My point in this thread is simple.
Bonsai is a time consuming process. If the goal is to make something beautiful in the end, then it only makes sense to start with the easiest piece of material to get there. Simplicity of design counts low on beauty since no one wants to see "another tree with a zig zag trunk and another green helmet".
Contorted trunks and different movement counts much higer on the scale, but it has to be evident within the material as a whole.
This piece of material was started as a bone straight trunk, and then it was allowed to change direction in the last five years addiing some very incongruent problems to deal with with the tree as a unit.
I have purchased tree in the past to only make use of a portion of it, but that is only if I get a tree at a very low price becuase it has seemingly low attributes to begin with. Most of the time I buy a piece of material with the intention to make use of the purchase as a unit.
When I am looking at the material, the tree is purchased with a purpose in mind. i already know what I am going to do and how I am going to get there, how many years it will take and what pot I will need for the future based on the design I have in my mind. That, is what has to be developed as an artist for this hobby to be useful for the future. That is what can be learned from people more advanced in the hobby. The willingness to listen and learn from their mistakes and an acceptance of their body of work as an indicator of what you would like to be in the future.
All a person can do when they come to a forum is ask questions and hope like hell that people that have good information to pass along will answer a post with honest and constructive information allowing you to make an educated effort to either accept it or decline it.
I see "easing" into something as a waste of time. Easing does not improve what we are talking about....the material. It either is, or it isn't.
That can be said in one sentance if you know the difference and have the fortitude to say it.