Why I Bonsai

Attila

Absolutely. And she would never claim that she is superior in any way. She would tell you that it is her way of entertaining herself.

Very good points.
I also think that a "cyber-master" (I like that term) should be able to tell from a picture the level at which the hobbyist is practicing bonsai..

So, If I see a little twig in a bonsai pot (which I see a lot), it should dawn on me that the person who is asking for an advice is not an artist and I shouldn't hold him responsible for being a non-artist. He doesn't have to state that ("I am not an artist and I am not following rules") and doesn't have to apologise for that. It's all obvious from the picture.

The advice I give him in this case is just basic advice for bonsai care. No art and schmart. Nothing critical, judgmental, preaching from high ground, just basic stuff. No complaining about "what has this world come to" and "what's wrong with American bonsai". It's just a twig in a pot, for God's sake, and the poor beginner needs some help and encouragement. A bonsai master should know better.

Regards,
Attila

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mkonig

Is it not true to say that :
"The person who chooses a path to travel is not the same person when he arrives at the destination. The path will change the traveller."
Maybe it is just that some have forgotten ( or find it hard to remember) who they were when they set off!

My relatively short time in bonsai has taken me from sticking seedlings in to pots and wiring everything in sight, to wanting to learn more, reading books, taking lessons, joining a club, getting rid of a lot of material that will never make it and trying to understand the rules and asthetics of bonsai.

I am not quite there yet (and maybe never will be) but the path I have chosen has definetly changed me.

It has also thought me that you must wear the hat that fits you.
If someone told me to start growing tomatoes because my bonsai are crap, I would take this as challenge to do better rather than get upset about it.
Why?
Because I know that my bonsai may not be masterpieces yet, but I am working on it.

If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.

Mike

__________________
I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person

Will_Heath

And what direction would you suggest for this twig in a pot? One toward an artistic goal or one that leads elsewhere? In order to work with bonsai one needs to have a end image in mind, and yes, an artistic image. True, you need learned techniques to get there while keeping the medium growing, but the path is always toward an artistic end.

With tomatoes, the path ends with a salt shaker.


Will

mkonig

Only if they were grown until they are ripe and juicy and tasty! Otherwise it may be the chutney pot.

Mike

__________________
I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person

Attila

Certainly.
And I would do everything in my power to help him create the best bonsai he can because I believe in the art of bonsai.

But I dont want to put the cart ahead of the horse. I know that there is a long way from a twig in a pot to Kokufu-ten. First the beginner needs to learn to see a bonsai before he learns to create one. One needs to play with the twigs for a while befor one slowly discovers that there is much more out there. How can you teach someone how to create a first class bonsai before he even learns how to recognize one.

I have a two year old son who is discovering the world right now, day by day. There are things that he greatly enjoys doing, but he does it at a very basic level. The moment I rush him into his favourite activities, instead of helping him to advance, I am slowing his development. If I am not careful, I can even cause him to hate what he used to enjoy.

Will_Heath

Touché ...........Well put!

Will

RonMartin(deceased)

Good words Attila

rockm

"One needs to play with the twigs for a while befor one slowly discovers that there is much more out there. How can you teach someone how to create a first class bonsai before he even learns how to recognize one."

I think this is the point of tension that trips almost all of us up at one point or another. The people that have been doing bonsai for a while get frustrated that beginners fool around with "twigs" in pots, cuttings, growing from seed, etc. The old timers know, that for the most part, those activities are a waste of time in producing a decent bonsai. They largely are, but that doesn't mean they're all worthless.

Beginners learn alot from such activity, but mistakenly assume they're doing "bonsai," when in reality they're just gardening.

This friction comes up again and again in posts here and is the flash point for man may arguments.

Just an observation...

Repotter