Is Bonsai Mirai Live Worth $300/year?

[Bananaman]

By providing knowledge that very few if any out there are. I'm all for hands on person to person teaching -I've been doing it for 20 years. Ryan has a unique skill set that not many have- a degree and damn good education in horticulture and 7 years working under arguably one of the best bonsai artists in the world. Like I said I've been teaching and have owned a bonsai nursery over 20 years and I pretty much learn something new from every stream I watch. Just the one about redwoods taught me enough to keep them alive and healthy in the San Fernando Valley which alone is worth more than what I've spent in two years. I don't think I'd recommend it for brand new beginners but for anyone with the basics under his belt I think it is money well spent and would and do heartily recommend it. As to if its worth it- I think if you take in and USE the info he imparts its more than worth it. But thats just my opinion so take it how you will.

There is no doubt about his skills. I knew him when he was a freshman at Cal Poly. I know Ryan knows what he is doing. But how do you get the artistry part over to people. I've watched people take art classes which I provided at a hobby store I managed back in 1983 and people after twenty classes were no better artist than when they started. Some of the students were very good and got it but some didn't. My point all along in this has been don't get so caught up in all the hype that you never end up making a bonsai worthy of the name, but you can recite everything you watched....

 

[Bananaman]

I can get on board with that. And you’re the main attraction. Every rodeo needs it’s clown. Don’t shy away from the spotlight now.

More personal insults. sad...

 

[Vance Wood]

You may be right about the former but I can guarantee that you have a very distorted idea about scientists.

One of us does. You place too much confidence in either one you run the risk of being manipulated into doing something you may be ashamed of latter.

We are presently dealing with a gubernatorial candidate who claims to be a scientist, a recent immigrant, a former janitor, the owner of three or four now failed businesses running for office.

 

[markyscott]

This conversation is hilarious. I appreciate that folks are so concerned that those of us who subscribe might be wasting our money. But let’s see - I spent over $100 last MONTH on cable and didn’t watch it for one second. I probably won’t until football season starts again. I spent about $12 on Netflix, similar to what I’m spending on Mirai Live, and you should see some of the COMPLETE CRAP I blew my time on with that investment! I spent about $50 on an internet service so I could waste huge amounts of time reading and responding to stupid threads like these. Compared to all that, Mirai Live seems like an enormous bargain. There are plenty of ways for me to cut my budget and get more time back in my day to work on trees that involve removing time/money drains that I value far less than the content on Mirai Live. That, at least, focuses on a subject I enjoy and provides information I value. The same could not be said about cable television, Netflix or this thread.

S

 

[coh]

This conversation is hilarious. I appreciate that folks are so concerned that those of us who subscribe might be wasting our money. But let’s see - I spent over $100 last MONTH on cable and didn’t watch it for one second. I probably won’t until football season starts again. I spent about $12 on Netflix, similar to what I’m spending on Mirai Live, and you should see some of the COMPLETE CRAP I blew my time on with that investment! I spent about $50 on an internet service so I could waste huge amounts of time reading and responding to stupid threads like these. Compared to all that, Mirai Live seems like an enormous bargain. There are plenty of ways for me to cut my budget and get more time back in my day to work on trees that involve removing time/money drains that I value far less than the content on Mirai Live. That, at least, focuses on a subject I enjoy and provides information I value. The same could not be said about cable television, Netflix or this thread.

S

I can't like this twice so I'll say LIKE here, LOL. Done with this discussion, I think it's all been said at this point.

 

[Adair M]

This conversation is hilarious. I appreciate that folks are so concerned that those of us who subscribe might be wasting our money. But let’s see - I spent over $100 last MONTH on cable and didn’t watch it for one second. I probably won’t until football season starts again. I spent about $12 on Netflix, similar to what I’m spending on Mirai Live, and you should see some of the COMPLETE CRAP I blew my time on with that investment! I spent about $50 on an internet service so I could waste huge amounts of time reading and responding to stupid threads like these. Compared to all that, Mirai Live seems like an enormous bargain. There are plenty of ways for me to cut my budget and get more time back in my day to work on trees that involve removing time/money drains that I value far less than the content on Mirai Live. That, at least, focuses on a subject I enjoy and provides information I value. The same could not be said about cable television, Netflix or this thread.

S

Shoot, that’s nuthin! While you were out looking at big Rocks in Canada, l blew my entire MIRAI video budget on a plane trip to California where I thinned Boon’s Dragon tree, brought Dav4’s olive home for him, messed with a tree I got from @bleumeon, started a Scots pine, touched up three trees for the Nationals, removed wire from a couple more trees, cut back the Mino Yatsabusa Trident, removed the old leaves from a California Love Oak, checked on the status of a Silverberry where I had pulled the inner leaves off, but kept the outer ones. (And, lo and behold! It DID start to pop new shoots on the inside where the leaves used to be! Just like @markyscott illustrates in his maple threads!), I helped Boon take one of his Client’s trees back to her home. Boon had kept them in his garden while she had surgery and a prolonged recovery. Oh, yeah, several of those were azaleas which needed cutting back and thinning, which I did.

Lol!!!

Drank a few Shiners, too!

 

[Vin]

Removed the old leaves from a California Love Oak

Only in California would there be Love Oaks...

 

[markyscott]

Drank a few Shiners, too!

I can’t believe you wasted all that time and money on Shiners. Just think where you’d be if you used that time to work on trees and saved the money you spent for more bonsai.

Wait - what the hell am I saying. They’re going to throw me out of Texas!

S

 

[Bananaman]

This conversation is hilarious. I appreciate that folks are so concerned that those of us who subscribe might be wasting our money. But let’s see - I spent over $100 last MONTH on cable and didn’t watch it for one second. I probably won’t until football season starts again. I spent about $12 on Netflix, similar to what I’m spending on Mirai Live, and you should see some of the COMPLETE CRAP I blew my time on with that investment! I spent about $50 on an internet service so I could waste huge amounts of time reading and responding to stupid threads like these. Compared to all that, Mirai Live seems like an enormous bargain. There are plenty of ways for me to cut my budget and get more time back in my day to work on trees that involve removing time/money drains that I value far less than the content on Mirai Live. That, at least, focuses on a subject I enjoy and provides information I value. The same could not be said about cable television, Netflix or this thread.

S

Sounds like you need a money manager. Seems you may have more money than sense. ??? (I hear these smilie things ease the pain)

 

[Bananaman]

Only in California would there be Love Oaks...

Oh yea we have anything you need here for love!!!

 

[markyscott]

Sounds like you need a money manager. Seems you may have more money than sense. ??? (I hear these smilie things ease the pain)

Lol. Can’t afford one. I have to pay my cable bill. Besides, why waste good cash on a money manager when I could spend it getting quality bonsai material? Also. No time to talk. I’m watching the Flash on Netflix.

 

[Adair M]

Lol. Can’t afford one. I have to pay my cable bill. Besides, why waste good cash on a money manager when I could spend it getting quality bonsai material? Also. No time to talk. I’m watching the Flash on Netflix.

And, a money manager won’t fit in the fridge the way a 6 pack of Shiners does!

 

[MichaelS]

. But how do you get the artistry part over to people. ....

You can't

 

[Saddler]

You can't

You don’t think artistry can be learned?

 

[MichaelS]

You don’t think artistry can be learned?

No I don't. Only technique can be learned. You can't teach someone to be creative, but you can show them what to look for.
You can't teach some one how to ''see'' IMO.
In a musical sense for example, a teacher can show a student a C minor with a flat fifth and a sharp ninth and introduce how it sounds to his/her ear etc; but he cannot show how to use it except to give an example of something already done.

 

[rockm]

I watched the whole thing. It‘s about 1 1/2 hours of step-by-step-step instruction of the entire process of wood preservation from beginning to end. Very important to me because i live in a climate in which deadwood can detiorate very rapidly. I’ve repeated in on several of my trees.

Scott

That's kinda funny. That process was described in detail years ago over on IBC by a boat builder using similar--if not the same--stuff. Might be worth a search over there for the info if you don't have the $300 for tier 3...just sayin. Not a revolutionary idea...

 

[markyscott]

That's kinda funny. That process was described in detail years ago over on IBC by a boat builder using similar--if not the same--stuff. Might be worth a search over there for the info if you don't have the $300 for tier 3...just sayin. Not a revolutionary idea...

Yeesh. I didn’t say that it was revolutionary. But the question that was posed was regarding the content of the video, not whether or not there was similar information available elsewhere on the internet. I’m just answering the question that was asked. I realize that quite a few folks here have an axe to grind - I’m not sure why but I’m sure I don’t care. The Bonsai Mirai value proposition for me is that I don’t have to sift through terabytes of crap, bad information, conjecture, invective, false authority, vituperation and tens of thousands of posts about why my Chinese elm is losing leaves to find the one or two gems that might be hidden in there. It’s quality content every time I watch it. So it’s worth a few bucks a month to me. Clearly its not to you. That’s a personal choice.

 

[Vance Wood]

No I don't. Only technique can be learned. You can't teach someone to be creative, but you can show them what to look for.
You can't teach some one how to ''see'' IMO.
In a musical sense for example, a teacher can show a student a C minor with a flat fifth and a sharp ninth and introduce how it sounds to his/her ear etc; but he cannot show how to use it except to give an example of something already done.

BUT, Life is not a zero some game, you can indeed learn artistic sight if you believe you can and you are dedicated to it and you don't allow some mean spirited, self righteous individual to convince you that you can't. If you were not blessed with an artistic spirit your desire to acquire it would not be such a driving force. So, if you are one of those people who have been told over and over you can't do it, just remember you know someone (me) who has been told for years buy many in high places that he cannot do this or cannot do that.

 

[Lorax7]

No I don't. Only technique can be learned. You can't teach someone to be creative, but you can show them what to look for.
You can't teach some one how to ''see'' IMO.
In a musical sense for example, a teacher can show a student a C minor with a flat fifth and a sharp ninth and introduce how it sounds to his/her ear etc; but he cannot show how to use it except to give an example of something already done.

Nonsense. Of course people can learn to be creative and can develop aesthetic sensibilities (how to “see”). Babies are not creative and they don’t have a good sense for design. Ergo, you learned it and that means someone else can too. It might be challenging and require some sustained effort and studying with a mentor who can show you how, but it is most definitely not impossible.

 

[rockm]

Yeesh. I didn’t say that it was revolutionary. But the question that was posed was regarding the content of the video, not whether or not there was similar information available elsewhere on the internet. I’m just answering the question that was asked. I realize that quite a few folks here have an axe to grind - I’m not sure why but I’m sure I don’t care. The Bonsai Mirai value proposition for me is that I don’t have to sift through terabytes of crap, bad information, conjecture, invective, false authority, vituperation and tens of thousands of posts about why my Chinese elm is losing leaves to find the one or two gems that might be hidden in there. It’s quality content every time I watch it. So it’s worth a few bucks a month to me. Clearly its not to you. That’s a personal choice.

Yeesh indeed. I haven't got an axe to grind. I personally applaud those that have subscriptions.

I was merely noting for those that are NOT on Mirai that some of this is around if you look for it. Nothing more nothing less. Read into it what you will.