A serious discussion about building intrest in bonsai for the 15-35 crowd

[Woody Carverton]

I often come across discussions and opinions that bonsai as an art form is dying and will all but expire if there is not interest built in the younger generations of today.

Having been in the hobby since my youth, I tend to lean on the side of agreeing with those discussions as I myself have seen less and less of the younger crowd at events, meetings, trade shows, lectures, etc.

A lot of you already know that my wife, daughter and I are doing a lot on a regional level to spread interest in bonsai with our garden project, and we have been at it for years. This morning while watching the snow slowly melt and being able to see the tops of our trees poking through the sea of white I was hit with an overwhelming feeling to do something on a more nation wide scale to help raise awareness and interest in bonsai in the younger crowd.

So with that, I decided I was going to cancel my last buying trip for the season and take that $10,000 I was going to spend on specimens, and put it to use in trying to get the younger crowd interested in bonsai.

Now my dilemma....

How to get the best bang for my buck and reach the maximum number of younger people in the 15-35 age group.


I would like to get some ideas from all you wonderful folks here @ Bnut, and have a serious discussion about building interest in the younger group and bringing them to bonsai. Not only on ideas about how to get the best bang for my buck, but also ideas on how the current community as a whole could come together to help bring in more of the younger crowd to our wonderful hobby / art form.

For the purpose of discussion, lets think nationally, or globally. Not locally or regionally. If your ideas are something local or regional, let them be something that is inexpensive, and infinitely scalable and repeatable on a national or global scale. Think most impact for smallest investment whether that is time or money.

 

[Starfox]

Outreach!
But this would be your new life to make it a success.

I got a friend who does this for solar astronomy in the US and globally and takes his set up to schools and public events. Totally not for profit mind you so not sure if that would be an option but I would think a similar approach would work if you can have a traveling and display and maybe a crash course. Free stick in a pot type thing.

As long as you have willing people to set up in their own region you can have a global network easy enough.

 

[Crabman]

Youtube. There aren't' enough outstanding channels, but there are a fair amount that are building right now. Once channels get a decent following they should cross promote with other related channels, gardening, diy, etc. Channels should be updated frequently to maintain a user base. 10 minute to hour long shows would be popular. Not just tutorials but discussions with artists and tours of collections. Less branding and more discussion. Less focus on the artist and more focus on the art and the trees. Post the videos here and on reddit.

 

[Woody Carverton]

Outreach!
But this would be your new life to make it a success.

I got a friend who does this for solar astronomy in the US and globally and takes his set up to schools and public events. Totally not for profit mind you so not sure if that would be an option but I would think a similar approach would work if you can have a traveling and display and maybe a crash course. Free stick in a pot type thing.

As long as you have willing people to set up in their own region you can have a global network easy enough.

Not a bad idea, but I already have a "new life" tending to thousands of trees. I like the idea of a network of people on a large scale each working regionally or locally, but then again, I think that may take a huge amount of time to get set up even with $10,000 in funding to get it started. One would almost have to instantly have a hundred bodies at their disposal to get it up and going quickly and to make it self sustainable before a person tires of the day to day.

 

[Woody Carverton]

Youtube. There aren't' enough outstanding channels, but there are a fair amount that are building right now. Once channels get a decent following they should cross promote with other related channels, gardening, diy, etc. Channels should be updated frequently to maintain a user base. 10 minute to hour long shows would be popular. Not just tutorials but discussions with artists and tours of collections. Less branding and more discussion. Less focus on the artist and more focus on the art and the trees. Post the videos here and on reddit.

How could a person target that directly to the 15-35 crowd and get them to actually watch it without having any interest in the hobby already? Making youtube videos from my experience only reaches people who are already searching for that type of content. YouTube isn't a bad idea, but getting it in front of the right audience and keeping them entertained enough to try it is more the goal.

Your idea is defiantly something that should be done to support the hobby and build a wealth of information on it, but we need to think more about how to bring new people in, not keep current people entertained.

Do you have any ideas on how YouTube could be used as a platform to directly target people who are not currently involved in the bonsai community? More specifically the 15-35 crowd?

 

[Woody Carverton]

I think I should have been more clear in my original post.

The object here is to get NEW bodies into bonsai. I.E. people who are not already googling "bonsai" and related topics.

Let's think more, bring someone who has no current involvement or interest.

Also, for the purpose of discussion, lets not think about profit. I fully intend to see $0.00 ROI on that $10k this spring and summer.

 

[Crabman]

How could a person target that directly to the 15-35 crowd and get them to actually watch it without having any interest in the hobby already? Making youtube videos from my experience only reaches people who are already searching for that type of content. YouTube isn't a bad idea, but getting it in front of the right audience and keeping them entertained enough to try it is more the goal.

Your idea is defiantly something that should be done to support the hobby and build a wealth of information on it, but we need to think more about how to bring new people in, not keep current people entertained.

Do you have any ideas on how YouTube could be used as a platform to directly target people who are not currently involved in the bonsai community? More specifically the 15-35 crowd?

15-35 are on youtube. The only way to reach that demographic on a national scale with 10k is online. People get interested organically. Often times from being gifted a tree. Then they go online to see what it is all about. If they find quality content and a vibrant community they will stick around. You can try to gift trees to a bunch of college students and include links to online resources, but you would have to find the students interested first.

Maybe just have a channel where you give away trees. You could cross promote with another popular gardening channel. Give trees to people in that demographic. Do a follow up video series with those people.

 

[StoneCloud]

People today want to read, see things fast. Just the way it is. On that note I think that putting together a documentary of time lapses of some of the best progressions out there, coupled with good interviews, music throughout the production would keep new people's attention.

Get the film put together and then have it aired on TV, streamed online etc......

For more funding maybe start a gofundme page for the project. Tell the big names what you are doing and you will get sponsors fast.

What do you think?

 

[Crabman]

People today want to read, see things fast. Just the way it is. On that note I think that putting together a documentary of time lapses of some of the best progressions out there, coupled with good interviews, music throughout the production would keep new people's attention.

Get the film put together and then have it aired on TV, streamed online etc......

For more funding maybe start a gofundme page for the project. Tell the big names what you are doing and you will get sponsors fast.

What do you think?

I like this. I got into time lapse photography and astrophotography this way. Saw those popular viral videos of the night sky and decided to give it a try.

 

[Starfox]

Not a bad idea, but I already have a "new life" tending to thousands of trees. I like the idea of a network of people on a large scale each working regionally or locally, but then again, I think that may take a huge amount of time to get set up even with $10,000 in funding to get it started. One would almost have to instantly have a hundred bodies at their disposal to get it up and going quickly and to make it self sustainable before a person tires of the day to day.

Well yeah but I don't think there is an easier route to bring about awareness, at least with an impact. Youtube, websites, istagrams and facebooks are all great tools and almost a must as an accessory to an idea but nothing will ever beat seeing and handling the real thing.
So you got t get out there and show those kids.

Not just schools either, I mean comic cons you have an in. Anime and bonsai is a thing and general pop culture you can probably easily get a stand. Ag fairs, flower shows harvest markets, low key music fests etc...
I think you probably have most of what you need to start up already, the cash would be for transport.

But an instant network is never going to happen unless you franchise it and that probably isn't a great idea. You will get far more support from the community if it doesn't look like a business and probably even find grants are available if you meet the right criteria. Do it for the passion, bottle that whatever it is.

 

[AZbonsai]

I think your age bracket is off...you need to go lower. I would go 10-12 and start after school bonsai clubs.

 

[parhamr]

In Portland there has been success in outreach by displaying and demonstrating at cultural centers:

• Art museum
• Japanese gardens
• University hall lobby
• Local microbrewery
• Architecture firm window in Downtown

These events have been well promoted with some buzz through weekly news magazines, sponsor raffles, and charitable proceeds. This seems to be a model that brings a mix of people and extends networks into folks who do not yet know of bonsai.

 

[AZbonsai]

Or, create a kid centered bonsai curriculum ans sell it to existing garden clubs. Check with your local Cooperative Extension about introducing bonsai in garden clubs.

 

[hemmy]

I agree with @AZbonsai, put an emphasis on 10 year old range. In the intro club workshops and demos they always seem the most excited and engaged as an age group. I don't think you are going to get teenagers excited about anything, their lives are becoming very social and "complicated" (e.g., hormones and not of the auxin variety).

IMO, if you introduce the younger kids, some may stay with it and even more may come back to the hobby after high school and college. I was always interested as a kid, but it took getting a job out of college and some disposable time and income to really get engaged.

Are there really less young people in North American bonsai than 30 years ago? It seems like there is a strong younger generation in the US in both bonsai and ceramics, but maybe that is the bias of social media.

 

[BrianBay9]

I just started a new job. Everyone in the place is at least 30 yrs younger than me and I'm trying really hard not to be the "old guy". But they asked about hobbies and outside interests so I brought in a bonsai. Got 5 people, 20 - 30 yrs old, wanting to give it a try. I brought in starter plants, and told them if they keep them alive for a month, I'll have everyone over to my place for wine/beer and the next instructional session - repotting and wiring. I am encouraged by the interest. We'll see if it sticks.

 

[0soyoung]

In Portland there has been success in outreach by displaying and demonstrating at cultural centers:

• Art museum
• Japanese gardens
• University hall lobby
• Local microbrewery
• Architecture firm window in Downtown

These events have been well promoted with some buzz through weekly news magazines, sponsor raffles, and charitable proceeds. This seems to be a model that brings a mix of people and extends networks into folks who do not yet know of bonsai.

I agree. People need to see it to become interested in it.

 

[parhamr]

(I'm 31, for reference)

 

[ConorDash]

I started at 24, I'm 25 now. I find many are interested when seeing great bonsai trees and wanna try, just don't end up doing it.
Social picture sharing site called imgur, people like bonsai when it pops up and it's a common comment that people put, saying they always wanted to try.

But it takes a lot of time and patience and most aren't willing to do that.

 

[Woody Carverton]

In Portland there has been success in outreach by displaying and demonstrating at cultural centers:

• Art museum
• Japanese gardens
• University hall lobby
• Local microbrewery
• Architecture firm window in Downtown

These events have been well promoted with some buzz through weekly news magazines, sponsor raffles, and charitable proceeds. This seems to be a model that brings a mix of people and extends networks into folks who do not yet know of bonsai.

@parhamr do you have any of those promotional materials in your possession still? I would be very interested in browsing through them to get some ideas and investigate these ideas a little further

 

[Adair M]

Woody, I sympathize with your intention, but frankly that age group is going to be difficult to target. Let me rephrase that: that age group will find it difficult to incorporate into their lifestyle. I say this even though I discovered bonsai at around age 16 or 17, and have been interested ever since, I consider myself the exception rather than the rule.

Kids 15 to 18 will be going off to college. Once out of college, they'll be living in apartments. Probably moving frequently. Then they'll be getting married, setting up households...

About the time they're buying their first house, getting settled, that's the time when their lifestyle will slow down so they will be able to maintain trees in pots! Of course, that's also when they'll be starting having kids, and we all know how much time and money it takes to raise kids!

I'm sorry I can't offer a solution to the issues I've raised here.

Perhaps a way to get younger people involved is to try to get young couples to "adapt" bonsai trees. You know how they will get a dog as a baby substitute?

How about sitting outside Walmart with a cardboard box with "free bonsai" scribbled on? (Instead of kittens! Lol!!). When people stop by to look, hand out bonsai club literature? And give away seedlings.

Sponser a local "bring your bonsai to work day"?