Popularizing Bonsai

FredL

I think a couple of years ago when I started participating on bonsai forums, the question of why bonsai is not more popular and the related issue of what might be done to make it so was more popular than it is today. Perhaps it has been replaced by the issue of whether or not bonsai is art.

I think there is a relationship between these subjects.

Many years ago when I was growing up, running was an activity reserved pretty much to two groups of people: students in school and world class athletes. It was pretty much unknown to the general public. There were no running shoes, no races and no magazines devoted to it. It was distinctly "odd" for a mature adult to be seen running anywhere.

Then, along came Dr. Cooper and his famous book, "Aerobics". This book and its view of running changed everything. In a few years major corporations existed which focused mainly on running shoes, road races were being run everywhere and running magazines could be found on every newstand. Today, this phenomenon has died down somewhat, but, compared to, say, 1955, it is still wildly popular.

What happened?

I think it is simple to understand. Dr. Cooper and others presented the idea that running is good for you and is easily accessable to anyone. Others came to see that it is also fun. Others came to see it as a spiritual experience.

But the main thing was that the focus of running changed from the accomplishment of goals in a competitive setting to enjoyment of the experience. Yes, there were still competitive runners (Running as an artform?) and, no doubt all runners (as well as "Joggers") were competitive to some degree. However, the emphasis had changed. Profoundly.

I don't think bonsai will ever become widely popular unless the emphasis changes. Perhaps that is just as well, but I think the majority of people doing bonsai would like it to become more widely popular. Myself, I think the key to that is somehow communicating what the experience of doing bonsai is like to others and to make that experience accessable. Just as there is a lot of pleasure in running 10,000 meters in 45 minutes for alot of runners, there is a wonderful pleasure in learning craftsman skills and applying them to several very average bonsai in the backyard that is somehow not getting across to more than a few people outside the circles of the "Bonsai Elite".

Dr. Cooper was not even close to being a world class runner; in fact, didn't have a background that included any kind of running. Perhaps it will require somebody outside of the small, incestuous world of bonsai to popularize it.

Fred

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thejimmyrigger

Hey Fred,
I have second job at a gas station near my house. Most of the regulars have come to know me as "the reading guy". A few days ago I had a good chunk of my bonsai book collection with me, and I was using them as inspiration of some pictures I was scetching. I had a lot (10-12) people recognize the books, and say "Hey you grow bone-sigh? Me too." More people complimented me on my bonsai library than people in running shoes. I think there is another following outside the "incestous world", they just keep quiet. Also, none had heard of Bonsaitalk or of the local clubs.
The people are out there
jim

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RedPine

Hello FredL,

I think I live near you. So I thought I would say hello!, and see if you would be interested in sharing any bonsai info or tips for our area.

My bonsai life usally depends on what Westwood Gardens has to offer. If you want give me a PM.


Thanks

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bonsaial1

Fred L. said:

Now this from Fred has made me wonder. The forum has been known in the past to shy away from threads on artistry in bonsai, competition in bonsai, showing bonsai in a venue, showing bonsai here, etc, etc.

What would make you think people would want bonsai to become more popular? Seems to me that most people are happy just doing it in their backyard with little regard to what is going on professionaly, or with shows or workshops.

What would bonsai becoming more popular accomplish? Bring down the cost? Make the mallsai market more profitable? Help define it as an art, thereby making it more accessable to Corp. execs?

Just wondering, Bonsai-al

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gcraft

fred i have a cousin that is an extremely famous country singer, that i have a bunch of seedlings growing on his land does that count as giving bonsai popularity.

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RedPine

I think if it were more popular it would improve the mallsai trees,no more 20$ seedlings and so on...But hurt the smaller shops selling good stuff. I think Corp.Exects are already doing Bonsai in one way or another, In the pat year I have seen Bonsai in movies,and tv ads increasing.You can't have a Groc./Dept. store w/o a Bonsai.Martha Stewart teaches Bonsai in some issues of her Magizine. A whole "Asian Things"(Bonsai,Gung Fu,Fung Shway,Buddha,) trend is still rising, and it will fall soon enough. People learn about this stuff ,fall in love w/ it, and then -"POP"- lose intrest within a year. Bonsai is trendy and people think those glued on rocks have the answers or make the owners appear to be something. As soon as they see they haft to put forth work and effort for Bonsai to work we will be left w/ a lot of yard sale pots to buy for 25 cents. The real down and dirty hobby will always be around for those who enjoy the heavy lifting, young or old.I know like 15 people who do Bonsai now in my social circle, last winter I knew zero.Winter is coming and then in feb. after the xmas Bonsai die, I will probally know zero again until the summer Bonsai days at Target start up again. But if more people did Bonsai I would have a class/club to attend w/o driving for 8 hrs. Left hand/ Right hand- I can't choose.

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Treebeard

Fred, check your PM's plz...

Regards,

Chris.

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FredL

Al, you can be an uncomfortable guy to be around, but by golly, you can sure come up with stuff out of Left Field that really makes me stop and think! Talk about a totally unexamined assumption! What an excellent question! Why do we, or I, want Bonsai to become more widely popular? Gosh, I really never thought about it. Just took it for granted that, of course, everybody with an interest in Bonsai would like to see it more widely accepted.

I've been thinking about this since you put the question and I am amazed at how little support I have for this assumption.

Well.......if I can argue by analogy, I remember back in my running days how much fun running was with friends of mine who shared my interest in it. At the same time, I ran many, many miles by myself........and they were very rewarding. However, running with my friends and going to races, large and small, added immeasuably to my enjoyment of running. It was not a matter of which was better. Both as a solitary undertaking and as a social activity, my life was made better by running. One with out the other was not nearly as fullfilling.

I think the analogy with Bonsai holds. Whatever the artists may say, I think that bonsai has a deep spiritual content experienced primarily when bonsai is practiced as a solitary activity. Just me and my trees. Without judging either myself or my trees. Bonsai has another face however, also important and potentially deeply fulfilling. That is when it is experienced as a social activity. As art, with judgement of me, my efforts and my trees as works of art.

I think both areas would benefit with more people participating in Bonsai.

There was a guy whose name I just can't recall who became very popular with runners who was a very average runner, really not even better than me, who wrote some books regarding running as a lifestyle and spiritual experience. Gosh, I wish I could remember his name. His books contributed hugely to the development of an appreciation of the "Running Experience". George Somebody, I think. I wish somebody like that would come along to comment on the "Bonsai Experience".

Maybe such a thing would happen if Bonsai became more popular.

Plus, who knows, maybe even our own Walter Pall might start to see the prices of his trees begin to climb to something a little closer to what seems to me to be their fair value.

Oh, and Chris, thanks for the heads up on PMs. And, thanks for the kind comments.

Fred