Meet Gaudencio Contreras

We were lucky to catch up with Gaudencio Contreras recently and have shared our conversation below.

Gaudencio, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

Creativity is endless when you are open-minded; there’s no limit when it comes to creating when you do what you love with passion, ideas come from all over

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m a co-owner of Michael George, a family-owned florist in New York City since 1980. We specialize in modern, clean, contemporary, and elegant floral designs, often showcasing the beauty of a single flower in abundance.
I grew up in the country, surrounded by open fields and wildflowers. Who would have thought I’d end up in the flower business? When I see blooms that I once knew in those fields, memories come rushing back, taking me to my childhood days when I was simply thrilled by nature without realizing it.

I truly love what I do. Working with flowers makes me happy every single day. It’s a privilege to handle one of Mother Nature’s most beautiful creations. Flowers come in so many shapes and colors—some new varieties appear each year, while others quietly disappear. It’s always exciting, and sometimes bittersweet, to see the market change.

The best part of this work is that it never feels like a job. Every day brings something new—you never know who might call, whether it’s someone in the fashion world, a hotel, a private client, or just a loyal customer wanting something special. It might be 20 stems in a simple arrangement or 500 stems for a dramatic installation. From flower walls to sculptural designs—even elephants made of flowers—we love to make it happen. I enjoy challenging myself to create, to design, and to bring each vision to life.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

One of the qualities that has carried me through life and work is being open-minded. I respect people’s opinions and love listening to others—whether it’s young children with their fresh ways of seeing the world or the wisdom of the elderly. You’d be surprised how much perspective you can gain when you take the time to really listen. Not one of us is perfect, and many of us learn from our mistakes, myself included.

As for skills, nearly everything I know about flowers I learned from working alongside the best of the best—Michael George himself, my mentor and my father figure. I’d say 99% of my skills come from him. He took me under his wing and taught me everything: how to trim flowers properly, the differences between varieties, and how each flower has its own unique language. Honestly, I could go on forever about what I’ve learned.

In the beginning, when we spoke about design and vision, he would tell me: “You must see yourself at the venue, standing among the guests, as if the event were already happening.” At the time I thought he was crazy—how could anyone possibly do that? Now I’m the “crazy” one, because I’ve learned he was right. To visualize first is to bring a creation to life.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

That’s a great question. I think 99% of people would say they’d want to do all the things they never got the chance to do—travel the world, try new adventures. For me, though, I wouldn’t change much. I would continue enjoying life just as I’ve been living it, doing what I love every day.

Many might ask, Why? The answer is simple: because I’m happy where I am. Why would I walk away from the people who have been by my side all my life, the ones who care for me and support me? What more could I ask for?

If I decided travel, I’d want to do it with my entire family—but that’s not so easy, it’s expensive. So instead, I would spend the rest of my years the way I want most: surrounded by my loved ones.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.michaelgeorgeflowers.com
• Instagram: Michael George flowers
• Facebook: Michael George Flowers
• Twitter: Michael George @michaelGFlowers
• Yelp: Michael George Flowers

Image Credits

All images are the property of Gaudencio Contreras