Having moved to the U.S. just nine years ago from Belarus, Lana (Svetlana) Chernyavsky, AIFD, will likely present floral designs influenced by her Eastern European homeland during her main-stage program at this summer’s American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) National Symposium, “Awaken,” in Las Vegas, Nev., July 6-11, 2019. Lana describes her style as “minimalistic, modern and sometimes architectural and graphic,” often combining floral and nonfloral materials “that work great in contrast.” “I like creating art pieces that I can take a long time to finish,” she says.

Lana started in the floral industry in her home country, where, in 2008, she opened a small wedding flower business. Two years later, her family moved to California, and in 2012, she started a similar business, Dream Flowers, in San Leandro. During her first few years in business, Lana says she freelanced a lot in other flower shops “to get more experience and to learn how to successfully run a floral business in the Bay Area.”

During her floral journey, Lana has studied with world-class educators, including Phil Rulloda, AIFD, AAF, PFCI; Tomas De Bruyne, EMC; Gregor Lersch; and Moniek Vanden Berghe. These experiences “enriched my artistic soul and helped me as a businesswoman,” Lana reflects.

Today, she presents demonstrations and workshops, collaborates with other designers and artists on inspirational projects, participates in competitions, and writes articles. “I now focus on self-learning, which means that my education never stops and that I learn from every design I create and every person I interact with,” she says Lana’s professional accomplishments include becoming a California Certified Florist (CCF) in 2010, being inducted into AIFD in 2016, competing and placing in several international floral design competitions, and being featured in three editions of International Floral Art (2012/13, 2016/17, 2018/19).

Family is very important to Lana, and she has structured her business to allow her to spend as much time as possible with them. Other artistic passions include photography and drawing, and her personal interests include public speaking (she’s a member of Toastmasters), gardening and collecting rare plants, hiking, and spending time in nature.