rockm

I believe the whole argument that you're nto bonsai simply because you like growing things and--in particular-- that you don't care what other people think about it-- is basically a lie, or at least self-delusion.

You grow bonsai because you enjoy it's artistic beauty and not its new
leaves and shoots--you admire HOW those leaves and shoots are put together BY THE GROWER, not the plant. If growing plants was all you cared about then you'd be happy growing tomatoes, beans, aspidistra and landscape trees. Be honest, bonsai's "art" drew you to it. By definition you enjoy bonsai because it is artful. If it ain't got some kind of design or art associated with it, it's container gardening. It's the imagination and the execution of that imagination that makes bonsai compelling even subconsciously. "Rustic" is certainly a valid art form, but it IS AN ARTFORM. Good rustic also take imagination and some talent, just like big bad old "regular" bonsai.

Saying you don't care about what other's think about your art and then insisting in a public forum that you should be taken seriously artistically is a bit disingeuous. I'd dare say that those that make those arguments care intensely about what others think of their efforts. That concern, I think, is an inherent part of doing bonsai. Everyone, even if they think they're some kind of bonsai maverick, compares subconsciously, or consciously, their work to others. It's part of being human.