Origami is a transformative art, no addition or subtraction as in sculpture or painting, but transformation. It allows you to start from something dull and unimaginative like a 2-D piece of paper and, using just your bare hands, transform it into a 3-D Koi fish with whiskers, fins, and hundreds of scales. The grandfather of modern origami, the great Akira Yoshizawa, once said: “When you fold, the ritual and the act of creation is more important than the final result. When your hands are busy, your heart is serene.” At its core, origami is exactly that! It’s the journey, not the destination. Lines that dictate up and down creases are known as mountain and valley folds. My hands create, crease, and cross those mountains and valleys in pursuit of that destination or final result. Whenever I fold, I get into a Zen like state where everything in the background fades, and it’s just me and the paper. That feeling is what keeps me going and pushes me to progress to more challenging designs or smaller scales.

 

Origami has an infinite number of variations, so it’s never boring. Anything you can think of can be folded. Anything! They now have sophisticated computer programs they can take any shape and map it out with lines on how to fold it; this is known as a “crease pattern”. It even caters to all ages and skill levels. I’ve taught several classes, and love to see the look on my students’ faces, both young and old, when they start seeing their designs take shape. It reminds me of the of my initial spark of joy after creating my first crane, and it’s a priceless feeling!

 

As for what inspired me to translate origami into earrings, I get that question all the time. As any seasoned folder will tell you, when you become efficient at origami, you want to see how small you can fold. So one day after folding a rather challenging 1.5 inch crane, my friend shouted with the delight at first glance, and asked if I can make it into an earring. I happily agreed, and she went off with them. Later that day I saw her with friends and they all demanded I make them pairs. They each paid me $5 in advance, and I got to work. Then a similar situation happened, then another, and then another. After realizing this demand for my new-found skill, I decided to turn it into a business. And it has snowballed into what you see today. But now I want that giant snowball to turn into an avalanche, and really see how far down the mountain it can take me, always on a new journey.