
Brooklyn's Internet Bonsai Kingpin - prismatic
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/meet-brooklyns-internet-bonsai-kingpin
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doctorpangloss
The bonsai is beautiful, I like this guy and the stuff he makes is cool.

It's quintessentially Brooklyn. It's a _thing_ you can buy in a store that can
join a pantheon of conspicuously bourgeoise stuff you own and do, like read
about places to visit, drinking and music events to attend and things you can
purchase at Atlas Obscura.

Think about what your grandmother decorates her house with. It's pictures of
her late husband, her parents, her children and grand children. These aren't
things that she bought for more than the frames. It's a house full of
heirlooms, each with a special story. Why do I have so many Olly Moss art
prints and maybe one dim photograph of my parents? What stories do my things
have, besides the ones native-advertised on blogs and Facebook videos about
their manufacture?

I think the thing that makes the craft art taste such utter bullshit is that
it's really about buying expensive shit. Yada yada, the economy and buying
stuff and all is good because it's local and whatever. I'm speaking from a
critical point of view. The average yuppie shopper/blog reader/amateur
interior decorator/amateur art enthusiast isn't looking for something that
looks good, let alone something emotionally moving or timeless or whatever. He
just wants something expensive and decorative, because I guess it is
recognizable in a shallow pop culture way. You know, like Ralph Lauren
(fashion, another utterly bullshit thing).

The Brooklyn aesthetic is rich in money but bankrupt in every other sense. The
blog-native advertisement-craftmaker complex has convinced a whole lot of
people that they're engaging with something that isn't really just a bunch of
overpriced meaningless junk. People with lots of money who work in fashion
startups and have young kids and think they're enriching the world by buying
shit, when they're really robbing the world of meaning. And I'm not saying you
should be ascetic—your grandmother isn't. Just take a step back when you're
reading something on the Internet that's about a guy making stuff that he
sells, and think about whether you're really reading something meaningful to
you.

~~~
goldenkey
I enjoyed reading and entertaining your point of view. But sometimes a plant
is just a nice looking plant.

~~~
hackney
Personally I never really liked bonsai as it reminds me of a sort of
disability. Tbh, I would be much more impressed with a bonsai at least the
size of a man. Not that I'd ever own one. I prefer plants au natural,
especially flowering or the edible type.

This is just another perfect example of making oneself happy using ones hands,
similar to many things the japanese are known for. My favorite example
personally is Scott A. Roush, a true artist:
[http://www.bigrockforge.com/](http://www.bigrockforge.com/)

~~~
goldenkey
Id say the knives are more pretentious than bonsai. I see no reason to buy a
forged blade for a grand when a milled knife for 50 bucks will work just as
good if not better.

~~~
hackney
The difference, which seems to have went over your head, is that it was done
using the personal attention of someones handywork. Anybody can make a knife,
just as anybody can create bonsai trees. The point is it was done by hand and
was not manufactured. Just as the first poster talked about aesthetics.
Similar to an original painting, or is it just a print?

~~~
goldenkey
Bonsai are similar though. We are talking about years of careful pruning and
restriction. Most bonsais aren't sold before at least 3-5 years. That's a lot
of work for $50-100.

