Flowers are more than just eye candy. In the right hands and through a meaningful process, flowers can be a medium to express feelings, recognize oneself, and even raise self-confidence. The Career and Student Development Unit (CSDU) FEB UGM held The Language of Flowers workshop on May 23, 2025, encouraging students to express themselves through flower arrangements.
Head of CSDU FEB UGM, Dewi Fatmawati, S.E., M.Ec., Ph.D., explained that the team designed this activity to give students space to express themselves through creativity. The organizers also invited a psychologist to help students explore the emotional meanings behind their flower choices.
In collaboration with Prada Flowerboutique, this session presented an experience that combined art, psychology, and self-reflection. Salma, a partner from Prada Flowerboutique, explained that flowers are a form of natural beauty that can evoke human emotions. One of the main concepts introduced was floral philosophy or floriography, the art of giving symbolic meaning to flowers. In this approach, a person’s preference for a particular type of flower is believed to reflect their emotions, personality, or values.
Before arranging flowers, the facilitators invited participants to reflect on themselves through three simple yet profound questions. First, they asked participants to identify the most dominant emotion they had felt recently. Second, they encouraged them to express a message they wanted to convey to themselves. Third, they prompted participants to consider what feelings or hopes they tried to represent through their flower arrangement. These questions made students more aware of their emotional state, making the resulting flower arrangements more personal and meaningful.
CEO of Prada Flowerboutique, Deasy explained that the workshop aimed to encourage participants to be more confident and able to express themselves. She said that the flowers are not only handmade but also a reflection of each participant’s self. She also added that the skills gained from this workshop are helpful for self-expression and can also be an initial provision for participants interested in starting a business as a florist or flower bouquet.
Report by: Orie Priscylla Mapeda Lumalan
Editor: Kurnia Ekaptiningrum
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