At the age of six I folded my first crane,
After that my life would not be the same.
Join me as we go through the folding lane.

As the poem above says, it all started when I was six. On the T.V. channel I was watching there was a short tutorial of how to make a paper crane. I was so fascinated not only about the final figure, also about the delicate and evidently intricate process it required.

The channel where I watched the tutorial, also used to show many other designs, which I was able to master with ease, even at that age. But the crane required more challenging folds and creases that I was not aware that paper could do.

Back in those day, I did not have a way to play the tutorial over and over, the only way was to be ready and wait until it was shown again on T.V. again. Sometimes, this would happen once a week, sometimes none, but the little-me was ready with her paper at all times, determined to learn how to fold a paper crane.

It took several weeks and trials until I was finally able to master it and the result was without a doubt a truly elegant, yet seemingly simple figure. But for a me, at six-years old, it was the materialization of patience and sophistication. Needless to say I was very proud of myself, and after overcoming that first challenge, my hands have never stopped craving for paper to create art.

I think mom still keeps that first crane.

My collection of folding art kept on growing and so did my expertise in paper folding. Every time I finish a model, there is a exceptional moment when my eyes truly see what my hands have created with the material. It is not longer flat, it has take life and it has became art, then I smile. This moment also exists when I show a finished model or at the end of a workshop when the eyes of people spark to see what has been created and smile. This is a connecting moment full of wonder and amazement. It is this smile that I want to spread.

I have an origami shop in the centre of town that allows my hobby to be sustainable, and although I am not there to see all the smiles on people, I can imagine them, as there is always traffic on the store. With the several workshop I have put together I get to enjoy first hand that dazzling moment when the eyes sparkle followed by the smile.

Origami will always remain my passion, and I hope I get to experience with you that amazement smiles that makes it all worthy.

Adriana, origamist

November 24, 2021