The Blooming Joy Journal
The Beautiful Pursuit: I'm in a Floret Documentary
About The Project
I’m excited to share that I’m part of a new documentary video series that shares the honest and authentic story of what flower farming is really like. The series, The Beautiful Pursuit, was created by Floret, a flower farm in Washington state.
The idea behind the series was to go beyond the way flower farming is often portrayed on social media and instead illustrate what it really takes to bring local flowers to our community. If you watch it, you will see some interview clips with me, as well as some videos from our farm and community.
When you buy flowers from our farm, you’re not only receiving beautiful blooms—you’re also supporting a way of life that requires dedication, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to sustainability. This series shows why your support means so much to farms like ours.
The first chapter is about why people come to flower farming. The second talks about some of the misconceptions and hardships of this path. The final chapter focuses on what we have learned and why we keep going.
The Stunningly Beautiful Series Trailer
https://youtu.be/Fwt4s5LGseUAbout The Project
The Beautiful Pursuit is a three-part documentary series created by Floret to share an honest and authentic look at flower farming from the point of view of those who do it. It includes more than thirty conversations with farmers from around the world and explores both the challenges and triumphs of what is more than a career, but a calling.
Chapter 1: Called by Flowers
People come to flower farming in a wide range of ways. Some knew it was what they wanted from when they were young, gardening with a grandparent. Others find it as a second or even third career. For some, it’s a way to heal, for others a path to advocacy. In the first chapter of the series, farmers discuss their motivations, which are as diverse as the individuals themselves. Everyone’s story is unique, but there are common threads—a desire to live intentionally, to work in harmony with the natural world, and to spread beauty and kindness through flowers.
https://youtu.be/g5FS19-5Y2IChapter 2: Living the Dream
We hear this all the time: “Your job must be a dream—playing with flowers all day.” This chapter dives into the gap between public perception and the reality of flower farming. Behind each one of those beautiful photographs on social media are long hours of physical labor, careful crop planning, and complex business decisions. There are also massive weather disasters, pricing problems, insect infestations, and rabbits. In this chapter, farmers discuss the gap between impression and daily reality, sharing what they wish people understood about the true nature of their work.
https://youtu.be/H1tddWGKSaMChapter 3: Beauty Prevails
After all the setbacks, what drives flower farmers to get up each morning and begin again? The answers are practical and profound. What advice do they have? Embrace imperfection. While you can do everything ‘right,’ nature always has the final say. They speak of resilience as their most vital tool – finding both acceptance and joy during the hardest times. They understand that while this path challenges everyone who walks it, it also offers countless ways to succeed. There is space here for anyone willing to invest their heart and hands in the work. Despite the struggles, it remains beautiful, in all senses of the word.
The Beautiful Pursuit will be streaming on Floret's YouTube Channel starting Thursday, March 6 and can also be found on their website.
Direct Link to Floret Website: https://www.floretflowers.com/the-beautiful-pursuit/
Direct Link to Floret Channel: youtube.com/@floretflowerfarm
Direct Link to The Beautiful Pursuit series playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLORP5H1hcHLky9r73-ibCA5y2GKib-QL7
Behind-the-Scenes of my Interview
I had the pleasure of speaking with Rob Finch, Director and Producer of The Beautiful Pursuit on a beautiful fall day. I made sure my background was flower filled! After all, we were talking about flowers and my flower farming journey!
I had just recently filled my dried flower wall. Ironically, a lot of the celosia on this wall is Floret bred Celosia! The colors are seriously stunning. Other flowers that adorn this wall are marigolds and gomphrena.
Rob asked some great questions and I am looking forward to seeing the series in its entirety!
SERIES STATISTICS
32 different farms represented
38 different farmers interviewed
Over 60 hours of on-camera interviews
Amount of times that the word “flower” is said in these interviews: 2,439 times
Over 10,000 video clips reviewed
Series Run Time: 91:51
- Chapter 1: 28:48
- Chapter 2: 30:50
- Chapter 3: 31:13
PROJECT CREDITS
Executive Producer: Erin Benzakein
Director and Producer: Rob Finch
Editor and Writer: Sarah Bourscheid
Associate Producer: Angela Strand
Support: Chris Benzakein, Laura Davis, Jill Jorgensen, Melissa Reese
FEATURED FARMERS & VIDEO CONTRIBUTORS
Gretel Adams, Sunny Meadows Flower Farm, Columbus, Ohio
Clary and Percy Ager, Ager Lane Flower Farm + Event Space, Big Bras d'Or, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
Felicia Alvarez, Menagerie Farm & Flower, Live Oak, California
Tiffany Brown Anderson, Earth & Seeds, Reno, Nevada
Jessie Babbitt, B.A.R.E. Flower Farm, Neshanic Station, New Jersey
Sarah Gray, Bloom & Gray, Burstwick, Hull, United Kingdom
Dani Boss, Summer Skye Gardens, Splendora, Texas
Ashlee and Jen Johnson-Geisse, Brown Girl Farms, Hayward, California
Serina Colbeck, You Can't Eat the Grass, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Mimo Davis, Urban Buds, St. Louis, Missouri
Brooke Giard, June Farm, Burlington, Vermont
Jennifer Gulizia, The Flowering Farmhouse, Hood River, Oregon
Jessica Hall, Stephanie Duncan, and Chris Auville, Harmony Harvest Farm, Weyers Cave, Virginia
Kara Jamison, Blooming Joy Flower Company, Christiana, Tennessee
Steve Kaufer, Sunflower Steve Seed Co., Ellsworth, Wisconsin
Laura Otto and Dace Pūce, Lazy Crazy Cows, Zvārde, Latvia
Marryn Mathis, The Farmhouse Flower Farm, Stanwood, Washington
Marlène Mazières, Les Batisses, Saint Pardoux la Rivière, France
Andrea McDowell, Dahlia Beach, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
Georgie Newbery, Common Farm Flowers, Charlton Musgrove, Somerset, United Kingdom
Alla Olkhovska, Linden Grove Gardens, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Gretchen O'Neil, Petals, Ink., Petals, Manor, Texas
Jenn and Adam O'Neal, PepperHarrow Farm, Winterset, Iowa
Nicole Pitt, Flower Hill Farm, Boonville, New York
Milli Proust, Alma | Proust, West Sussex, United Kingdom
Phaedra Rodriguez, Phaedra Gardeness, Yackandandah, Victoria, Australia
Rebecca Sadlowski, Rooted Flowers, Agawam, Massachusetts
Rachel Siegfried, Green and Gorgeous, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
Roisin Taylor, Verde Flower Co., Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, United Kingdom
Mandy and Steve O’Shea, 3 Porch Farm, Comer, Georgia
Jane Lindsey, Snapdragon Life, Loch Lomond, Scotland, United Kingdom
Kjesten Essue, Barn Swallow Gardens, Taylorsville, California
Melanie Harrington, Dahlia May Flower Farm, Trenton, Ontario, Canada
Shanti Rade, Whipstone Farm, Paulden, Arizona
