Sylvia Cup Success w/ Michael Smith

"Don't be afraid to step out and educate yourself," says Michael Smith AIFD, AAF, PFCI, FDI, FSMD." Education is the key to success." 

Michael  is a retail florist  in Mariana, Florida and winner of the 54th annual Sylvia Cup design competition. He offers sage  advice  to people who would like to have the opportunity  to win a Sylvia Cup or other floral competition.

Participation in competitions or evaluations is one of the very best 'classes' you can ever attend, because you can learn so much when it's just you, the time clock, and the design table. Listen as Michael shares helpful tips for meeting that challenge with success. Learn to trust your talent!

How we Bloom podcast is an oasis of flower ideas. Hosts Sharon McGukin and Smithers-Oasis North America interview floral guests who dare to do things differently. We listen, learn, explore new opportunities and that's how we bloom!

Transcript

Sylvia Cup Success w/ Michael Smith

Host: Sharon McGukin AIFD, AAF, PFCI

Michael
[00:00:00] Don't be afraid to step out and educate yourself. Education is the key to success, and I am very thankful for my flower family.

Sharon
Welcome to How We Bloom, an oasis of flower ideas. I'm your host, Sharon McGukin AIFD, AAF, PFCI, and I believe that every great success story starts with one simple idea. That's why we interview those who dare to do things differently, inspiring people who plant seeds, grow ideas, and bloom to their full potential. In this podcast, we listen, learn, explore new opportunities, and that's How we Bloom. 

 [00:01:00] If you attended the 2023 Society of American Florist Convention in Phoenix, perhaps you had the opportunity to watch Michael Smith, AIFD, AAF, PFCI, FDI, FSMD win the 54th annual Sylvia Cup design competition.

Michael, a retail florist is the owner of Artistic Designs Unlimited in Mariana, Florida. He is President-Elect of Florida State Florist Association, AIFD, emerging Professionals Chairman, and along with his dedication to the floral industry, he's heavily involved in local community organizations. The Sylvia Cup competition is the longest running live floral design competition in the US. 

 It began in 1967 and was named [00:02:00] for Sylvia MacGuffog Valencia, who was a prominent designer of the time and an active SAF supporter. The 2023 Sylvia Cup competition organized by PFCI - Professional Floral Communicators International was sponsored by Smithers-Oasis North America, who provided prize money and hard goods and Certified American Growers, who provided fresh product that was introduced to the designers just 15 minutes ahead of the competition.

25 competitors were given exactly the same flowers, foliage, and design supplies in the two-hour time limit. The designers were asked to complete three designs based on a mystery theme that was announced 30 minutes before the competition. This year's surprise topic was the Wild, Wild West.

Three judges scored [00:03:00] each design based on design elements, principles, mechanics, execution, and creative application. The winner is determined by the highest combined score and awarded $3,000 and a coveted trophy. First runner up was awarded to Kelsey Thompson, AIFD, owner and head designer at Bloom Floral in Algon, Iowa, along with $500. Second runner-up went to Patience Pickner AAF, AIFD, PFCI owner and creative director of The Picket Fence in Chamberlain, South Dakota, along with $250. All three talented designers were recognized during the SAF Stars of the Industry Awards Dinner this year. 

Sylvia Cup winner Michael Smith, is with us today to share some insider tips [00:04:00] on how he accomplished this feat. This was not Michael's first rodeo. The experienced designer was also the 2002 Florida State Designer of the Year. Congratulations and welcome, Michael.

Michael
Thank you.

Sharon
So glad to talk to you. I was excited for you when I saw online that you pulled this off and you were the Sylvia Cup winner. That had to be exciting.

Michael
It was, it was a shock.

Sharon
Obviously, you're glad you joined the competition, but tell me what inspired you to do so initially.

Michael
I had competed last year and was driven this year to do it again, to beat what I did last year, to do better, to test myself.

Sharon
One person said to me competitions or evaluations are just the very best class you can ever attend because you learn so much and it's just you and the [00:05:00] design table, and that's a good place to learn.

Michael
It absolutely is, and you don't just learn from you and yourself. You also learn from all the other designers in the room because there was amazing, amazing work that was produced here in that competition this year, and some really great designers. It was just really neat to see what everybody created with the exact same product same materials that they were given.

Sharon
And are you always surprised at the fact that even though you are in essence competing against each other, it really feels like you're just competing against the time clock and all of the other designers become your peers and you kind of bond together? Because it's like you went through this struggle holding hands.

Michael
Before we started, we have orientation and when we get in there, everybody's running around the room, hugging and laughing and we're all saying, "Hey". And it's like, "Oh my God, it's good to see you again". There was a lot of really good energy in the room.

And when we're finished, we sit there and [00:06:00] cheer and clap because we all got done. Everybody finished. That's the biggest thing is to put yourself out there to compete is the challenge all on its own, because we all know that it's hard to sit there and put yourself out there to be evaluated or to be judged by somebody else.

Sharon
That really is, it takes a lot of confidence to do that and to be able to look at your finished product and evaluate it yourself. You have the instinct of this is good or this could be better, you initiate some process like that. Now, I want you to tell us about how they presented the materials that you were to use.

Obviously, they let you see them 15 minutes before and then that gave you time to organize that in your mind. And everyone has exactly the same thing. Everything is placed out on all of the tables in exactly the same way, and the flowers are in the buckets ready [00:07:00] for your use, and then they tell you the three designs you've got to do in just two hours.

For example, the Spirit of the West, a museum worthy floral art piece that captures the heritage of the Native Americans and the influences of Spanish, Mexican, and American cultures. Okay? You're standing at the table ready to go and they give you this topic, and at times it can be hard to focus and pull it all in and think, okay, what’s next? Right? 

Michael
It is, but they also gave us a design that they wanted. They gave us a topic on the designs that needed to be done for each topic. You had to kind of listen to those rules. We also had some materials that we were required use in our pieces, that they told us we must use them. It didn't matter in what arrangement we used, but we must use them in some form of our arrangements. [00:08:00]

Sharon
Did you find any challenge there, or was it all materials that you felt you would've chosen anyway?

Michael
Well, it was new products, of course, that Oasis has brought to the market. This year a lot of people found it challenging because we received no cold glue. received no floral tape. We received no floral wire. They minimalized our products. It was very interesting to see what people come up with those materials that we were provided with.

Sharon
Because very often they provide the materials that people are using increasingly at a given time. And you find that very often when you walk away from the competition, for example, then you start to notice, well, maybe people are using something else in place of this for a different design look.

Sometimes those competitions are on the leading edge of what people are choosing [00:09:00] to use. Back to Spirit of the West, what design did you do for that?

Michael
We were asked to create an all the way around vertical arrangement for a modern art museum, and I love vertical arrangements. I've gotten really infatuated with them lately and so I had come up with doing a standing all around, like a garden, but very clean and tailored look to it. We were required to use black Midnight foam and I love it. It's a fun, really great product that you can manipulate and change and alter. When you're competing, you have to really think about what's being asked. 

I enjoyed using the black Midnight foam because I actually altered it. You have to listen to the questions because somebody actually asked if we use [00:10:00] black Midnight foam, because we required, could it be visible? And the answer was yes, as long as it's used in a creative form, and it must be very obvious. 

Sharon
It has to become an element of the design.

Michael
Correct. I actually crushed it up with my fingers, pinching it off in little pieces make it look like dirt and rocks on top of the foam that we already had. I cut a piece to make a solid base with the element of the decoration on top of it, creating that parallel design. That was needed, and then actually tailoring everything to give it that creative flare to it, and keeping it very clean.

Sharon
You've said several times keeping it very clean. Don't you think that is a really important aspect when you're designing for competition, to keep it clean. because in a lot of ways, you're just trying not to [00:11:00] lose points on an evaluation sheet more so than you're trying to gain points on an evaluation sheet. Keeping it clean helps you not to lose those points for the designs that become congested.

Michael
Correct. And with taking classes and education and studying and working, I have learned that keeping not only keeping it clean, but keeping it simple, makes it where with an evaluator or a judge comes up to your table and makes it easier for them to evaluate it quickly and. You give them less product to have to judge you on or mark you down on it.

Sharon
Going into the competition, your plan was keep it clean and simple.

Okay, let's talk about Gold Rush, A monochromatic yellow wedding bouquet suitable for the wedding of a daughter of a wealthy gold miner. Have you ever made any gold miner's daughter's bouquets in the past? [00:12:00]

Michael
No, wish I would have, but no. and again, we were given some really neat materials in that one. They always tell you in competition, don't anything new, but they had this new product that was a gold wire mesh, and I was like, I really want to use it. And in that last 20 minutes, because my thought process was, I know what I want to do for one. For the second one, I'm not real sure about the bouquet, but I, can make it work if I just keep it clean and simple. Again, in my head - stick to my Principle and Elements of design that I've studied and learned, I can make it happen. I was able to use those new materials and pull it out.

Sharon
In a competition, confidence is everything. The third one was Dearly Departed, a sympathy tribute that features some representation of a cross and stands as a memorial tribute to those who did not make it [00:13:00] along the journey west. Where were you going with this one?

Michael
We had to include a cross in that piece, it did not matter if you created across and worked it into the design. Or, if the design was a cross. We were given a cross form. And, of course, I threw it under the table because I knew everybody would use it. We were required to use the new Oasis Event Saddlethat have come out. Once I've seen it, I knew that it would take a lot of material to cover it because of mechanics. I took a knife and put a hole in it and hung it on the easel and made a free formed cross out of it. Again, keeping it very clean and simple, and then using as Aspidistra leaves to cover all of my mechanics so that it, again, you hide everything and that design stands out even more.

Sharon
If you're [00:14:00] watching cooking shows on television that have competitions. They always comment that the person using a food element in an unexpected way gets the most points. Don't you think that's true in flower competitions too? Using the materials, whether it's the flowers or the hard goods in an unexpected way, usually captures more notice for a designer.

Do you agree?

Michael
Absolutely. It always gets you more points. It builds you because they want to see what we can take and do with those materials. How we can alter them and use them in other forms than what they were originally intended.

Sharon
I agree. Now, this was a really special night for you in more ways than just the competition, the Stars of the Industry night. What else happened for you at this particular event?

Michael
I actually received my AAF, which is the American Academy of Floriculture. [00:15:00] And I was also inducted for my PFCI, which is Professional Floral Communicators International.

Sharon
Isn't that exciting?

Michael
It is. It's a huge accomplishment. I have loved flowers since I was a little kid. Nobody in my family does flowers. I an absolute passion for it.

Sharon
And it's funny when you have that. No one in my family has ever worked in flowers either, and this is my 50th year, starting this month. It's my 50th year in flowers. And my family would always say, well, where did you get that? You are just born with a passion for it, and you have to follow that ‘petally’ path, don't you think?

Michael
Yeah, absolutely.

Sharon
Why do you think accreditation is important?

Michael
Accreditation is important in several ways. Number one, it allows you to [00:16:00] perfect your knowledge. It allows you to perfect your skills. I started my journey in 2019 classes in education. I had wanted to join AIFD when I was younger. I had heard about it and I was super excited and started working towards it, and I'm so proud that I have done it. It also helped me prepare for It. Actually, it broadened my background on knowledge. And then of course with my peers, it allows you to speak clearly and articulate about flowers.

Sharon
It grows you as a professional.

Michael
It does.

Sharon
I also think that it expands your network of people. It, it gives you experiences working with other people, competing, taking classes or teaching people. Gives you a new network of people that you wouldn't have had in your own circle? I always say that I may not know everything about flowers, but somebody in my phone [00:17:00] does because you can look up at any question that you have.

There's some expert that I am friends with that that's number is in my phone and they can answer that question for us.

Michael
You are absolutely right and I've had to use it. I call it my flower family. They're the ones that no matter what, they understand the long hours, they understand the hard work that we do. They understand the things we have to give up and the holidays we give up to provide flowers for our communities, for weddings, for parties, events. It gives you that outlet. I love conventions because that's the chance to meet with people that understand and what I go through on a daily basis.

Sharon
There's people from such diverse walks of life that come together to walk that path. I know you and I were in Jacksonville, you were coming for a class and I was teaching a class at Floriology and the hotel caught on [00:18:00] fire in the middle of the night.  Our friend Jolene, a former firefighter, was the person who broke into the room and put the fire out.

You never know the strengths of all your friends until you have opportunities to have experiences with them.

Michael
I've made a lot of friends along the path and amazing friends, amazing talents, and you know, sometimes you need to know how to do something and I can pick up the phone and call them and say, "Hey, how'd you do that?" I want to know how to do that. And, I've had people that call me and you know, it's just a lot of fun.

We've gotten on Zoom meetings before and sit there and done stuff with each other to just learn. And then you go and you compete with each other and it's just fun because of us that we do it, we do it for fun, we do it to challenge ourselves, to learn more about ourselves, to go back and say, oh, I want to learn how to do that, or I want to see how they did that. So, you know, it's. It's fun to do it yourself and win, but it's also [00:19:00] fun to see what others done and what you can take away. Because somebody's always doing something that's a little different or something new that you can do yourself.

Sharon
And in terms of that, where do you find most of your inspiration for trying new things? Do you get it from interacting with other designers? Do you love to look through magazines or surf online? Do you prefer to attend events? What inspires that passion inside of you to try something differently?

There's lots of ways it'll happen all along, but what most frequently ignites that passion for you?

 Michael
Of course, we all know that online is huge now. I do watch videos online, but I also enjoy Floriology offers classes and I am a part of their online school. And I'm also a part of Floral Design Institute online school. and then of course my state organization offers classes through the year that I enjoy attending and [00:20:00] going to, and during the summer, which is AIFD. Florida State Florist Association International, and then SAF.

Sharon
Florida State is such an active organization, you're very lucky to have that organization to participate in. It has just come so far in offering opportunities to designers in the state.

Michael
It has, and we're super excited. We actually handed out eight scholarships this year, and I was one of those recipients a few years back for a mentorship actually with a wonderful designer, Bob Tucker, that we've become absolute best friends. I talked to him on a regular basis, one of those flower friends that can talk you off a ledge if it's like, "I just not making it today", you know, and it's like, "calm down, you can do this". And we all need that.

Sharon
He's a good guy, that's for sure.

Michael
If you don't have one, you need one. 

Sharon
That's very important. And you [00:21:00] mentioned Floriology does such a great job of teaching people to expand their design skills, encouraging the use of new trends, being a valuable resource, too. I always enjoy my time at Floriology because it just is a very well-run organization and Jackie Lacey and Renato Sogueco and Angelyn do such a good job of pulling it all together and bringing in talented people like yourself to help everybody up their skill package.

I think it's a very important resource.

Michael
It absolutely is, and I've really enjoyed the classes I've taken. I've also enjoyed the online classes that they have to offer as well.

Sharon
Yes. Very good. Now, if someone was thinking, I would like to be the Sylvia Cup winner, how do I get started in this? What would be your best advice [00:22:00] for people who would like to have that opportunity?

Michael
Well, of course, get involved in state organizations if you don't have one, there's plenty out there that welcome everybody. In Florida State, we open doors. Anybody can come into Florida State. I met some people at SAF that didn't have a family, and we actually got them connected with their state association while they were there, which was really exciting and fun. then, of course, network. Lots of networking. There's tons of us out there that will, that's more than willing, to answer the phones, to send messages and our doors are open to help you in any way we can.

Sharon
That's fabulous. I think it's a very giving industry. The people want to help each other and forward the opportunities that they've had and share it with other people. We're really lucky in that respect, that the floral industry is a very giving industry. I know sometimes I hear people say, "well, not in my area." They want to hide it and, [00:23:00] and won't connect. But I would say more often I hear “What would I do without my peer, because that's the person I turn to with questions or problems or challenges or excited news.”

Michael
Well, and any advice to if they're not doing it in your area? Because when I was growing up, they didn't do it in my area, but I reached out to others. And there is plenty out there that will help you. You just have to reach out, find there's plenty of us online that will be more than willing to help you in any way you can.

I've had people come and spend a few days and stay in the shop with me and help work together and come up with ideas and so it's a lot of fun and, and a lot of times you work together and come up with new ideas between each other.

Sharon
That is so true. Well, back to Sylvia Cup. Speaking of challenges, isn't it funny how two hours can go so quickly?

Michael
My heart sunk when they hollered. The first 30 [00:24:00] minutes was gone and then the next thing you know, I'm sitting there going and I'm doing my thing and then all of a sudden, they said, you have 45 minutes left. And my. At that point my heart sunk even further and it was like, "oh no". I just went into hyperdrive.

There was stuff slinging and flying, and as I was standing there, people started standing around. I'm like, okay, just it's time to go away. Just let me do my thing. Because it was just like even more pressure. It goes by really fast and before you realize that they're hollering time's up!

Sharon
It's like sometimes trying to get to the funeral on time. You’re just slinging that funeral piece together. 

But that's why advice I always like to give competitors is divide your time out and give yourself 10 or 15 minutes to settle in in the beginning and to collect yourself and finalize, double check your work in the end. Then take the remaining amount of time, and if [00:25:00] you've got three designs to do, divide it by three. Practice using that smaller amount of time per design. 

The same for AIFD I think it's five designs for AIFD but divide your time out by the allotted time. Practice doing it with a lessened amount of time so that when you get there, you have the space, the cushion of a little extra time. Once you've eaten up that amount of time for that one design, put it down.

Move to the next one and move to the next one because sadly, in competitions, I've seen people do beautiful, beautiful work and they end up being disqualified because they didn't have time to finish the last design or even to start the last design. If you can start it, you can get a lesser score on it, but if you don't even start it, you just get disqualified.

So, I think, if you're preparing for competition. [00:26:00] Learning to discern the time and how to break that time down by design is one thing that's just really, really important because that clock just speeds up and the hands start flying, don't they?

Michael
They do. And one of the things you said, you know, when I tested for AIFD that helped because it practiced my time. When I was getting ready for PFDE, my time, I practiced my skills, and I would sit in the shop and set a timer and work in the afternoons for 30 minutes after work and just get in here and set it for 30 minutes and make a design and challenge myself. And doing test your skills.

Sharon
And a good thing to do when you do that is have someone else pull your materials and give it to you like a surprise package so that you have to work with unexpected materials. I think that's important.

Michael
I [00:27:00] also reached out to people and had them give me just random topics.

I had them come up with a topic, so then I couldn't prepare. Mentally it was a surprise, just like I was doing anything else.

Sharon
Yes. And it's also a good idea to practice. Like a lot of times a bouquet is chosen. Many times, there's a sympathy arrangement. Many times, there's a centerpiece for a table or something for every day, I think, to practice all those different areas. You have at least a form somewhat in mind and just like you said, you had become very addicted to vertical designs, so when they asked for vertical design, you were ready.

Michael
Yeah and I have pushed myself to learn a lot of different skill sets because I want, I pride as long and as well as the shop that offer a lot. We offer anything [00:28:00] we can do, anything. You can dream it, we can do it. We, I try to make sure that I have a very vast skillset to offer to our clients.

Sharon
Do you find that your clients of your retail store are enamored of the fact that you're an award winner and that gives you value in their sight?

Michael
Yes, they're who make us. Our customers are who make us who we are, and they're super important to me. My customers started pouring out as soon as the announcement went out. It went out before I even got off the stage and didn't even realize it. And my phone started just blowing up, sitting out there in the audience with and I was just like, what's going on?

Like, who put this out? And they're like, "Oh, you have no idea." I ask them, we give the opportunity to our customers. You know, "do you want a traditional or do you want something artistic?" And I have customers that love [00:29:00] artistic stuff and they are intrigued what we send. Some of them actually just say, make whatever you want today and this is what it's for.

And we just we're, we want to see what you come up with. So, you know, if we offer it, then it gives us the ability to practice as well as set our skills higher.

Sharon
Yes. And it helps to differentiate your business as well.

Michael
Correct.

Sharon
Now, I'm going to jump back to AFD for a second. We were talking about having confidence in your designs and timing your designs and stuff. Sadly, one time when I was monitoring a PFDE, I saw someone get frustrated with the design and he threw it under the table. It was his last design. He was under pressure.

He threw it under the table, left the room. When he came back to clean up and he pulled it out, he realized it was a really good design. He just, in the [00:30:00] stressful moment, couldn't feel that and he quit. And if he had just lain it on the table and stood there, he would've potentially passed. But you know, once he left the table, sadly,  he was disqualified. 

I think you always have to trust your talent. Be confident in the way you prepared for the competition and just stand down those nerves because nerve-racking.

Michael

Oh yeah, absolutely, and there was people that come out of Sylvia Cup that were just, "my gosh, I can't believe I just, this is, I can't believe I did this. "And, but I turned around and looked at them. I said, "but you did good. It's great." Everybody did amazing. It was all wonderful. There was amazing talent and amazing work in that room. You know, and somebody asked me, they said, well, you were, you didn't think you had won. I said, no. I said, because until that evaluator and judges' sheets are in, you don't know who won because you, every judge is a little bit different. no two [00:31:00] judges are the same. And I have learned that in competitions, you can go in a room and knock something out and that judge just finds something wrong with it. You don't really know what you're walking into. PFDE is the same way. You go in there and. all goes down to points and what you're being asked to do and listening to the rules.

Sharo
And of course, PFDE is the evaluation process of AIFD, the American Institute of Floral Designers.

Michael
Now, one thing that we were speaking of, each judge has a different approach. You also have to realize if you're not successful and you come away and you feel like you really did a great job, but it wasn't scored in that way, you have to remember also that every different judge has a different opinion, and as you do other competitions, you will have other judges.

It [00:32:00] doesn't mean that you should give up the process if you did not get the score that you were expecting the first time.

Michael
Correct, I've previously competed for Sylvia Cup. Previously competed for Designer of the Year for the State of Florida. Each time I competed, I got my score sheets, studied them, and I got with mentors, I got with friends and they helped me and I worked to do better.

Sharon
And, and it works. Over time, you accumulate greater and greater skills.

Michael
Yes.

We appreciate you so much speaking with us today. Is there any words of wisdom you would like to leave to our audience before we close?

Michael
Don't be afraid to step out and educate yourself. Education is the key to success, and I am very thankful for my flower family. 

If you don't have any or you're need and expand, reach out. We'll, we love to add members. And [00:33:00] there's tons of us out there that want to help each other, and don't be afraid to ask somebody for help.

Sharon
And it's like a pebble on the water. When the pebble goes in and the circles expand, it gets bigger and bigger because just making that one little change, like the drop of a stone encircles a lot of people in the same way. 

 To our audience, Smithers-Oasis North America, Michael and I want to thank you for joining us today.

If you've enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and be sure to hit subscribe. You don't want to miss the inspired solutions our upcoming guests will share with you for your personal or business growth. If you have topics or guests that you want to hear, please message me. We'd love to hear from you. 

Until next time, I'm [00:34:00] your host, Sharon McGukin reminding you that like the unfurling petals of a flower. We grow by changing form. Soaking inspiration in like raindrops. Absorbing energy from others, like warmth from the sun. This growth opens us up to new ideas and that's How we Bloom.

​Enjoy more featured floral artists: (listeners) How we Bloom podcast                   
and (readers) Floral Hub Blog.