The Power of Origami: How it can make you a better person

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Origami is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding. It gained popularity in the west long ago and has inspired many artists throughout history. Other cultures from all over the world have also independently developed their own paper folding traditions.

As a child, I learned about origami from my great-grandfather. He would sit on his wooden chair every morning and basked in the sun like an iguana. I loved him, and I would sit with him as he warmed his aching bones. During the years I lived with him, before I came to the United States, I learned many things from him, but origami has had the greatest impact on my life.

Beautiful models can be made out of any paper. Kym truly knows, click on the image to check her store. Photo by Carmin Camacho.

He taught me how to fold the traditional origami peace crane. We would sit there and fold his old newspapers… turning bad news into magical birds of happiness.

I re-discovered origami later on while in the United States, and this time, I took it to a different level. Alejandro and I would send each other pictures of our latest origami creations, and in no time, I was making cranes and flowers and frogs for everyone I knew. I learned that origami has many qualities and is helpful in many different ways. Today I want to share with you why origami can help you become a better person.

I invite you to discover this art, because this art does not judge anyone, it requires very little, and it gives back so much more in return. Through origami you can discover a new you, a more creative, open minded, patient, and inventive you.

You may wonder how folding paper can be so incredible, so let me tell you just a few reasons why.

Origami can provide an outlet if you are an antsy person

If you are someone that must always be fiddling around with something, try origami as an option. I recommend this for people with ADD or ADHD, or anyone that is anxious. It may be difficult at first to focus on learning the steps required to finish a piece, but once the steps are in your memory you will be able to fold again and again without even looking. I tend to get a little anxious during social gatherings, to calm my nerves I fold simple models, usually cranes.

Origami can help you become more patient

I am always being told by people that I have a lot of patience. I take pride in this skill because it takes hard work to learn how to be patient. Origami and meditation have greatly impacted my personality, and my level of patience. During my teen years, I was surrounded by a dysfunctional environment and my only outlet was meditation and paper folding… it is because of these two things that I was able to make it through those rough times. It may sound silly, but even today, during hard times, I sit and fold… and everything becomes easier as I fold away.

Origami teaches you patience because in order to make a piece you must be able to follow each step carefully. Once you learn the basic symbols you can read any diagram and make anything you want, but only if you are willing to be patient and accept that you will make mistakes.

Origami can help you with problem-solving skills

As I got more serious with this art, I began seeking more complex models. I wanted to make realistic, three-dimensional animals, flowers, and much more. The only problem was that the more complex the diagrams get, the more resourceful you have to become. I learned about different types of paper by trial and error, by folding the same model many times with different papers and seeing which worked best. I remember spending hours stuck in a step and not being able to figure out what to do next, but never giving up.

It takes a certain level of ingenuity to take a sheet with instructions and follow them to a final result. When learning new models you are basically solving a new puzzle and allowing your brain to expand. I believe that for each new model you learn, you become a little bit smarter, and perhaps even wiser.

Origami can bring others happiness

During one of my jobs, I was able to create hundreds of tiny origami models and display them nicely (I worked in a cubicle). As people began to notice, I was asked if I could make this or that. People would ask me to make flowers for their loved ones, or to make cranes for their children. I was happy to make these little gifts and share them with the world in exchange for a smile. Call me cheesy if you will, but I believe that through my art I was able to make my workplace a better place, even if it just meant that I made somebody happy and that they were able to pass that happiness on to someone else.

I have many memories of times in which I have gifted simple or complex pieces to people. These gestures were always welcomed with joy, and their joy was more than enough to know that I was doing something good.

Origami can bring you peace

As I mentioned earlier, during the hard times in my life, I resorted to origami to help me get by. I was able to find something so pure, so magical… that I can hardly describe.

Through each fold I made, each breath, each little crease… I created something out of nothing. From a simple piece of paper, a new creature was born. For each new piece I made, I felt I had the power to change the world. I could do anything, even if I had nothing to begin with, I could do it.

The beauty in this art is easily overlooked, you can stare at a finished origami piece and say it looks pretty and that’s about it. But in order to find the true meaning of origami you must search deeper, you must search within yourself, and while you are searching, you may even find yourself.

Now that you have a small idea of how great origami can be, let me invite you to take some paper and fold something, but in a special way.

Before you go on to google a diagram, make a mental note that you will fold this in a deeper, more spiritual way that simply just folding. If you have already folded before, perhaps trying this new way will bring about a new perspective on this beautiful art.

Once you have paper and diagram, find a quiet place, maybe light a candle or some incense, or play some nice calm music.

Before you make the first fold, take the paper, close your eyes and feel the paper with your fingers. Feel the texture, is it smooth? Is it rough? Breathe in and out calmly and focus only on your breath and on the paper that is in your hands. Relax, let go of your thoughts, think only that you are about to make something beautiful happen.

Before you make the first fold, thank the paper, thank your hands, thank your heart, your mind, your body. Appreciate the simple moment that you are living, feel everything that is around you, open your mind. Feel the happiness embrace you and the universe at peace.

Now, focusing on your breath, for each fold that you make, inhale and exhale, slowly, peacefully, naturally… as you see the figure come to life, imagine yourself be born again, your life begins now, you are a new you, a better you.

If you get stuck, simply breathe, concentrate on the diagram and think of the solution, no worries, the point is not to finish, it is the process what matters the most. And don’t forget to pause occasionally and admire the pure beauty of the unfinished model, because each time you make a fold, you have just created a new piece of art.

Enjoy, and happy folding my friend.