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.

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!

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!