Florist buckets and the joy of discovery

An idea that has really stuck with me throughout stocked. is the comparison between search and discovery. And how both can be satisfying, but how to me, the act of discovery is one with so much more potential for joy.

I talk about discovery here as the act of uncovering, of revealing, of introducing. I talk about search here as the act of finding and seeking. What is the difference then?

For me, search is a process that is defined by intention and I suppose, expectation. We conduct searches daily, even more so since the advent of digital because we are the instigator. The world around us has become huge, and it’s our job to unpick that. And sometimes maybe the sheer scale of that task means we feel searching is the only way to navigate - to find the things we think we know we want.

And yet, the satisfaction of search is I think limited by that very knowing - by that very desire to find what I know. Because surely, the randomness of life is that we are not always in control.

So why discovery then? Discovery to me is also an act of finding, yet the discovery is often something we do not know. And that certainly rubs up against control, but it doesn’t mean that it is joyless. Because being introduced to something carries so much more potential for joy, in finding something we didn’t know. And so rather than confirmation, it expands our perceptions, and potentially challenges and transforms them.

I often find myself thinking if I’m not in control that’s not ideal, that feels negative, but stocked. has given me the opportunity (weirldy as I’m running this solo at the moment) to loosen that control. And a really good example for me has been the introduction of Friday Flowers to stocked.

I knew that I wanted them to be local, and as someone that loves flowers, I also thought I knew exactly what I wanted to be in the bouquets. But when I started working with Rebecca of Silver Grey Foliage, the option was to have a selection of flowers each week that Rebecca cut. Not something I had specified, but what was available and in Rebecca’s opinion, the best of what was on offer. There was not an ounce of control in the selection on my part and each week, I’d get a new surprise.

And there’s multiple reasons why that has really influenced my thinking on discovery versus search. Primarily because the flowers I get are grown by someone who knows what they are doing, and does it in a sustainable way. They are beautiful flowers and last so amazingly well, I don’t mind not being in control because someone of infinitely greater expertise is helping me. Secondly, because each week there is a surprise, a discovery for me that isn’t about novelty, it’s about celebration and also acknowledging another’s part in that.

And that leads on to a greater point perhaps about discovery. Often there is another involved because it’s not something we already know. And that means potential for connection, for trust and for something so much more deeply joyful. I trust Rebecca to provide me stunning flowers and I do not mind which ones, because in this act of discovery, the connection I have with her grows. And that’s been in itself a really important discovery for me and one I treasure even more as the weeks pass.

With stocked. the selection there is always evolving and changing because we are not a site for search - we are about discovering. About finding things you did not know existed or seeing things in a different context to what you’d expect. About introduction and trust and connection. It’s something I truly believe thrives best when we involve others. It’s something I truly believe thrives best in physical spaces and it’s something I truly hope that stocked. will always provide for the community it’s rooted in.