I think once you start practicing bones
I and once bones I gets inside you
you’ll never look at trees the same
again because you start realizing this
magnificent microcosm that’s happening
inside every tree and you see
similarities to trees and people if you
think abstractly enough you can draw a
direct correlation between almost
everything a human being does and
everything in tree toes trees trees of
people almost virtually identical we
need all but two essential elements
that’s all that differentiates a tree
and a human being two essential elements
otherwise the tree and human being need
exactly the same thing
no time time plays a tremendous role in
human beings in terms of our character
and personality and you know when we’re
young very sharp maybe we see in black
and white
maybe we’re rambunctious high-energy you
know as you get older maybe you lose
some of that energy some of that pizzazz
maybe you become a little bit more able
to step back and think about things when
you start to look at the way time
impacts a tree it’s very similar scars
that looked very artificial when they
were first created start to look natural
as as they whether in the age and and
they they become a part of the tree that
naturally occurred as far as that tree
is concerned you can’t you can’t
duplicate that you can’t add bark to a
tree and have it look natural you know
you can’t you can’t take away the the
toolmarks and have it look like it was
never artificially done that’s something
only time can only time can create
when you engage in something where you
are pushing the limit of a living things
ability to survive for the purpose of
creating something even more beautiful
than what existed prior to that
engagement the relationship and the bond
that forms in that creative process and
walking the line of life and death is
something that is I don’t know if you
could duplicate and then to see the tree
survive and to see the tree respond for
it to get more healthy for it to grow
into that design for it to communicate
back to you what it liked and didn’t
like and then to respond to that again
and this back and forth collaboration
until the conversation becomes so
similar the tree is taken on what you
were hoping for in the and you’ve taken
on what the tree is hoping for you know
you’ve closed the gap in that
collaboration you know that process is
it’s like a drug
respect is is probably at the most
fundamental level of being able to do
bonsai well and doing bonsai well
doesn’t mean being able to make a
beautiful tree it means being able to
cultivate a healthy tree through all of
the different processes that bonsai
involves if you don’t respect the fact
that life and death is a very real part
of the creative process with bonsai and
maybe the one thing that really
separates it differentiates it from any
other media that art can be created from
if you don’t respect that line you don’t
have anything in the end except for a
big dead tree and what if that tree is a
thousand years old you know we might be
here for 80 years
90 if we’re lucky 100 if we’re really
out of the ordinary that trees been here
for a thousand years do you have the
right to not respect that I don’t think
so
I think there are ways to create a bone
sigh well but I don’t know if there are
ways to create a bone sigh right you
always still have to fall back on the
fundamental concepts of horticulture are
you giving the tree what it needs and
then from a design perspective are you
respecting the visual boundaries of
design are you creating something that’s
going to be beautiful are the lines
beautiful is the form beautiful is the
balance what it needs to be for that
tree to be visually appealing
that’s creating boatside well
creating boats I write I don’t think it
exists
when I went and I started my
apprenticeship there isn’t anybody that
can ever explain to you what that means
an apprentice is somebody who’s going to
not only learn a craft but also grow as
a person and observe the humility
necessary to not only learn but continue
to grow after their apprenticeship the
one thing that I realized when I was
apprenticed
that to become a master you know six
years is like a it’s the very beginning
a master is somebody who every single
day tries to pursue perfection at their
chosen endeavor it sounds beautiful and
it sounds simple when you think about
being a master okay every day I’m going
to do this and I’m going to try to do it
my best well there’s a lot of days that
you don’t want to go do it and there’s a
lot of days that you would rather take
the shortcut then do it as well as it
could be done and better than the day
before and know that tomorrow you’re
going to do it better than you did that
day so I think a master is somebody that
has the work ethic that has the
discipline that has the passion and has
the talent you know to do what they do
every day
incrementally better until the day they
die a master doesn’t retire the master
doesn’t stop
they do it until their debt it’s a part
of them it’s who you are
you
I and once bones I gets inside you
you’ll never look at trees the same
again because you start realizing this
magnificent microcosm that’s happening
inside every tree and you see
similarities to trees and people if you
think abstractly enough you can draw a
direct correlation between almost
everything a human being does and
everything in tree toes trees trees of
people almost virtually identical we
need all but two essential elements
that’s all that differentiates a tree
and a human being two essential elements
otherwise the tree and human being need
exactly the same thing
no time time plays a tremendous role in
human beings in terms of our character
and personality and you know when we’re
young very sharp maybe we see in black
and white
maybe we’re rambunctious high-energy you
know as you get older maybe you lose
some of that energy some of that pizzazz
maybe you become a little bit more able
to step back and think about things when
you start to look at the way time
impacts a tree it’s very similar scars
that looked very artificial when they
were first created start to look natural
as as they whether in the age and and
they they become a part of the tree that
naturally occurred as far as that tree
is concerned you can’t you can’t
duplicate that you can’t add bark to a
tree and have it look natural you know
you can’t you can’t take away the the
toolmarks and have it look like it was
never artificially done that’s something
only time can only time can create
when you engage in something where you
are pushing the limit of a living things
ability to survive for the purpose of
creating something even more beautiful
than what existed prior to that
engagement the relationship and the bond
that forms in that creative process and
walking the line of life and death is
something that is I don’t know if you
could duplicate and then to see the tree
survive and to see the tree respond for
it to get more healthy for it to grow
into that design for it to communicate
back to you what it liked and didn’t
like and then to respond to that again
and this back and forth collaboration
until the conversation becomes so
similar the tree is taken on what you
were hoping for in the and you’ve taken
on what the tree is hoping for you know
you’ve closed the gap in that
collaboration you know that process is
it’s like a drug
respect is is probably at the most
fundamental level of being able to do
bonsai well and doing bonsai well
doesn’t mean being able to make a
beautiful tree it means being able to
cultivate a healthy tree through all of
the different processes that bonsai
involves if you don’t respect the fact
that life and death is a very real part
of the creative process with bonsai and
maybe the one thing that really
separates it differentiates it from any
other media that art can be created from
if you don’t respect that line you don’t
have anything in the end except for a
big dead tree and what if that tree is a
thousand years old you know we might be
here for 80 years
90 if we’re lucky 100 if we’re really
out of the ordinary that trees been here
for a thousand years do you have the
right to not respect that I don’t think
so
I think there are ways to create a bone
sigh well but I don’t know if there are
ways to create a bone sigh right you
always still have to fall back on the
fundamental concepts of horticulture are
you giving the tree what it needs and
then from a design perspective are you
respecting the visual boundaries of
design are you creating something that’s
going to be beautiful are the lines
beautiful is the form beautiful is the
balance what it needs to be for that
tree to be visually appealing
that’s creating boatside well
creating boats I write I don’t think it
exists
when I went and I started my
apprenticeship there isn’t anybody that
can ever explain to you what that means
an apprentice is somebody who’s going to
not only learn a craft but also grow as
a person and observe the humility
necessary to not only learn but continue
to grow after their apprenticeship the
one thing that I realized when I was
apprenticed
that to become a master you know six
years is like a it’s the very beginning
a master is somebody who every single
day tries to pursue perfection at their
chosen endeavor it sounds beautiful and
it sounds simple when you think about
being a master okay every day I’m going
to do this and I’m going to try to do it
my best well there’s a lot of days that
you don’t want to go do it and there’s a
lot of days that you would rather take
the shortcut then do it as well as it
could be done and better than the day
before and know that tomorrow you’re
going to do it better than you did that
day so I think a master is somebody that
has the work ethic that has the
discipline that has the passion and has
the talent you know to do what they do
every day
incrementally better until the day they
die a master doesn’t retire the master
doesn’t stop
they do it until their debt it’s a part
of them it’s who you are
you
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