Bonsai forums a bad thing?

Victrinia Ensor said:
WOW................ :eek::eek::eek:

That's the most shocking thing I've read in this thread.

There's more than one way to get a bonsai education. Forums can, and often are, a part of that, especially for our far flung and isolated friends. For my part I started on bonsai forums.... I quickly found in my heart the level of commitment that I wanted to give to this art and a teacher who gave me the bounty he could impart, for which he charged me only the sweat of my brow. Not every teacher costs a fortune for the fortunate few. For anyone not living next door it would cost upwards of 15K to get an education lasting 30 days from the rightly esteemed Boon. That's a lot of trees, when I have been able to have 100s of days of intensive one-on-one training for the cost of showing up. The cost for working with Ryan is even higher, AND you have to provide the wire you will be applying to HIS trees. lol (That part cracked me up.) The cost of either option is daunting for most.

I think that because I have been given freely the knowledge I have acquired, I give it just as freely. I would never have gotten anywhere without the nurturing of the forums however.... and for that I am beyond grateful. The friendships that the forums have provided me are the icing on the cake, for there are many I treasure dearly (Al, Vance, Rob, Dave etc...) whether or not I have met them.

For all that I have learned, there are still oceans of knowledge to be gained.... teachers to meet and to work with.... friends to be gained and cherished. May the forums always have a place in that experience.... and may the journey be rich for everyone, no matter how they approach it... or with whom.

My best,

Victrinia
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I don't own a computer either. Just me and my smart phone. I've gotten by well without internet. Really the only internet activities I do are bonsai related.
I am going to a bpnsao show this weekend for the first time. Ever. I actually get to see a bonsai tree in person for the first time. Not just pictures. The show is 3 hours away but I get to meet Vance Wood. For me it doesn't get any better than that.
 
M. Frary said:
I don't own a computer either. Just me and my smart phone. I've gotten by well without internet. Really the only internet activities I do are bonsai related.
I am going to a bpnsao show this weekend for the first time. Ever. I actually get to see a bonsai tree in person for the first time. Not just pictures. The show is 3 hours away but I get to meet Vance Wood. For me it doesn't get any better than that.
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I'm well pleased for you.... If you were a girl I'd make you hug Vance for me. lol Give him a good hand shake or me instead though. ;)

Enjoy!!!

V
 
See. Now I got to hug him. I'll tell him it's from you. Don't want to give the wrong first impression.
 
Lady Vic. you are a trip---thank God.
 
I haven't been on here for a while, but I'm a little surprised at this...

Bonsai - These miniatures would eventually be considered garnishes decidedly to be excluded by Japanese artists who were simplifying their creations in the spirit of Zen Buddhism

Zen - Zen emphasizes the attainment of enlightenment and the personal expression of direct insight in the Buddhist teachings.

Buddhism - In Buddhism, Karma is the force that drives saṃsāra—the cycle of suffering and rebirth for each being. Good, skillful deeds and bad, unskillful actions produce "seeds" in the mind that come to fruition either in this life or in a subsequent rebirth. The avoidance of unwholesome actions and the cultivation of positive actions is called śīla.

All of the above was from wikipedia by the way.

I'm not perfect by any means and sometimes I let human emotions get the best of me, but I've been reading some things here that have not been what I would have expected to see on a forums that is about bonsai trees which are associated with a history involving buddhism.

Don't give in to negativity its not worth losing yourself, or your core, over it.

1 positive action creates 2 other positive actions. 1 negative action creates 10 other negative actions. Beware of wrath and pride. Sometimes I need a reminder of this myself. We are human therefore we are flawed. Evolution is literally the product of mistakes, corrective actions, and the conclusions of "trial and error".
 
Sterling355 said:
I haven't been on here for a while, but I'm a little surprised at this...

Bonsai - These miniatures would eventually be considered garnishes decidedly to be excluded by Japanese artists who were simplifying their creations in the spirit of Zen Buddhism

Zen - Zen emphasizes the attainment of enlightenment and the personal expression of direct insight in the Buddhist teachings.

Buddhism - In Buddhism, Karma is the force that drives saṃsāra—the cycle of suffering and rebirth for each being. Good, skillful deeds and bad, unskillful actions produce "seeds" in the mind that come to fruition either in this life or in a subsequent rebirth. The avoidance of unwholesome actions and the cultivation of positive actions is called śīla.

All of the above was from wikipedia by the way.

I'm not perfect by any means and sometimes I let human emotions get the best of me, but I've been reading some things here that have not been what I would have expected to see on a forums that is about bonsai trees which are associated with a history involving buddhism.

Don't give in to negativity its not worth losing yourself, or your core, over it.

1 positive action creates 2 other positive actions. 1 negative action creates 10 other negative actions. Beware of wrath and pride. Sometimes I need a reminder of this myself. We are human therefore we are flawed. Evolution is literally the product of mistakes, corrective actions, and the conclusions of "trial and error".
Click to expand...


Capital and literal LOL. What a tangent.
 
Yes. All of us in the hobby should practice Buddhism. Throwing religion into this thread will definitely calm it down. Ha ha. I can't stop laughing.
 
This is why i stay a member of this site. despite still being very new, i love the "culture" on hear. I remember wanting to post things early on that i'm glad i didn't now. It's just a blast watching new people come in and the way the community(site vets) interacts. Thick skin is a must if you want to be involved with the internet bonsai world.
 
bonsaiBlake said:
Thick skin is a must if you want to be involved with the internet bonsai world.
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Thick skin? Sometimes. When I created this site it was because I could not find a bonsai site that was critical ENOUGH. What do you learn when people only agree with you?

I post tons of stuff that gets criticized. In fact, almost all the stuff I post needs criticism - and I am seeking it out. I will get 6 different opinions. Some will be strongly worded. However each person took the TIME to share their opinion with me. It is a gift. Whether or not I "agree" with it, or whether I decide to act on their advice is completely up to me. But I always seek to understand where they are coming from. It almost always changes the way I look at my tree.

When I get together with some of my bonsai friends we never agree on ANYTHING. Si (who is a regular on this site) has a very different artistic viewpoint. We will often disagree on tree design. Yet I respect his opinion. He often has ideas that are way outside of the box. Some of his trees that he doesn't like I think are amazing. Some of my trees that are strictly "meh" to me he really likes. That's the way it goes. You can disagree without ridiculing or making enemies. The important thing is to explain your position - not just state it. "I don't like the apex because of these three reasons" will come off much better than "your apex sucks". I tend to pay a lot of attention to the first comment, and much less to the second :)
 
Paradox said:
Words of wisdom
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This idea and concept works when dealing with the design of a tree. Most of the time I do not comment on the quality of a tree unless I am asked.

However; and especially lately, when asked about my qualities as an asshole I am compelled to respond and in doing so prove, that I am an asshole with an "F"ing pronoun added for emphasis.
 
there's an old saying(actually started with the freemasons) it goes "Friends can be friends but don't discuss religion or politics" I feel something similar could be said for bonsai but more along the lines of "bonsai artists can be friends but we don't talk about soil or fertilizer"
 
I said this on another thread -- I've been on other hobby boards, and the rancor on bonsai boards is among the worst. For what should be a relaxing hobby, it sure attracts a lot of nasty people.
 
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