Julia Rush: I always put myself into the arrangement
* Julia (30) ★ Australian living in Tokyo -> teaches ikebana online classes ✗ Julia ran a small flower shop in Sydney alongside her busy advertising career -> after her moved to Tokyo she added to the mix flower events for her Tokyo Flower Lovers Group, and interviewing artists for her Ikebana Love blog -> she loves flowers and enjoying all the delicious foods in Tokyo
Ikebana, is the old Japanese art of making flower arrangements. When and why did a love for ikebana start for you?
In 2014, I was introduced to Ikebana through a book I read “The Flowers of Japan and the Art of Floral Arrangement”. I was not really looking for a life long hobby, it just happened by chance. After I read this book, it inspired me to find a class to try, and after I went to my first class with my teacher, Sandy Marker, I was hooked and I continued spending every Saturday in her garden studio learning Ikebana and hearing about the magical world of flowers and Japan. I found that Ikebana was such a fantastic stress release and contrast to my very busy working life.
“I found that Ikebana was such a fantastic stress release and contrast to my very busy working life.”
You are originally from Australia, but are currently living in Tokyo and teaching ikebana students all over the world. Would you say that ikebana is popular and what does an online class with you look like?
Ikebana is definitely more well known and popular in Tokyo than it is in Australia. I think that globally however, there is growing popularity with Ikebana recently, as people are looking to find creative pursuits to relax from stress in their lives and pursue more meaningful hobbies.
Before I moved to Japan, I was living in Sydney and I had a flower shop there where I also taught Ikebana classes. When I moved to Japan, I hadn’t tried online classes before, but with my experience in running online meetings for my advertising job, I decided, why not do Ikebana online too?
As they say at the Sogetsu Ikebana School – Ikebana can be done anywhere, anytime and with any material. And I really believe that. For the online classes, I send out instructions to the students on what the theme of the class will be about. Every week is different. I also then explain to them what types of plant materials or vases they should bring. I present, students create, share their work and then we discuss. It’s fun!
You are very playful with your creations hence your series “SNACKEBANA” combining flowers and food containers. Where do you find inspiration?
Thank you! I love being playful with Ikebana. One of the key things in Ikebana is that you are always putting yourself into the arrangement as well. So anytime I find something that I love, I always wonder how can I use this in Ikebana? Teaching also helps encourage my inspiration as I’m always thinking about new themes for classes that week.
Recently, I have also been working on a project “Ikebana Disco” with my fellow Ikebana enthusiast, Kazuhiro Namba. The idea is to live stream a performance where we DJ and make ikebana arrangements. That’s been a lot of fun.
"One of the key things in Ikebana is that you are always putting yourself into the arrangement.”
Some of your ikebana creations bring lots of emotions. Sometimes its endless calmness, but also discomfort and an element of the “aha” moment. How difficult and how much practice does it take to make such an arrangement?
Ikebana and emotions have always gone hand-in-hand for me. For every class or practice, you arrive with a different feeling, and for me it definitely affects my work. I am happy to express myself through ikebana, and I don’t mind if it’s a peaceful, stressed or heartbroken feeling that comes up. Sometimes the feeling you have can create the opposite feeling in your work, or it can exacerbate it too.
My teacher, Sandy, spent a lot of time encouraging us to always have a ‘why’ in your arrangement. It’s important you can explain the reasoning of your arrangement and why you’ve done what you have.
When I first started studying ikebana, I was focused on the angles, the lengths of stems, the positioning, etc. and just getting it structurally correct, rather than the artistic reasoning. When you’re learning something new you have to start with the basics. I was always aware of the emotional calmness that flower arranging, and spending an hour contemplating the removal of one leaf brought me. However, I wasn’t aware of the emotional element of putting yourself and your feelings into the arrangement until maybe a year into studying ikebana.
“When I first started studying ikebana, of course I was focused on the angles, the lengths of stems, the positioning etc. However, I wasn’t aware of the emotional element of putting yourself and your feelings into the arrangement until maybe a year into studying ikebana.”
What does ikebana bring to your life?
My understanding and appreciation for nature has grown incredibly. I can’t walk down a street without looking at the angles of the branches of a tree, or seeing some moss and stopping to admire it.
Also the friendships that I’ve made through Ikebana have been fantastic. I have had so much luck meeting wonderful people through this art, and being able to connect and travel to meet them all over the world. The blog I run, Ikebana Love, allows me to connect not just with wonderful ikebana artists, but also florists, flower shop owners, flower enthusiasts, ceramic artists and more. I also love teaching and getting to see my students fall in love with the magical world of ikebana too.
And finally, I love the relaxation it brings. For me, I find Ikebana similar to meditation or yoga. My most peaceful place is when I am focusing on flower arrangement. It’s such a pleasure to just work with my hands and think only about the arrangement I am looking at.
An Ikebana creation can’t last forever, and is therefore an art form that is fleeting. How long do you keep your ikebana creations and what motivates you to keep creating?
I love that about Ikebana, that it’s fleeting. That’s the pure beauty of it. It’s so wonderful to be able to continuously create new arrangements without worrying about storing them somewhere. I normally disassemble and reassemble my arrangements at home many times and create many new arrangements with them. I rarely keep the same arrangement for more than a couple of days. Obviously ikebana arrangements can last longer, and for an arrangement you make as a gift or for a business, you should make arrangements that can last at least one week or more.
For me it’s not so much motivation, as much as it’s a ritual and a habit now. I will continue practicing ikebana my whole life, for me it is my ikigai.
“I love about Ikebana, that it’s fleeting. That’s the pure beauty of it.”
What do flowers mean to you?
Flowers for me are a reminder to appreciate the beauty in the world and enjoy the present moment.