Origami

The art of paper folding. My very first exposure of origami was a paper plane. Then there was the bouncy paper frog, the folded shirt for Father’s Day, the heart for Valentine’s Day, the close-to-round ball, little stars, and the crane. I enjoyed using bright colored pieces of square paper to fold those things for fun. It was relaxing. I once folded hundreds of stars and stored them in a glass bottle.

I was gifted a book on origami art by a patient. It described how using paper of different thickness and different texture could create different effects. With some pieces of paper and a pair of hands, application of different folding, creasing and bending techniques, many objects were created. Anything was possible, from a forest of animals, to abstract patterns, to geometric mystery, to bold statements, and to life-like sculptures.

Origami is the expression of its creator. There are infinite possibilities. Origami is limitless. What you can think of or dream of, it can be folded somehow. Although I am a novice in the art of origami, I enjoy all the folding and learning to create more, to broaden my horizon.

Origami is quiet, is graceful, and is precise. You can fold paper without making a noise, in an unhurried pace. You may get a different product or an unexpected creation even if one fold is off. This is kind of like life in general. You start off as a piece of flat plain paper. You make a crease here, a fold there, some interesting curves, crumpling, connecting with other pieces of paper…the transformation is amazing. I am my own origami art. I get to choose how and where to make a fold. I get to decide of kind of expression to showcase. The little creases and bumps along the way, although some of which are unwanted, will help shape who I am. The possibility is endless.