How did you learn origami?

Like any child growing up in Japan, I learned how to fold a paper crane at a very young age. I was so young, in fact, I don’t remember learning it. (To this day, it baffles me that the crane is THE standard model - it’s pretty complicated, with many folds.) For most of my life, I only folded origami when a family member or close friend was severely ill. There were three instances when I folded 1000 cranes and strung them together, and made the wish that the person who was sick would recover. This is a tradition among the Japanese (for those who are unfamiliar, you can read about Sadako Sasaki, a victim of the Hiroshima bombing, and the historical children’s novel, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes.) I also remember folding paper cranes to take on a school field trip to Hiroshima Peace Park.

I was always into handicrafts - knitting, sewing, crochet, etc. I didn’t start studying origami until I was in my early thirties. I’m an older millennial - Youtube came out in my early/mid-twenties, and then Instagram, several years later. I’m not sure I would have been as inspired to learn origami from books - there was something about the immediate access to the origami community and their feedback through the digital world that was ridiculously enticing. I do, however, purchase origami books now. Since the origami community is so generous and so much content is free online, it feels good to purchase books, and to try to pay back a fraction of what the community has so selflessly given.

Who are your favorite origami designers/teachers?

My favorite origami designers are Maria Sinayskaya, Tomoko Fuse, and the late Francis Ow. My favorite youtube origami teachers are Judith Magen of origamitutorials.com and Evan Zodl of EZ Origami. (I’m really slow - it took me years to realize that Evan’s initials were “EZ” and thus, his website was a play off his name. Brilliant.) Please note that some teachers are also designers, and vice versa. Other popular Youtube teachers include the brilliant Sara Adams of happyfolding.com, and Leyla Torres of Origami Spirit.

I really look up to Talo Kawasaki, who I met in NYC and who is in charge of the incredible origami holiday tree every year at the American Museum of Natural History. I think Yuki Martin, author of Super Cute Origami Kit, is such a charming, positive voice in the origami community.

My ultimate origami hero is Doug, who I met through OMG (the Origami Meetup Group, haha) in NYC. He’s an origami god - he’s been folding origami before man landed on the moon. My life goal is to become a millionaire, and hire Doug full-time to teach me origami. I post videos of Doug a lot on my Instagram.

Do you teach origami? Can you come teach at my school/company?

I was a language teacher for a long time, but I don’t have a ton of experience teaching origami. This is something that can be discussed. But I’m at the point where I definitely do not have the time to do it voluntarily.

Do you design origami? Can you teach me how to design origami models?

Not really. I play around with designs, but I am definitely NOT a designer. Math was my worst subject – it was the only “C” I ever got in high school. (Thanks, Mr. Guthrie!!!)

How did you learn how to make paper jewelry?

From Youtube. Youtube saved me hundreds of thousands of dollars in design school fees. I instead paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for a useless degree in Applied Linguistics.

Can you teach me how to make paper jewelry?

No - resin (the stuff I apply to earrings) is toxic during application. If you want to learn, you can look up “paper resin jewelry” on Youtube. Be careful – you should apply resin to jewelry while outdoors, with a mask and other protective gear.

What paper do you use?

If you are looking for a paper-buying guide for origami, I highly recommend this amazing, thorough guide by Judith Magen, of origamitutorials.com. (Even if you are a Japanese speaker, please note that certain lingo used in the origami world means something different than it does in standard Japanese.) As for myself - I purchase a number of brands that can only be found in Japan. These brands offer colors that you can’t find elsewhere - beautifully muted tones such as plum, matcha, etc.

For my paper jewelry, I use chiyogami, which is paper that is hand-silkscreened in Japan by small family-owned companies. If you are located in North America -- Paper Source in the US, and The Paper Place in Canada are great shops from which to purchase chiyogami. The patterns are gorgeous, the colors are so luscious! - and it’s so versatile. You can frame it, decoupage it, make stationery from it. It’s also possible to fold origami with it, but since chiyogami is thicker than regular origami paper – almost fabric-like – I find it difficult to fold. You can use chiyogami to fold simpler models.

Please note that REAL chiyogami is more expensive than standard origami paper, or fake chiyogami. There are origami-making companies that steal the word “chiyogami” and steal their designs, but make their paper by machine. (Here’s an article by a wonderful company called The Rare Orchid, that details this issue.)

Another company I advocate buying paper from is Awagami Factory, which is located in southern Japan. I believe that most – if not all (?) – of their paper is handmade and hand-dyed. You can purchase from them online, internationally.

Who/what are your creative influences?

I am primarily a lover of color – not a master origamist - and I see origami simply as a conduit for the sweeping color gradients that I can’t get out of my head. Therefore, I am inspired by artists who have a distinctive mastery of color. I have always been captivated by the colorful works of Kandinsky, Chagall, Klimt - and Hundertwasser, who came a little later. I also admired Junichi Nakahara’s work – my grandmother introduced it to me. (Nakahara was a fashion designer in addition to being an artist, and my grandmother was a seamstress.) A few of my favorite contemporary artists and illustrators include Yelena Bryksenkova, Becca Stadtlander, Naomi Okubo, and Jennifer Davis. When I lived in Australia, I discovered the retro-tinged designs of Inaluxe, and the dreamy art of the amazing Catherine Campbell.

I’ve been influenced by children’s books my entire life. Eric Carle, Brian Wildsmith, and Ezra Jack Keats are some of my favorite illustrators. Initially, my background was in writing, not art – and I still aspire to write a children’s book. Ann M. Martin, author of the Baby-Sitters Club, is my childhood hero. I met her once in NYC, when I was an adult. I had a complete meltdown, and I’m sure to this day, she thinks I’m a crazed fanatic. Which I am.

In terms of fashion, Tomoe Shinohara was my idol when I was growing up in Japan. I even dressed like her. And as a 90’s kid - I worshiped Gwen Stefani.

However, despite all of these influences - my absolute, number one inspiration of all time is the 80’s cartoon series, Jem and the Holograms. I. LOVE. JEM. I lived in the US for seven years as a child - from the late 80’s to mid 90’s. I was all about the neon spandex, the Lisa Frank folders, the jelly shoes. But there was something about the “truly outrageous, beautifully bold” color combinations in the Holograms’ and Misfits’ fashions that transfixed me. Everyone who worked on that show was an absolute genius. (I also met the singing voice of Jem, Britta Phillips, in NYC as an adult. Needless to say, I had ANOTHER complete meltdown.)

It’s strange - but when I’m in a “color rut” - feeling uninspired and struggling to choose color combinations for my origami - I will go back and watch a bunch of Jem music videos. It’ll oftentimes snap me out of my rut. (I was SO disappointed when they took Jem off of Netflix! Screw you, Netflix!) For anyone who’s remotely interested, here’s my blog entry with links to my top 25 favorite Jem & the Holograms (and Misfits) music videos. YOU’RE WELCOME!!!