It took me three weeks to understand how to create a crescent with flowers and stems. It’s not an easy shape to form naturally, even with all the props and videos on YouTube. Yet, the moon does it so elegantly, so consistently. Perhaps it has perfected the shape over time.

I learned the importance of sketching the design before making the arrangement. My imagination alone wasn't enough. I also learned the importance of hiding the mechanics of my floral design. Again, my imagination wasn't enough. I even learned which flowers to use for a design, as simply staring at them with a specific vision in mind was not enough. Despite all this, my final design came out completely different from my sketch. I'll have to try again sometime later.

In my defense, I'm battling high temperatures and the challenge of finding budget-friendly, long-lasting flowers in the Northern Hemisphere in June. I thought arranging flowers was a purely pleasurable activity, but it’s turning out to be a planned, meticulous endeavor that only forgives mistakes to a certain point.

I tried to bring the crescent shape, which originated in the French Rococo era of the 18th century, into the Art Nouveau or Art Deco era. I also tried creating the crescent shape in the Ikebana style of arranging flowers. While both Art Nouveau and Art Deco were appealing to me, I found Art Deco very difficult to execute. It seems highly stylized and remains on my to-do list.

I think I unknowingly created a mix of Art Nouveau and Art Deco designs. It has crescents and circles, and gentle curves that use the natural shape of the stems, reflecting Art Nouveau. But nothing is more geometric than a circle, and geometry reflects Art Deco. Even crescents are a common area of overlapping circles, but they don't seem modern and are, frankly, overused.

Anchoring the stems and flowers to their natural shapes to form a curve was difficult, especially in Ikebana. Hiding the ugly foam and kenzan was necessary, so I used moss and overlapping leaves, respectively. I am pleased with the design I created, but the actual design I intended still awaits.