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Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Bonsai Mirai
Bonsai Mirai is a company, a place, a practice, an ecosystem of creators. This is our outlet for discussion of all things bonsai and beyond.
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- 2 days ago1h 8m
Garden Build Update with Brock Arvesen
Ryan sits down with Brock to reflect on the chaos that followed Mirai's post-repotting garden build, the romantic idea of slowing down to play in the garden versus the reality that never quite cooperates. Equal parts honest and humorous, the two share a laugh about the expectations we set for ourselves, the imperfection that comes with being human, and the art of accepting what we can't control. Tune in for some lighthearted banter and a reminder that even the best-laid plans have a way of keeping us humble.
- 1 weeks ago1h 40m
Spirit of Collaboration with Thomas Nevar
Thomas Nevar is one of the most brilliant and powerful creatives Mirai has had the pleasure of working with. Through his graphic design, sculpture, and painting, Thomas has not only inspired projects at Mirai, Thomas’s work has had a direct impact on Mirai as a brand, compositions within the garden, and the spaces people at Mirai interact with. During one of his visits, Thomas and Ryan discussed an informal collaboration to see how creating in the same space at the same time might inform both artist’s work. Before beginning the project, Thomas and Ryan sat down to discuss the scope of work, their thoughts about art and creativity, and to have a soulful discussion of how art and life dovetail together to form a symbiotic manner of moving through the world. The result was a really nice meeting of creative minds and a soulful conversation between two artists
- Apr 29, 20262h 9m
The Life of an Artist with Austin Heitzman
Austin Heitzman has made an indelible mark on bonsai, and put his stamp on the art form in North America. Beyond the technique and engineering that have allowed him to make some of the most gravity defying and cutting-edge designs in the bonsai realm, Austin’s passion for the unseen, never-before done, and the assumed impossible make his work something that stands alone. Ryan and Austin sat down on a cool spring evening to catch up and discuss recent happenings and upcoming ambitions. As usual, the conversation meandered through many topics including fossil hunting, unicorns of the wood world, and the rarely discussed marvels of hernia surgery. Perhaps the most intriguing discussion though, was Austin’s perspective of the life of an artist and the balance creative living has to strike with the compromising necessity to make a living doing what we love. The discussion was enlightening and thought provoking as Austin and Ryan go deep on the directions they’ve chosen in life and what it takes to make it all work in this wild world of bonsai. Enjoy!
- Apr 22, 202659 min
Brock and Brandon Garden Ambitions
In the world of being a bonsai professional at Mirai the end of repotting season makes the beginning of another very exciting and dramatically different scope of work. Think of the season for garden building and landscape work as a palette cleanser for the long season of watering and bonsai madness that awaits once trees enter the post-flush phase. Every year, Ryan takes time to celebrate a job well done repotting and indulges in his second love of building Mirai. This year, Brock and Brandon are here to help and pick up a few tips and tricks of the garden and landscape design realm they can incorporate into their own future bonsai facilities. Listen in for a light conversation about the team’s garden ambitions, hopes for the next month, and random tangents of inspiration and fascination that will inform the shape Mirai takes in 2026.
- Apr 15, 20261h 23m
Raising the BAR with Tim Arsenault
The longstanding question of how to get more people involved in bonsai has been asked and pontificated about since the beginning of bonsai clubs in North America. This obscure art form has so many barriers to entry and at times seems impossible to expand due to its intricacies and nuances. However, Tim Arsenault and his team at Bonsai BAR found a common past time to pull beginners into the art and have started building a broader and better community, not by breaking new ground, but by applying the proven method of social engagement, mixed with a little liquid bravery, and an encouraging guide to a newbie’s first encounter with the tiny trees. Tim took the sip and paint method that swept the country by storm in the beer and wine boom of the past decade and applied it to the art of bonsai. Since its inception, Bonsai BAR has been a happening across North America. Riding on the shoulders of passionate instructors who want to share their love of bonsai, combined with some brilliant ingenuity of formalizing beginner education, Bonsai BAR is forging relationships that allow Tim and his team to address the growing demand for their offerings. Bonsai BAR might be the biggest thing to hit bonsai since its inception in modern western culture, and the sky is the limit for how this evolved touch point of beginning bonsai education could be applied to involve more people in the bonsai endeavor. Ryan and Tim sit down to discuss Tim’s beginnings, how Bonsai BAR got off the ground and came to be, and to discuss the seemingly limitless future of Tim’s concept and how it truly can create a bigger and better bonsai community that fosters the expansion of the art for years to come. Take a look at Bonsai BAR’s offerings here. To become a Bonsai BAR teacher or ambassador check this out to start your journey.
- Apr 8, 20261h 5m
Repotting Recap with Brock and Brandon
Repotting season is always a journey filled with highs and lows. Each year, when all is said and done there is much to reflect on. At Mirai, repotting is the technique Ryan and his team practice the most. With that, a single season of repotting feels like a lifetime. These recaps are more of a documentation of progress than anything else. Join Ryan, Brock, and Brandon as they relax for a moment between repots to recap the highs and lows of repotting 2026 and all it had to offer.
- Mar 18, 20261h 53m
Lineage of Passion with Harold Sasaki
Kindness. Humility. Generosity. These are words anyone discussing Harold Sasaki would use to describe this gentle giant of a man. But those of us who have been personally impacted by Harold know there is a tenacity to our teacher, a hunger for knowledge, a curiosity for what’s possible, and a glean of motivation in his eye that propelled him to be one of the greatest trailblazers and pioneers of bonsai culture in North American bonsai over the past fifty years. Through his facility, Colorado Bonsai Limited, Harold Sasaki, or Hal as friends call him, has been teaching bonsai to curious and passionate practitioners and inspiring the next generation of bonsai artists and professionals for over four decades. Harold was one of a handful of instructors in the Rocky Mountain region who introduced yamadori into American bonsai culture and was the leading authority on ethical yamadori collection. When the rest of our budding bonsai culture was looking for material in nurseries, Harold was embracing the wild forms of rugged trees from the Rockies and taking people on safari to share the passion and technique of sustainable collecting practices. Harold’s contributions go beyond pioneering the yamadori movement. He also sparked the flame of bonsai passion in known personalities including Mirai’s own Ryan Neil, Golden Arrow’s Andy Smith, First Branch Bonsai’s Todd Schlafer, Will Kerns, Adam Johnson, Tim Arsenault, and so many others who have gone on to do big things and contribute to the art of bonsai and culture in our country. In fact, when you look at the landscape of bonsai in North America today, it’s impossible to imagine our bonsai culture without appreciating the fingerprint of Harold’s impact, including the heartfelt generosity and spirit of sharing Harold imbued to his students that continues to expand and make our community so rich and robust. It was a pleasure and an honor for Ryan to sit down with his mentor and go back to the beginning of where Harold’s journey started, and to walk through the journey of one of American bonsai’s GOATs. Thank you Harold, it was a pleasure my friend. Enjoy!
- Mar 11, 20261h 20m
Stephen Voss
Speaking with creative people about their medium and process is one of the greatest aspects of Asymmetry. To know how other artists view the world and express themselves through their work inspires and informs the tools we all summon to bring beauty through art into the world. Stephen Voss is a D.C. based photographer whose work we have admired at Mirai for over a decade. We initially were exposed to Stephen’s work through his book In Training, an intimate portrayal of the breaths between the words, and the spaces between the trees of the National Bonsai Collection. It was such a thoughtful publication of art and beauty that showed the depth Stephen interpreted the art form of bonsai with and the perspective he felt was valuable to share. Upon deeper dive we realized we were far more aware of Stephen’s photography than we realized. His images have graced the cover of magazines, captured some of the most influential people in the country in their element, and documented some of the most monumental moments in modern history. Ryan and Stephen dive deep into their respective creative processes. From early beginnings and the growth of their creative selves to the actualization of projects based on their compiled experience in their fields, the conversation weaves in and out of personal and professional tidbits and insights. It was truly an honor to get to sit down with such a talented and influential photographer and we are excited to share the conversation. Enjoy!
About Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry
Bonsai Mirai is a company, a place, a practice, an ecosystem of creators. This is our outlet for discussion of all things bonsai and beyond.
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