Guiding Principles

Ikebana is art.

Art it is an expression of your ideas.

It is created.

An artist should strive to make a commitment to life long learning. You need to push yourself and try a variety of experimentation to elevate your art form, sometimes this means making mistakes and failures, but through these failures you learn new things and experience potentially new ways of expressing yourself. Play around….

One of the things that Kawana-Sensei really emphasized was fundamental energy. Fundamental energy is found In all creation. But in Ikebana we primarily interact with the fundamental energy of living materials.  example: The fundamental energy of a rose is completely different from that of grass.  Each phase of a Quinces’ life stage from summer to winter has slightly different fundamental energy. but no matter which part of the life cycle it is in, it still has the fundamental energy of a Quince. We must honor the fundamental energy of each material we use. Whenever interacting with that energy we should approach it with respect, but also an open heart or spirit.

For the Japanese masters, Ikebana has a very spiritual connection. There is a sense in which the plant soul and the human soul interact resulting in a creation of art.

One element of art, depending on the form is planning. Thinking about what you want to achieve. Form a plan about how you want to convey your idea, then create based on that plan. Sense likes to sketch as his method for plan.

Kawana-Sensei challenges us to go outside the text book, and the ordinary arrangements created by following them. Striving and reaching to connect our individuality with our creations and elevate our art into something amazing.