How do I keep love for bonsai ?

[jeremy_norbury]

I think we have all probably gone through periods where bonsai has taken a back seat to other hobbies/sports/relationships/family events/house moves etc.

The sport of bonsai doesn't have to be the center of your life. I find having a ridiculous number of trees helps me because then I can't get bored - so when I want to do something bonsai related I can always find something to do (in fact even when I don't particularly want something to do there's still something I should have been doing). It's the cross I bear.

 

[Njyamadori]

I just want to second Zack's advice. I've started over 3 times, for various reasons. I started dabbling with bonsai before I was 15 years old. Didn't admit that I really needed teachers until I was in my 40's. Had to start over again due to health issues some 12 years ago.
So @Njyamadori - keep at it. Never stop learning about bonsai, even if college, life & such distract you for a while, you can keep coming back to it. Finding a live in person teacher, or a group of mentors always helps. Search the internets, find the bonsai club nearest you, and then have your folks take you to a few meetings and or shows. Not to get more trees, but to learn the aspects of bonsai that can not be put on a 2 dimensional laptop screen, or in a book. Secret - this involves time, and timing.

Thanks for the advice

 

[LittleDingus]

My opinion: if the endeavor is a hobby to you, and you lose interest over time, so what? Move on. I've "outgrown" so many hobbies that my wife teases me that my only true hobby is that I collect hobbies

Hobbies help us relax. They help us expand our boundaries and grow as individuals. We learn new skills and ways at looking at problems that we can apply to all areas of life. If you are no longer gaining peace and growing as an individual but are instead stressing about all these "chores" that have built up and you need to find ways to motivate yourself to keep up with them, is it really a hobby??

 

[just.wing.it]

I would say that the fact that you're only 13 now and already interested in bonsai puts you in a unique place to possibly be a serious bonsai master someday......cuz time is the name of the game.
If you get sick of it....plant your trees in the ground and 10 years later, when you devide to get back into bonsai, they will be beast trunks ready for chopping.

 

[Njyamadori]

I would say that the fact that you're only 13 now and already interested in bonsai puts you in a unique place to possibly be a serious bonsai master someday......cuz time is the name of the game.
If you get sick of it....plant your trees in the ground and 10 years later, when you devide to get back into bonsai, they will be beast trunks ready for chopping.

Yeah thanks so much . I’m not losing love but only growing my love for bonsai but I randomly asked this question

 

[MrWunderful]

You either can stick with something for 20 Years or you can’t.

Simple.


Sometimes it takes 20 years to realize it too.

 

[MrWunderful]

double post

 

[one_bonsai]

Just maintain what you have and take a break from bonsai for a while. I guarantee you'll come back to it with renewed enthusiasm.

 

[jaco94]

Watch the news for more than 5 minutes and you will find bonsai to be a great hobby.

 

[Bnana]

Some parts of bonsai can be pretty boring. Like planting a young tree on a tile and waiting for five or ten years so it gets a bit thicker.
Doing things like that and giving trees the time to develop will give you great trees in the end. So do those things (it's also cheap as you start with very young trees).

On the other hand you have a hobby to do something. So also get some fast growing trees to play with and develop your skills.
Practice wiring, try air-layering, try grafting, root-grafting, ruin and kill some trees. It takes some time to learn this and it is hands on.
Once the trees on the tiles are nice and thick you'll know what to do with them.

 

[leatherback]

Some parts of bonsai can be pretty boring. Like planting a young tree on a tile and waiting for five or ten years so it gets a bit thicker.

unfortunately it doesnat work that way. if you plant a saplibg on a tile and leave it for ten years you will just have a medium sized tree with a tile grown into the roots.

 

[Bnana]

Sure, you have to do a few things once in a while, pruning roots and shoots. But it is far from a full time hobby.
Waiting is a big part of the game.

 

[Njyamadori]

How old are you?

13 lol

 

[Tall Guy]

Hey, I started at 13... all my trees died while in my parents care while I was away at college. Graduated, got married, bought a house in my mid 20’s... and the interest came back. I’ve had bonsai trees ever since, 50+ Trees now. Currently 63 yrs. Young... guess I’ll stick with the hobby for a while longer.

 

[Njyamadori]

Hey, I started at 13... all my trees died while in my parents care while I was away at college. Graduated, got married, bought a house in my mid 20’s... and the interest came back. I’ve had bonsai trees ever since, 50+ Trees now. Currently 63 yrs. Young... guess I’ll stick with the hobby for a while longer.

lol that’s why I don’t want to go to college

 

[Njyamadori]

Well I guess every hobby has a mental “block” but every time you don’t quit it ends quicker the next time and the more you have a connection with the hobby. My <13 self didn’t understand this and thought that a mental block means that you have to quit
.
Ryan Neil has a good quote on this that’s “A master is someone who ever single day tries to pursue perfection at their chosen endeavor” that goes with “there’s a lots of days that you don’t want to go do it”. It’s important for me to know this to know that even bonsai masters aren’t always motivated but they get through the bad times .

 

[penumbra]

"do or not do, there is no try" Yoda

 

[Bavarian Raven]

"do or not do, there is no try" Yoda

Yes but today was secretly a sigh, so maybe best not to take his advice

 

[John P.]

If you find yourself having to try to love something or someone, then it/they are probably not right for you. Just my 49 years of experience.

 

[dbonsaiw]

Perspective is such a funny thing. There are so many here, myself included, who wish they would have put a few trees into a pot at 13. When you're pushing 50, in hindsight the 10 years from 13-23 is a blink of an eye. At 13, being 23 feels like a lifetime away.

Bonsai isn't your job and there's little reason to make it your entire life now. There's also no need to decide right now that you will or will not be doing this in 10 years. Live in the moment. Enjoy the trees, learn and try to develop them. As a hobby, bonsai doesn't eat up too much time and gives you the opportunity to do a ton of other stuff if you want. In the years to come, you can decide if you want to sell them, give them away or continue to work on them further. You will change so many times between now and then that it's not even worth thinking about it now. Just have fun.

I just started myself too and it is indeed frustrating. It will make the eventual reward all that much more satisfying. The people here are really knowledgeable and helpful. Don't hesitate to ask questions. Everyone here was once in the same newbie position.