Ep 19 Daniel Patterson, Ikebana teacher & artist

Daniel grew up surrounded by plants and gardens in his native Canada. Now, after he moved to Japan in 2006 and discovered ikebana 10 years later, his lifelong connection to flowers has bloomed into a life's purpose. While Daniel had always admired ikebana, he never thought he could make something that artistic himself. One day, however, he happened upon an ikebana exhibition at his local train station and realized that it was time to get out of his comfort zone. Daniel found an instructor whose traditional approach has pushed both his technical skills and his artistic eye.

Daniel is not known for doing things halfway, and ikebana has been no exception. Once he had dipped a toe in the water, he immediately threw himself into learning everything he could about the art form. He attended class as often as his teacher would allow and practiced at home with whatever flowers he could find. Under his instructor's strict guidance, Daniel has flourished as a creator and as a teacher. Daniel creates ikebana to remind us how expressive nature, flowers and plants can be.

Working with flowers brings Daniel joy, and he wants to convey the joy of creation through each of his arrangements. He loves it even more when other people interpret his art through the lens of their own experience and can see something different than he expected. Ikebana has given Daniel a fresh perspective on how flowers communicate with us - emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Through ikebana, Daniel strives to bring nature into our modern industrial spaces, in the spirit of the Sogetsu style that he practices.

Follow Daniel here:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/star.river.ikebana/
X: https://twitter.com/Omni_Hug
Website: https://www.starriverikebana.com/

Also, check out the following:
Mori Mori (wild boar and venison): https://izu-morimori.square.site/
Azabu Clinic (English-speaking doctor in Tokyo): https://www.azabu-iin.com/

Follow Weekly Fascination on social media:
X: https://twitter.com/WFascination
Podcast: https://rumble.com/c/c-1470193