’’WOW! How clever! I never thought about it!’’, it made me feel alive and present, even if I was just listening to the recordings.

I enjoyed each and every session, but I must admit that I had also one favorite. The one that I was waiting for the most... the session with Jan van Doesburg, Tomas de Bruyne, Frédéric Dupré and Daniel Santamaria. I absorbed every word they said, I wrote down notes and I was soo, so inspired by the way they are seeing things at such a high level. It was all so profound for me, beyond design, beyond technics and the ‘’how to do it’’ part. It was all about the ’’WHY’’. It was all about a new way of thinking, a growth mindset that I immediately wanted to adopt in my life, because seeing such big designers at one round table sharing such great insight, only made me wonder what can I borrow from what they are thinking and doing in order to become better. I felt as I was looking at a pot full of gold and I had the chance to take from there some gold nuggets for myself!! Their discussion made me think that excellence can be achieved with the right mindset, but also with a strong foundation. There can’t be ’’advanced’’ without mastering the basic, and, as Frederic beautifully said: ’’You have to learn the rules like a professional in order to be able to break them like an artist’’.

Their conversation made me think, as I am in my first years of career, that maybe as many other florists that are at the beginning of their floral journey, we always want to make big, amazing and out of the ordinary designs in order to show the world our talent, but is it really only about this? What Daniel said about taking things one at the time and step by step accumulating knowledge and experience and then look after the ‘’unseen’’, made me think that this approach would put an end to many personal struggles, as long as you know your goal and you get through the process of becoming better with perseverance. It made me think that the thing that is lacking in most cases is patience... because as Tomas said our society is very much ’’based on the outcome’’, and for that reason, many of us are fooled in burning steps from our beautiful journey, in rushing and in wanting to become overnight what others have become after almost a life of working in this profession. However, this process can be slower in some cases and faster in others, but in my opinion, what is really important is that we remain true to ourselves and dare to be free in expressing our vision.