mira bonsai becoming a member is it ok for a beginner??
- Thread starter nagatay
- Start date
atlarsenal
Omono
Here is 22 pages of opinions.
https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/is-bonsai-mirai-live-worth-300-year.29897/
Personally I think it is worth every penny!
https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/is-bonsai-mirai-live-worth-300-year.29897/
Personally I think it is worth every penny!
coh
Imperial Masterpiece
Definitely. There's a fair amount of material that will be "over your head" if you are a true beginner but plenty that will be relevant.
Sign up for a month and watch as many videos as you can (or watch the free ones that are available to get an idea). If you don't think it's worth it you can cancel any time and they will refund you (provided you sign up for a month, not a whole year). Maybe you can cancel and get a refund if you sign up for a year but I'm not sure about that!
Sign up for a month and watch as many videos as you can (or watch the free ones that are available to get an idea). If you don't think it's worth it you can cancel any time and they will refund you (provided you sign up for a month, not a whole year). Maybe you can cancel and get a refund if you sign up for a year but I'm not sure about that!
Cosmos
Shohin
It’s excellent. It gives you comprehensive knowledge, a good spectrum of techniques, it instills discipline with your bonsai practice, and you can feast your eyes on gorgeous trees for hours and hours. The content is also very well put together and delivered, with high production value.
nrgizerrod
Yamadori
for me, the beginner content has been very informative. There is quite a bit of content that was way over my head so i didn't end up keeping my sub after picking through what was available, i can see myself re-subbing when i get more skilled. The beginner bonsai series on youtube is awesome, I wish they would finish it!!!
sparklemotion
Shohin
Wow, that is surprising. I would imagine transcription costs (even if not available for the live streams) would be considered a standard cost of producing paid-for content in 2019.
WNC Bonsai
Omono
Watch the beginner series as well as the BSOP series for free on YouTube. Those will give you a taste of the paid content and also provide more than enough info to get you started in bonsai. Personally i think that for a beginner a full subscription would be information overload unless you are a glutton and absorb technical info very quickly and Ryan’s approach is very technical. Not at all like the laid back approach of Nigel Saunders or Peter Chan (both also free on YouTube).
Ali Raza
Shohin
I had watched some of the videos of mira bonsai on youtube. I bet you will not regret of becoming a member.
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
Over your head info is only over your head until it isn't.
Just remember.
Sorce
Just remember.
Sorce
I just joined the 7 day free trial. Seems good. Not sure many of the trees they use are natives here in the UK. But I should still be able to take some good info from it. If that is the case I will pay my money. I am on there as Graft same as here.
There is so much free video material on youtube that I dont see why a beginner should pay for videos where advanced lessons will go over his head because he doesnt know the basics
Might as well light your cigars with some Franklins
Might as well light your cigars with some Franklins
We don't have Franklins we have the queen. If I burn her image I might be shot for treason!
Maiden69
Masterpiece
Have you been a member of Mirai? There are so much material in their library that is geared towards beginners as well. I am a person that learns best by watching and listening rather than reading, this is why I like a lot of the resources here, because they have pictures showing what they are talking about,
Noticing that this is a 2019 post that was resurrected from the grave... here is what I think.
Mirai has a 7 day free period before they charge you for the first month, small window for a beginner, or even intermediate-advanced to do a quick research and see if the info there is worth it or not.
I paid for some of the intermediate courses at Bonsai Empire, and have spent the last 6 months watching almost every free video on YouTube related to bonsai, from Bjorn to Walter. And while I love the simplistic explanations of Bjorn, Ryan goes above and beyond to explain the why, not just "because that's what they do in Japan." The only problem for me is that he uses 20 words to explain something that could have been done with 4, but in the end that over-exaggeration tends to drive the point that he is trying to convey.
The way I see it is... do you have the time to sit down in front of a computer and research for hours on end to find the information you need? If you do, by all means do the research... if you don't, the available courses and the membership to Mirai will place that information condensed into specific topics, so you don't waste your time.
PeaceLoveBonsai
Chumono
I’ve been a member at Mirai, current Bonsai U member, purchased several Bonsai Empire videos. I even own all the Boon dvds! All those combined don’t equal one workshop, with a good tree and a good teacher. IMHO.
Maiden69
Masterpiece
I agree but, at least were I am located right now, all the meetings at the local bonsai club were suspended on the onset of Covid. I don't see that many classes happening in the near future if we can't get a hold of this stupid virus. I think Mirai went to a 5 student max, and I can't justify $1200 a class when all I have are nursery trees in training pots or colanders. So, for me, virtual classes it is until the world opens up again.
hinmo24t
Masterpiece
if you nvr want to get laid - go for it
jp. just letting you know i had to downplay my appeal for nigel saunders videos as i was scrolling my youtube library the other day.
understandable though, she said does that guy have figurines next to his mini trees or something...i made it thru unscathed tho
jp. just letting you know i had to downplay my appeal for nigel saunders videos as i was scrolling my youtube library the other day.
understandable though, she said does that guy have figurines next to his mini trees or something...i made it thru unscathed tho
badatusernames
Omono
"The only problem for me is that he uses 20 words to explain something that could have been done with 4, but in the end that over-exaggeration tends to drive the point that he is trying to convey."
I think you just hit the nail on the head for my experiences. It's cool to have a two and a half hour video about a subject, but sometimes there's a balance of talking vs. doing that I feel is weighed too heavily in a certain direction. The content that Bjorn has isn't as robust in terms of quantity I would say, but I have to admit that if you strip away the content disparity, I typically like actually listening to Bjorn talk more, and I've been trying to put my finger on exactly why. Maybe that's it.
I'm tentatively subscribed to both. Bjorn's doesn't have a ton of content yet, but it could be very interesting to start with a program like that and watch it grow as you do. Ryan has a ton of content, but it's often lengthy and, while interesting, at times a littttttle bit long winded, if you will, but it's all good to know. I'm telling myself I'll settle on one or the other by the end of the month, but we'll see.
FWIW, I consider myself functionally a beginner as well. I've read a lot, and I know a lot in theory, and this is my fourth year keeping bonsai, but I know that theory and practical application are two very different things. All that said, I find both services to have value, but if you can only choose one, for the breadth of content alone and unless you like the idea of "starting at the beginning" and following Bjorn along as he builds his offering, Mirai seems to be hard to beat.
Bit of a ramble, but hopefully I got there in the end.
I think you just hit the nail on the head for my experiences. It's cool to have a two and a half hour video about a subject, but sometimes there's a balance of talking vs. doing that I feel is weighed too heavily in a certain direction. The content that Bjorn has isn't as robust in terms of quantity I would say, but I have to admit that if you strip away the content disparity, I typically like actually listening to Bjorn talk more, and I've been trying to put my finger on exactly why. Maybe that's it.
I'm tentatively subscribed to both. Bjorn's doesn't have a ton of content yet, but it could be very interesting to start with a program like that and watch it grow as you do. Ryan has a ton of content, but it's often lengthy and, while interesting, at times a littttttle bit long winded, if you will, but it's all good to know. I'm telling myself I'll settle on one or the other by the end of the month, but we'll see.
FWIW, I consider myself functionally a beginner as well. I've read a lot, and I know a lot in theory, and this is my fourth year keeping bonsai, but I know that theory and practical application are two very different things. All that said, I find both services to have value, but if you can only choose one, for the breadth of content alone and unless you like the idea of "starting at the beginning" and following Bjorn along as he builds his offering, Mirai seems to be hard to beat.
Bit of a ramble, but hopefully I got there in the end.
Maiden69
Masterpiece
This is the reason I decided to go with Mirai. I would rather listen to Bjorn, I watched all his videos and was exited when he started to add more educational content to his YouTube channel when he did the single/multi flush pine videos... little would I know those were just teasers as the continuation for them are now only available in his BonsaiU site. Maybe I'll switch once I advance into bonsai and his library expands.
badatusernames
Omono
Yeah, I think for now it’s the right choice. TBH there just wasn’t a free week choice for Bonsai U to just take a peek. I’m going to give it a couple months to see how it develops I think. In some ways being fed the content on a schedule rather than having a giant pool to dive into right away may actually be nice and a benefit of joining early.
I’ll see how I feel as I continue, I think I may have gotten a bit to the end of the bulk of youtube well.
