Undefined Naturally: Crafting a Floral Art Practice: An Artist's Memoir on Design and Process

"This account of my life's work is a raw, resonant discourse from thorn-ridden hands, filled with stories drawn from the field and laid bare in a language that speaks to those still in the thick of it. It's a mirror of the process, a break of sun on the horizon. To inspire." -Juan M. Villanueva Undefined Naturally: Crafting a Floral Art Practice is part artist memoir, part creative process guide, and part manifesto for anyone building a sustainable creative practice without a rulebook. Written from the ground up, this book blends raw life stories with practical lessons in site-specific floral and event design. With over thirty years of hands-on experience in the floral industry, that came with tired legs on ladders, hands grasping flowers tightly, nights spent in freight elevators, and mornings spent refining ideas after installations, Juan M. Villanueva shares his multidisciplinary practice as a gesture of solidarity. This work is for early-career artists, self-taught creatives, installation florists, designers, and creative entrepreneurs who want honest, usable insight into artistic growth and running a creative business. It is grounded, slightly gritty, and focused on practice. Inside you'll find: Event & installation design primer: A clear 16-point guide covering budgeting, organizing, large-scale builds, on-site logistics, and breakdown. Field notes from practice: Stories and case studies drawn from decades of site-specific installations, exhibitions, and international teaching. Creative-process insights: Practical reflections on discipline, patience, leadership, failure, fear, and defining your own measure of success. Sustaining a creative life: Emotional and tactical tools for building a creative business as a self-taught artist or independent designer Through it all, Undefined Naturally insists that art does not wait for permission. Creativity grows in the overlooked corners, in unpolished moments, and in work that often goes unseen. This is a grounded companion for anyone seeking to deepen their creative practice and move toward artistic growth with honesty and a means To Inspire.

About the Author :
Juan M. Villanueva is a second-generation florist-turned-multidisciplinary artist and entrepreneur based in Manhattan. After leaving art school, he spent over two decades building a practice rooted in persistence, intuition, and everyday beauty, bridging private floral events, site-specific installations, painting, and bioart, drawing on more than thirty years of immersion in the floral world. His hands-on approach has led to artist residencies, solo exhibitions, and international teaching engagements alongside the steady rhythm of commissioned projects.In "Undefined Naturally," his first book, Villanueva distills a lifetime of experience into a raw meditation on creativity as both a service and a means of finding balance. Blending essays, personal field notes, and a 16-point floral event primer, he offers practical wisdom and emotional clarity for florists, artists, and anyone navigating the inner work of making a living in art.