Editors Note:
Yunus Karma would like to take the opportunity with the publication of his blog on Thursd to give attention for the following:
Yunus karma:
We would like to talk about a campaign that is extremely important for our country on the occasion of this blog post on Thursd. We want to prevent the removal of the Istanbul Convention in order to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women. For this reason, every day, women share black and white photographs from their social media accounts and try to make their voices heard to stop women from getting killed. We also want to share our photos in black and white so that more people can hear our voices.
#challengeaccepted #istanbulsözleşmesiyaşatır #kadınaşiddetehayır #womensupportingwomen
Disclaimer by Yunus Karma: this campaign has no political connections.
Thirty Thousand Craspedias, and I Want Them All !
A day out of the city and into nature to find some inspiring native flowers
Back to Nature
I am so happy to go back to nature and collect flowers after a long time. Due to the Covid-19 isolation that started in March, I was away from traveling quite some time. Like all of us. Today I’m going to a field where Craspedia flowers are grown in Bozuyük, 3 hours away from İstanbul. I closed my studio early and set off on the road. I’m so eager for a walk in nature, that I had a light dinner, to be able to sleep early, so I could get up at 5 am the next morning.
Everything is More Lush
The first thing I noticed in nature was how much more lush it was in comparison to last year. The Flowers were so much bigger, and havier. Of course, we all suffer from the negative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in our lives, but at the same time it made me happy to see, how nature has become richer. On its own, without human interference. It was wonderful to see the clean colors of the sea. And around. After a very long time of pollution, it looked amazingly good now. I witnessed the dance of the dolphins at the Bosphorus near Istanbul.
Get up Early!
Waking up at 5 am in the morning, after a whole night of barking dogs, there is no human noise to be discovered outside. There are only 8 households around in the area where the field is I was coming for.
Craspedias
We put on our boots and went directly to the fields of Craspedias. The Craspedias heads are not big enough yet, but they will be perfect in 1-2 weeks time. Craspedia is a flower I love to use in my arrangements, which you can see a picture of here.
Above picture is from the Zero Waste Exhibition. You can see a metal ring underneath it, which was metal waste.
30.000 Craspedias will be harvested from this field. I want them all because I have an idea how to use them. it’s so exciting!
Time to Start Trekking
With sunrise, our trekking starts now. We'll walk around in the wilderness, watch the games of light and I'll surrender myself spontaneously to my beloved and long missed home. We encounter many flowers that naturally grow in this region. Flowers ,which are simply dismissed by the villagers as unimpressive, but for me they are actually wonderful extras for my arrangements and designs. Looking at them in their natural habitat, to me, they are already the most beautiful arrangement in nature.
To me, the value of flowers that emerge from nature themselves is very high, I collect and use them even in the most elegant wedding decoration as signature flowers. My friends and customers who know of this, always collect and bring me flowers when they return from their trips, sometimes they even bring me healing herbs to dry.
In the meantime, we spotted an abandoned and unused mill and we go there to have a closer look at it. A wonderful stone structure, high ceilings, old and original doors, wooden columns…I imagine it as my flower studio for a moment, we take some photos and experience the silence inside. It’s pure meditation. On my walk I have picked some fruits, who look like blueberries, but aren't. I also throw them in the basket for my arrangements because I love the color of the groves.
I then make a bouquet in the garden from the flowers I collected in my basket. They look very native and fine. The happiness of organic flowers is invaluable.
And Finally
In the meanwhile we have gotten quite hungry, and get in our vehicle to find an area where we can have a breakfast on the road. We say goodbye to come back again to this beautiful nature, we return with a lot of inspiration and peace.
