Bill- This is a response to this thread and the Disnenchanted thread. I will post here because of a link. In no particular order of importance...
a) I started my bonsai path with a similar juniper back about 1997 or so. The difference was I only had one Collin Lewis book - no other books, no magazines, club participation, forums, etc. So, I was on my own and had to make artistic decisions as opposed to asking for help. The juniper ended up with a nice flow, deadwood, cascading branch and finally as a chewing post for some deviant squirrels. My point is I understand the need to purchase this tree and practice on it. You can't be expected to come on down to OB and drop $500 on a RMJ and make magic with it (hey, I don't/won't even do that...).
b) This tree as is sits looks like a spider that stuck its head in a pot. You need to think of what would happen in nature - nature is rough, where rocks, logs, snow fall, wind, bears, etc. have at this for a few centuries before you stumble upon it... It should have harmonious flow and direction, dead wood, appropriate pot, foliage, etc. This will take 3-5 years or so to get to that point, not overnight, but understand that what you show here is not nearly finished nor the direction you should take it. Also, I know what I would do, but refer to point A on this - and I will leave you to learn through all the means that I never had (i.e. it will be easier and quicker).
c) After about 5 years of fiddling with bonsai I lost interest and didn't do much for a year or two. I then found IBC and Jason and I hooked up with OB. In the beginning of that IBC experience I wrote many threads just like the Disenchanted one saying the old timers should help us newbies out! It was their responsibility and my right! Yeah, whatever. The reality is if you have specific questions, ask them, and you will get good answers. Be polite, kind, straight forward and you will be treated as such. Ask for generalities, complete styling advice, why a dead tree won't sprout, etc. and you will tend to get the answers you don't want. I think a big part of it is those questions have been asked thousands of times and people get tired of answering them. You are in the wrong place at the wrong time - do not take it personally!
d) Read this thread and assocaited one:
http://walter-pall-bonsai.blogspot.com/2007/07/garbage-for-dinner.html . I think a lot of the people here have been around for awhile and are all strongly attempting to improve their collection. I personally have had a light switch click in my head. I have decided I am not going to f__k around any more with this. If it is not
subjectively a killer tree, if it does not have
subjective world class potential, if it is not
subjectively exponentially better than something else in my collection, or if it doesn't
definitely bring a tear to my eye - it stays where it is. If it meets one of the above
in my subjective reasoning, it comes home and something goes into the garbage, the yard, the neighbors house or maybe Ebay (someday). Enough is enough. No more garbage. I am also at that point in seeking out information, and when a thread is titled $1.00 Nana - I skip it. Sorry. It is not you. Don't take it personally! But, my gut feeling is there are a lot of others that did the same thing. See point C. In the beginning I would not have understood and would have called someone like me arrogant and condescending. I now see the world through different eyes and call that person (me) time sensitive...
e) Da Nut is a great forum. It is my favorite and first I go to every morning, in fact. However, you will never get all the information or see all the things you want only on this one. I wish it were the case, as I hate carrying on multiple conversations/threads with the same people on 3 sites! I can never remember who said what and where... Anyway, make sure you spend time on bonsaisite, bonsaitalk, bonsaichat, IBC, AoB, KoB, Walter's blog, and all the blogs linked through KoB. I am sure there are more. I am sure you will find bits of info and the feedback you seek at that point in time from one of them.
f) Hang in there. Keep up bonsai. Keep checking the forums. Keep bitchin' about not getting enough help. Keep learning. You'll go through the same development cycle that we all (must) go through.
g) You and/or everyone else may or may not agree, but that is how I see the world on the other side of my Dell.
h)When you are ready to come out and buy trees, our door is always open...
"Preparations A through G met with total failure. However, Preparation H is going ahead..."
- Dr. Evil
Edit: Thanks, and point taken Tom.
