Before this week, there were few things in this world that I could say without a doubt were more boring than folding paper. The closest I ever got to actually doing some form of Origami was when it was Thanksgiving or Columbus Day in elementary school and we made the little turkeys and ships out of construction paper. Now that I think of it, that probably doesn’t even count as Origami because, truth be told, I actually didn’t know what Origami actually was until now. 

Origami is a Japanese art form that involves folding paper into cool things, such as a flower. Fortunately for those who don’t speak Japanese like myself, “ori” means “folding” and “ami” means “paper.” As Wikipedia dutifully informed me, Origami was found in Europe, China, and Japan throughout history, but the specific form practiced today originated during the Edo Period in the 1600’s. While it normally involves a square piece of paper, Pinterest people use multiple pre cut shapes and colors to cover your dorm wall with all kinds of flowers. 

When I first began Origami, I wanted to start with something simple, yet colorful. Realizing I only had white printer paper and was woefully ill prepared to actually create colorful origami, I settled on making a Halloween ghost. Dana Hinders, an experienced Origami creator on thesprucecrafts.com, walked me through an easy, seven step process to make the perfect beginners Origami. 

Soon I was off, folding my printer paper like a professional. Measuring twice, folding once, I managed to create the ghost exactly as pictured. Dana turned me into a master Origami artist in only seven easy steps! 

In no time at all, I was hooked. Having mastered the basics by creating the ghost, I knew I needed to step my game up. Pinterest searches for master level origami quickly led me to an Origami Winged Koi, a worthy challenge for my skills. Created from a single piece of paper, this fish would be the crown jewel of my newfound skills.

To start, I needed to gather my supplies. A single piece of paper, one sharpie, one bottle of kombucha to energize my inner balance, and the proper attitude of a champion. As I found with the creation of the ghost, total concentration was required to meet Dana’s high standards.

Despite the lack of steps to create this Winged Koi, I began to fold my paper. As the folds added up and the form began to take shape, my concentration was such that I didn’t even realize that I wasn’t making a fish whatsoever. After much deliberation and effort, my masterpiece was complete…except it was total garbage.  

What I failed to account for in my brilliant plan to create the Winged Koi was the fact that my ghost only succeeded with the easy seven steps given to me by Dana Hinders. What I thought was total skill was simply just a masterful job of explaining by Dana. She made a total novice feel like a champion and an expert. While my koi may have failed and my Origami hobby blown into shambles, I discovered the power of teaching and the acute ability of some to bring the best out of people. 

Origami is an interesting and fun hobby, but fails to have enough depth to cause me to pursue it past what I have done. As long as you follow Dana’s directions and learn the basics, Origami will provide a decent amount of entertainment to those equipped with copious amounts of patience and printer paper. 3.5/5 stars.