Sejoy's Wabi Kusa "Ball of Zen" (56k)

[sejoy]

Hello TPT!~
Thought I'd make a journal to track the progress of my little wabi kusa setup.

This is my "Zen ball". I'm in my first year of university and I wanted something nice to look at to brighten up my grugly dorm room. I spend at lot of time at my desk, so I wanted something small enough to keep the area workable, but still eye-catching. I'm studying as a BFA (bachelor of fine arts) major with a minor in East Asian studies/Japanese language.

As far as the "Zen" side of this project, I like the idea of having a daily routine of immersing myself in the project. What I mean is that every day I will take a few minutes out of whatever is going on to sit, observe the setup, and perform routine checks or maintenance like trimming, adjusting water level, picking dead leaves, or just noticing it's progress. I find myself entering a sort of meditative state when observing my tanks, as I'm sure many of us do. Fish or no fish, water is captivating and relaxing to look at, and I think this is a perfect way for me to take a few moments to relax, decompress, or get inspired by this piece. Natural elements inspire much of my artwork, and having something in my own space that encompasses air, water, and earth is really exiting!


On to the setup!

First day:



and from the side:



Some growth!



Latest:



While I've been lurking here on and off for quite a while, I don't have much successful experience with aquatic plants, so any suggestions are welcome!
Thanks for looking

[sejoy]

Updates:

Break is over, bringing wabi-san to school with me, forgot to mention he was at home before.


Traveling in style:








with other plant buddies (tupperware is emmersed micro sword)

[sejoy]

And here it is as of today, settling in:












Rotund Jolly Buddha approves

[orchidman]

nice!! what happened to that round bowl? I like both containers!

[Senior Shrimpo]

Wow I really like this! Its almost like a crossover between a houseplant and an aquascape haha.

Cool cacti too!

[sejoy]

Thanks! I've got quite a collection going, both inside and outside my room. I think I have enough plants for my whole dorm floor haha.

Originally Posted by orchidman

nice!! what happened to that round bowl? I like both containers!

I loved that thing, but wabi-san was growing so much it was getting cramped.
I'm on the lookout for another neat glass, but in the meantime I'm going to try and make some ceramic bowls in class and see how that looks.