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We don’t ask this question frequently enough: “Why do you practice bonsai?” And when we ask it, I don’t know that many people answer in a way that really helps us understand how different each of our approaches can be. Responding with something like, “I really love trees,” or, “I love the time I spend in my garden,” for example, is not really the kind of answer that is helpful. When I ask why, here, I really mean WHY?! What is your purpose? What are your goals? What sets you apart from others? Knowing your WHY should drive your decisions, your actions, and your interactions with other bonsai enthusiasts.

Knowing your WHY reminds me of the idea of an “elevator speech.” Imagine you were at a bonsai convention and suddenly found yourself in the elevator with your biggest bonsai hero in the world. You introduce yourself, and your hero asks, “Why do you do bonsai?” You only have 20 or 30 seconds before you are both off the elevator and headed your separate ways. What do you say?

Let’s think through some of the distinctions that might set you apart from every other bonsai enthusiast in the world.

Professional or hobbyist?

This is an incredibly important first level of distinction, and one that we interact with regularly without fully acknowledging it. If you have ever attended a bonsai workshop, there were probably bonsai hobbyists getting training and advice from a bonsai professional. Sounds obvious enough, but have you ever considered that the advice from the professional might be based on what works best for a professional?

Then, of course, there are many types of professional (just as there are many types of hobbyist). Do they specialize in providing services such as teaching or workshops, or focus on selling a product? What type of product? Supplies? Tools? Pots? Trees? Each is very different.

How long have you been at it?

Let’s not confuse this with your level of expertise. I’m sure that would be another good qualifier, but in my experience it’s awkward to ask a person to qualify their own level of expertise. Nevertheless, how long you have been practicing and interested in bonsai is a notable trait. I had kept bonsai for nearly 20 years when I started attending club meetings, and just last weekend we had a new enthusiast at the meeting who declared they have been at it for two whole weeks!

What type of material?

Where do you live and what type of material do you like to work with? Do you prefer imported or local plants? Deciduous? Conifer? Tropical? Do you like working with shohin or mame size trees, or do you prefer something bigger? You don’t have to pick just one or another, but being able to articulate the type of material you prefer (and how that relates to your climate) helps you communicate your needs and interests.

Anyone who has been around the bonsai scene for at least a little bit knows we have a great paradox. We have a ton of recommendations from the experts (rules, guidelines, etc.) but every one of these should be qualified based on the answers to a few important questions: Where are you? What species are we talking about? And what stage of development is it in?

…and on that last topic…

Develop, refine, or maintain?

Another difference I have noticed among bonsai practitioners is a range of preferences (or expertise) for various stages of bonsai development. Do you prefer to start from scratch and develop good bonsai material? Would you rather start with good bonsai material to style and refine? Or perhaps you enjoy the work of maintaining well established bonsai. Each of these requires a different skill set and will impact what interests you, what you know, and what you want to learn.

Propagate, purchase, or collect?

Your answers to the previous two questions will have a big impact on how you go about getting material, and I’m sure we can agree that the skills needed to collect yamadori differ significantly from those needed to start seeds and cuttings to develop for bonsai. For some, the source of the material is as important as the material itself.

Process or product?

I personally believe that if you are going to practice bonsai, you should have some kind of goal to help your practice move forward. The topics we have already considered may help you define your goal, but we haven’t yet acknowledged that some practitioners are not focused on achieving a refined product. To some, learning and experimentation may be preferred to having a show-ready tree or exhibition? It’s easy to imagine the argument that “obviously bonsai enthusiasts want nice bonsai,” and I’ve heard well-recognized bonsai artists discuss the value of the process at length. Both are important, but one may feel more important than the other. Where do you stand on this continuum?

Traditional or avant-garde?

Finally, what is your aesthetic? Do you aspire to create Japanese style bonsai? Is there another region, nation, or style you align with? Are you more of a Penjing kinda gal? Or, are you really interested in pushing the edges of the art form to create something new and different?

Just trees, or the whole display?

This may be more about your phase of development, but do you only focus on developing trees, or are you interested in other aspects of formal bonsai display? An interest in display can expand your field of interest greatly to include ceramics (pots), carpentry (stands), 2D art making (scrolls), and a huge range of other plant and stone material (accents).

I’m sure there are a number of other questions we could ask, but give it some thought. Think about how you can let others (like vendors and instructors) know about your needs and interests. And be ready for that elevator speech.