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Bandit By Name, Brilliant By Nature

With the new year fast approaching, many are probably putting pen to paper jotting down the aspirations they have for the year ahead. I must admit I stopped writing New Year’s Resolutions a long time ago…

I believe in living life the way that you want to live it every day, and if you do that, you don’t really need to have New Year’s Resolutions”

– Tom Ford

I stumbled across a story of a guerilla floral designer in New York attempting to do just that; living and creating the life he wants each and every day….and spreading his joy in the process. Like many of us in the wedding and event industries- we spend countless hours bringing a vision to life, to create what appears to be the perfect day. Most of the time, sadly, many of the flowers are left or discarded. In some ways I guess they have already served their purpose, but this floral designer decided he could spread the joy much, much further.

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Image; Lewis Miller Design

Lewis Miller and his team, now takes armfuls of fresh cut flowers that are largely left over from events to decorate garbage cans around the city of New York. Yep, you read that right….garbage bins. Why? Miller, despite having a successful, thriving business, was feeling unfulfilled. The idea behind these street art installations was that Miller and his team could create something more authentic and organic in nature, to spread the feeling of joy, and make everlasting memories for everyday city dwellers.

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Image; Lewis Miller Designs

Lewis Miller, owner of Lewis Miller Designs says “Gifting flowers to New Yorkers is a simple idea that I have been thinking about for years.”

Miller, dubbed the ‘Flower Bandit’ by Vogue, began his “Flower Flashes” in October 2016, and initially intended it to be just a one off event to reinvigorate himself artistically and reconnect with his craft. It evolved into a beautiful shared experience for countless New Yorkers, creating a positive emotional response from the floral installations.

“Who doesn’t love to get flowers? They are such a luxury, and New York City is a very gritty, fast-paced town. If we can bring nature—something wild and sumptuous—to New Yorkers and make them smile, the way people smile when they witness a random act of kindness, then that is a great thing. That is my goal. It’s a really simple vision but powerful, I think, to try to create an emotional response through flowers.”

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Image; Lewis Miller Designs

In addition to the beautiful blooming bins filled with spectacular bouquets of flowers, Miller and his team have also  decorated statues, sculptures and other public works of art. By adding fresh flowers, these landmarks have been transformed into colourful and eye catching displays.

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Image; Lewis Miller Design

 

“My team and I work really fast and very early in the a.m. Our call time for these flashes is 5:45 a.m., and we try to finish them before sunrise. We always recycle flowers from events when possible.”

“I don’t see us stopping anytime soon. These flashes are so gratifying and rewarding on many levels.”

Florist with Flowers would like to wish you all a very happy New Year, go forth into 2018 with the courage and conviction to be the change in the world that you wish to see.

Fwf x

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