Dan Cormican wrote:
I kind of wish I had this problem. I have only been doing Bonsai for ~one and a half years, I think I suck at Bonsai, and, at the moment, at least, I am quite correct. However I have been a musician 20+ years. I recorded (not likely anything anyone here has ever heard), toured and at one point was in 2 well known bands in my regional scene. Frankly, I've listened to my own songs a total of 4-5 times over 20 years and can't stand to listen to most because I can only hear the flaws, mistakes, missing elements, etc. I have always been amazed at people who raved about my bands. For the life of me I still assume they suffer some form of brain damage. Hopefully, in Bonsai I can find a better balance of self criticism and pride in my work.
Walter, excellent article. I've always enjoyed your posts, photos of your trees, etc.
Dan,
I'm sure that with a musician's talent, your bonsai skill will benefit from the lessons learned as you became a professional. I am almost exactly opposite of you. Nearing twenty years in bonsai, and only a novice who enjoys guitar. Friday I bought my eleven year old daughter a Fender dreadnought for her birthday. We "jammed" together and it was priceless. Terrible quality for a listener, but still priceless to me.
I'm not sure what instrument(s) you play, but just like learned skill in harmonics, pick depth, finger placement on frets, etc., applies to guitar, so does the mechanics of bonsai in the way of a learning curve.
You're here. That's a great start. A lot to help you on your way.
We all started by learning the basics. Here you will witness a higher level of bonsai.
Good luck with your bonsai endeavors,
John