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April 21st, 2010
Born in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, in 1958, Ben Clevers has an experience of more han 35 years in flower arrangement. We lovingly call him "The Flower Man" due to his extensive research, hands-on experience and acute interest in flower and plant arrangement. Ben has worked around the world collaborating and teaching in his field and has a deep passion and love for nature. He is regularly involved in promoting this art throughout the world and likes to transfer this knowledge as far as he can.
CelebrityDialogue: How many years of experience do you have in floral design and arrangement?
Ben: I have 35 years of experience in Floral Design and Arrangements; 15 years in Fruit and Vegetable decorations and presentations; 10 years in Interior Design.
Celebrity Dialogue: How and when did you start?
Ben: I started when I was a boy of 9 years helping my neighbors keeping care of their gardens. I got inspired by flowers and plants; how they grow and show their beauty. So I decided to go to the floristry school in Holland. Learn all about flowers, plants, drawing, shapes, colors and art history.
CelebrityDialogue: Netherlands is a country known throughout the world for her flowers. Describe in your own words your country in terms of her natural beauty and abundance in flowers all around.
Ben: For me every country has its beauty in nature, beautiful people and cultures. We in Holland are open to every beauty. Respect everything and everybody. Respect for nature and all its beauty. Holland is part of the world, and I as a Florist want to share beauty with everybody; the beauty of flowers and plants; fruits and vegetables; art and culture. We want to show people how beautiful the world is. We are a proud country and want to make and grow good products. To have the opportunity to have education in Floral Design is important. Because we have so many nurseries, we also have to have schools for education. Flowers depict emotions. Creating a beautiful arrangement gives me joy and happiness.
Celebrity Dialogue: Why are the Dutch people in general so much involved in flowers unlike people in other countries?
Ben: In Holland we grow up with flowers. We just buy flowers because we like to have them in our interior. We do not have to have a special occasion to buy flowers. I was born in Nijmegen in the east of Holland, and it was a place with a lot of nurseries all around. Like in England, our gardens are very important, and we like to have them as beautiful as possible, with a lot of flowers. Also in our interior we have a lot of plants. It is very important to know your style of interior to buy plants belonging to your interior. We are a people who live a lot in our houses and gardens so happiness, joy, warmth and coziness are what we want.
CelebrityDialogue: Are there any annual competitions held in floral design in Netherlands? Which ones are the most known?
Ben: Every year a lot of competitions take place in Holland. I started taking part in competitions when I started as a florist. I am not a competition florist. I just want to create beautiful and creative floral arrangements. I want to put all my love in my profession and job. With competitions you have to create a theme or arrangement in little time. For me it is a lot of pressure, so creating a floral arrangement gives me joy, and I must have the time to create something very beautiful. An art painter or a sculpture artist also need their time creation. As floral designers, we are also artists. A lot of people in the world think that everybody can put some flower together to make a bouquet or arrangement.
CelebrityDialogue: You are the Director of your company “Leaves Floral Decorations”. Please share with us the services that you offer.
Ben: My company “Leaves Floral Decorations” does design for flower /plants exhibitions, fruits/ vegetable exhibitions and decorations for parties. “Leaves Education” is giving workshops, demonstrations and education in floral design, fruits and vegetable presentations and decorations.
CelebrityDialogue: When did you start this company?
Ben: I have worked with different companies in flower shops and done exhibitions and decorate parties all over the world. And after many years of traveling I wanted to work in a flower shop again, so I went to work in a flower shop in Bergen op Zoom, Holland. The owner and I liked each other very much and so got married and so also became owner of her shop. After a few years I started to miss my traveling and sharing knowledge. We sold our shop in October 1999 and in January 2000 I started my company Leaves Floral Decorations. My favorite color is green and my favorite natural material is a leaf.
CelebrityDialogue: You are a freelance floral designer at Top Arrangeurs. Tell us about this organization.
Ben: Top Arrangeurs is a group of high level floral designers. We all work al lot for the Flower Council of Holland to promote our Dutch flower and plants. We do this by giving seminars, demonstrations and workshops all over the world to colleague florists. In the beginning of 2010 we joined together on a website, so if somebody or a flower/plant company want to have a good arranger to promote their product, they can find the best floral designers together.
CelebrityDialogue: What are your responsibilities at Top Arrangeurs?
Ben: We are all florists with our own company, but we share knowledge and skills to promote our beautiful products, flower and plants, all over the world.
CelebrityDialogue: You are an advisor at Garden La Fiorita. Tell us about this place.
Ben: Garden La Fiorita is a Garden Centre and Wholesaler in Italy. I did a lot of demonstrations for the wholesale part, helping and teaching the clients about techniques, trends and skills. We happened to have a lot of discussions during some evenings and they decided to ask me as their adviser. I help wholesale company and also their garden centre with ways in which they can make good presentations of their products. I also give training to the employees advising them how to work with costumers and how to sell more. Four Times a year we do a special show for this company to show their clients new techniques in floral design.
CelebrityDialogue: You are also a freelance floral designer at Gielissen Interiors & Exhibitions. Please describe this institution.
Ben: Gielissen Interiors & Exhibitions is a company that designs and makes interiors and booths for all kinds of exhibitions. I work as a freelance Floral Designer to decorate the interiors they design, with plants and flowers. Also we decorate the booths with flower and plants. At this moment we are working together on projects in Shanghai to make decorations with tulips. This is for the participation of Holland pavilion on the World Expo Shanghai 2010
CelebrityDialogue: Which other companies/institutions do you currently work for as a floral designer?
Ben: As a floral designer I work for Zuidkoop Natural Projects (flower, plants, fruit and vegetables exhibitions), The Dutch Embassy ( all ministries of Holland and the Dutch Royal Family), different garden centres in Holland to advise in products presentations, different export companies in flowers and plants, and for the schools in Odessa, Saint Petersburg and in Holland.
CelebrityDialogue: You are a Master Teacher in Floral Design in Saint Petersburg (Russia) and Odessa (Ukraine). Are you in visiting faulty?
Ben: At this moment we are working with four florists to teach. We are also planning to start a new company in teaching all over the world. We are still having meetings regarding ways to have places all over the world for starting schools in Floral Design. We four people have a lot of contacts all over the world, so I think we will manage this school.
Celebrity Dialogue: How has your teaching experience been in Russia?
Ben: The Russian florists are very curious to learn all about floral design. The problem in a lot of countries is education. There are no professional schools. That’s the problem. Starting the floral design academy is very important for a lot of florists in different countries. To get permission from governments to start is really difficult. You need to fill in a lot of documents. After this step you need to have a certificate that will be recognized by the government to start and work in a flower shop.
CelebrityDialogue: You have also taught floral design in Netherlands. How do you compare Russian students with the Dutch students in terms of their interest and keenness to learn floral design.
Ben: Working with the Russian florists was and is very nice, because they really want to learn all the skills and techniques. Although we (in Holland) are grown up with flowers and education in floral design, but in different countries, as in Russia, we have to start from the beginning. In Holland, mostly everyone knows how to cut flowers and treat them the right way. In all other countries we have to teach all from the beginning. People need to know that they are working with a living material, and that it needs water to show its beauty.
Celebrity Dialogue: Do you think that this subject is now being taken seriously in institutions of higher learning, or is it still at the level of infancy?
Ben: The subject is really being taken seriously. The florists all over the world want to learn all about our beautiful profession. People have to start with the beginning and work hard to be a professional floral designer and work even harder to be a master in floral design.
Celebrity Dialogue: Who can become an excellent floral designer?
Ben: One who gives love and respect to nature and the environment. You are going to work with material that nature gives us. You have to be creative, and have a feeling with flowers and plants. I can teach you all the techniques, but making flower arrangements will come from your heart.
Celebrity Dialogue: You are currently touring Shanghai, China for World Expo. Wich is the biggest floral related exhibition in the world and where is it held?
Ben: The World Expo 2010 is opening in Shanghai on the first of May 2010 and will be open for half a year. I am connected to this expo because of the Tulip project I am doing. The biggest flower and plant exhibition is held every year in Amsterdam: The International Flower and Plants Exhibitions called the Horti Fair.
Celebrity Dialogue: With so many years of experience and your contribution in a wide variety of organizations, you are literally a walking encyclopedia in floral design. Are any of your children interested in becoming florists? Or would you like them to be?
Ben: I have one daughter called Zora. She is a very creative girl. I do not know if she would follow her father and mother ( My wife is also a floral designer ). At this moment she is studying in Antwerp/Belgium. It is a special school for creative professions. She wants to be a drawing teacher or a photographer. For me it does not matter what she is going to be. She has to be happy in doing what she wants to be.
CelebrityDialogue: That is a wonderful thought. Ben, we really appreciate you for taking time out for us. Thank you and best of luck.
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