Floral careerPolly Floral Career Workshops are designed in partnership with nonprofits to provide hands-on floral training for the resilient people they serve, building confidence and practical skills that lead to long-term employment opportunities in related fields. These workshops differ from the short tutorials we offer to partner nonprofits for their flower-sale fundraisers. While the focus is on preparing participants for stable jobs elsewhere, we also encourage them to join us for part-time day work at Polly, where they can create bouquets for our fundraising sales benefiting other nonprofits. This offers flexible, meaningful income along the way. Most workshops are held in Polly’s new floral studio providing a creative space for therapeutic design and career prep.
Workshop 1: Intro To Crafting Confident Handheld Bouquets.
This introductory workshop focuses on floristry fundamentals, teaching participants Polly-style methods to arrange the freshest, locally grown botanicals into handheld bouquets. Through hands-on practice, attendees build confidence in design techniques while exploring personal expression.
Workshop 2: Composing A Centerpiece.
In this session, compose several centerpieces ranging from simple to highly complex with layers of texture, natural abstractions, and color—all in an effort to convey therapeutic fragrance and feeling in a photo. Participants learn how to properly represent their work through photography to prepare for employment outreach.
Workshop 3: Down To Earth Fieldwork.
This fieldwork-oriented session takes participants outdoors to Pacific Northwest farms, where they learn sustainable harvesting, stem conditioning, and seasonal crop management alongside local growers. Emphasizing practical skills, it prepares attendees for jobs in agriculture or floral sourcing. The workshop offers a fulfilling look into floristry from a farmer’s perspective, where high-level attentiveness and resilience are required, and crops are at the mercy of unpredictable weather.
Workshop 4: Freedom.
Building on prior sessions, this advanced workshop blends floristry and fieldwork with career prep, guiding participants to create complex arrangements for events while incorporating therapeutic elements like aromatherapy with rose-scented geranium. It includes resume building, interview tips, and networking with floral professionals, equipping attendees for full-time roles in the floral industry and the freedom to enjoy their new skill set and lifestyle every day.
The series begins in August 2026, with one workshop per week over four weeks. $900 per person for the full series where sponsors cover materials and workshop-related fees. The application process can take a few months as we secure sponsors. Applications are to be filled out by attendees and submitted through partner nonprofits to ensure alignment with their support programs. Sponsors receive a personalized end-of-course update, including photos of participants’ work (with consent), to celebrate the impact they’ve helped create.