Origami as a gift
Origami became more than a personal practice when I began giving my folds as gifts. Each piece carried a personal intention: an expression of care and love shaped by my own hands. What started as simple gestures gradually unfolded into new connections, allowing my origami to reach and connect with wider communities beyond myself.
-Akira Yoshizawa (1911-2005), grandmaster of origami
“When you fold paper, you fold your thoughts.”
What sharing has taught me
My journey in origami has been beyond ordinary. I am blessed to have fostered a community revolving around this art form. Watching people from different backgrounds and cultures, from children in a pediatric hospital to elders in a retirement home, engage with the same piece of paper showed how art can truly transcend language, age, and culture, creating connection through shared creativity. Seeing origami through the eyes of beginners, their amazement after their first successful project, their concentration and engagement, had rejuvenated my own sense of love for origami consistently. It serves as a reminder of why I fell in love with this exact practice years ago. Origami had served as a bridge for me and others, teaching me empathy, communication, and the simplistic value of creating something meaningful together.