Origami is the art of folding paper into incredibly unique shapes, and I have wanted to master that craft for myself ever since I can remember. Origami allows you to make cute little things like swans or even ducks, and all you need is a piece of paper. I was always astounded by the amount of work and patience it probably took in order to make these pieces of art, so I figured that I would try and learn for myself. I was a bit skeptical about the entire ordeal at first, but I wasn’t going to be denied my right! I wanted to learn origami, so that’s exactly what I set out to do; now all I needed was a rice cooker from the Kitchen Dome  page and I’ll be living like I did back in Japan. Life is too short to refrain from trying the things you love most, especially when it comes to anything art-related. I’m not the type of person to give up on something after I’ve failed once or twice, I’m going to keep coming back at you over and over again – only to stop after I’ve met my goal. I’m relentless when it comes to learning things, and I was going to approach origami in the exact same sense. I wanted to be a master, and I wanted to finally show my girlfriend that I could make a duck out of paper (sounds silly, doesn’t it?).

I started out with the simple things, like learning how to fold the paper into a perfect cube, as well as learning how to fold it into a perfect triangle. I started out with the most basic shapes possible, as I thought that was going to keep me prepared for what was ahead. Boy, was I wrong! It turns out that people who manage to perfect their origami skills are no joke, they’ve been doing so for well over 5 years. If I was going to reach their level, that means I would be 35 by the time I had actually accomplished something worthwhile; it kind of kicked me in the nads a little bit. I was frustrated because I’m used to quick results, but I’m also resilient, so it was like a stalemate. I decided that I was going to take a break for a week or so, and then pick things back up when I had an extra little bit of free time during the day.

The Wild-card

If there’s anyone that was going to help me reach my goal, it was my friend Zhu-Zhu. Zhu-Zhu is actually a buddy of mine that I met in high school, he was an exchange student who decided to move over to the United States completely. I guess he loved it that much! Anyways, My friend Z (I’m going to call him Z, as it’s easier, and it’s what I do in real life) was amazing when it came to origami. He would always be fiddling with pieces of paper in the middle of class, only to come out with something that resembled a masterpiece. I remember one time, he had actually made a human face out of paper, and it looked incredibly realistic. Obviously there wasn’t any hair or skin, and it left a lot to be desired, but he made it out of paper! Not only that, absolutely no cuts were needed on his part.

Z told me that origami wasn’t about how you folded the paper, but how you felt while folding it. I didn’t get it at first, but I began to unwrap the question as I got deeper and deeper into my practice. Z told me that I had to make at least 3 ducks a day, and if I really wanted to challenge myself, to throw a swan in there as well. I was dedicated to his routine, and it was like a workout session at some points, because origami can take a lot out of you mentally. Z was a great inspiration when it comes to my origami skills, and he helped me out much more than anyone else could have dreamed of.

Nowadays, I’m just working and such. My wife (not my girlfriend anymore) just had a child, and his name is Hayden. He loves it when I make all of my amazing origami figures for him, and I love that he enjoys it. It’s something that we can bond over, as well as enjoy together – and that’s all that really matters in life. Origami means a lot to me, and now you know why! Sometimes it’s all about those little things in life, and you need to make sure you don’t miss out on them.