"If you spend all of your time not slowing down and not enjoying it, what is the point? What is the purpose and the point?" - Ryan Neil of Bonsai Mirai
In all things we do at GOODLAND, we’re always drawn to practices and people that intersect craftsmanship, slow living, and a reverence for nature. We’re excited to put a spotlight on Bonsai Mirai, a Portland-based bonsai nursery, studio, and educational platform centered around bonsai.
Recently, GOODLAND’s founder, Craig Pearce, spoke with the talented bonsai artist Ryan Neil on their podcast Asymmetry (listen to the full fascinating episode).
We’re always interested in the interactions between people and nature, and bonsai is a natural extension of this. Craig and Ryan talk through things like the beauty of well-worn goods, how bonsai intersects culture and humanity, slowing down as a business owner, and much more.
Introducing Bonsai Mirai
Bonsai Mirai are many things: a bonsai studio, a garden, and a creative ecosystem, all centered around bonsai. Mirai was founded by Ryan Neil in 2010, an artist and professional bonsai practitioner. Notably, he was the first western person to complete a 6-year apprenticeship under bonsai master, Masahiko Kimura, in Japan's Saitama prefecture.
Mirai are leaders in the world of bonsai in North America, and their bonsai are veritable works of art. Journeying through their Portland garden and studio is like wandering through a world where beauty and consideration for nature are paramount.
“For me as a bonsai practitioner, I’ve realized it’s not about the end product,” says Ryan Neil. Instead, he speaks to how it’s about the accumulation of effort, and the gradual journey of creating something beautiful as time passes.
Our Shared Philosophy
We’re excited to be partnering with Bonsai Mirai, and are happy to share that our tools will now be available to their community. It’s essential for us to work with thoughtfully selected partners who share our values, and Bonsai Mirai represents exactly that.
Slow Living
For Ryan, bonsai “gives people the gift of awareness.” It’s a practice of patience and care, and a contrast to modern life that’s so often hurried and rushed.
“Much of what we’re interested in is intentional actions over time for a reward. It’s not immediate gratification, it’s the satisfaction of slow patient efforts over time.” This is the same ethos that led to Craig & Kendra’s design of the Wood Burning Hot Tub. They found it so much more valuable to have the anticipation of stepping into wood-fired waters, as opposed to simply clicking a button. It’s these same slow living rituals that ground us in the present, and help us find pause everyday.
Craftsmanship
As Ryan speaks about in the podcast, one of the most interesting parts of bonsai is the human element. “You can see somebody in their trees,” he says. “I can look at a tree and know a lot about a person before I ever hear them speak, and I think that is really cool.”
There’s a deep level of design and intention in all we create at GOODLAND, and craftsmanship is paramount in our work. Part of the beauty of the objects we use comes through specifically when you can feel the human-ness and personal elements.
Reverence for Nature
“We do have an impact, and we do have the ability to ultimately shift for the better or worse the trajectory of things in the natural environment. I think is a huge level of awareness that bonsai can give somebody. Maybe the most valuable level of awareness,” says Ryan.
Bonsai is about the interaction between people with nature, and is inherently a practice of deep appreciation for trees and the natural world. "We're stewards. We have opted to alter the natural state of things, and that means that now we have a responsibility," as Ryan explains. Knowing that actions inherently have an impact on our planet, we can only strive to have that impact be as positive as possible.
Courtney Dionne
Courtney leads the marketing team here at GOODLAND, where she shares her expertise on all things bathing, slow living, and more. She loves a good long walk in nature, lounging at the lake, birdwatching, and (of course) a soak in the Wood Burning Hot Tub.
