Learning to Fold Greatness (or at Least Mediocrity) (#1)

I shouldn't have been surprised, but picking a project topic was really, really difficult. School has sucked up the majority of my energy and time, and other than dance, I don't really do much else. (So yes, I'm incredibly boring). Of course I just had to be incredibly indecisive as well which caused me to fret over this choice more than ever the past couple of days (thanks, brain). Strange as it sounds, I chose origami because of an experience I had stuffing envelopes. Last Tuesday, I went to a Key Club event where we were assigned the task of preparing invitations for a fundraising dinner. The methodical motions of placing the cards inside the envelopes and labeling them was strangely relaxing and enjoyable despite initially appearing to be incredibly boring. It reminded me of origami with its clean simplicity and smooth motions. But to really understand why I wanted to pursue origami, you need to take a trip. No, I have never seen Back to the Future (or its sequels), but I am 90% sure this is that time-traveling car from the movie. Time travel back to fourth grade and you'll find me still abnormally short and with an obsession with origami. My grandmother was more than happy to supply me with slightly hideous origami paper with which to fuel my passion, and let me just say that quite the collection amassed. Sticky-note origami was my favorite because there was no need to use the super fancy paper and the smaller size made it easier to keep hidden from teachers' prying eyes. Perfect for those dull school assemblies where you were on the verge of falling asleep. Plus, there's just something about stick-notes that makes them so fun to use. While I'm certainly still nervous, I'm also surprisingly excited about this project. It's such a strange feeling, because normally the only thing my brain gains from projects is copious amounts of stress. As for my goal, I'm hoping to learn at least four new shapes per week (which I'll explain in more depth later on). My original plan was to make a mobile with one of each new shape I learned over the course of the project, but I realize that that mobile would have to be humongous in order for that to work. Instead, I plan to take my favorite two from each week and add them so that it doesn't look like a giant mess. Since I've never made one before, I'm planning on making a fairly simple one. Over time, the shapes I'll plan to make will increase in difficulty, though at this point I'm still unsure as to how high said difficulty level will go. Weirdly enough, my dad was reading a newspaper article on origami the same day I decided to choose origami for my project, and it gave me the idea to possibly choose someone mentioned in the article to interview. (Plus it mentioned an actual origami TED Talk which I can't wait to watch!) I've already reserved a couple books at the library as well which I'm really excited for. This year I've had less and less time to read for enjoyment, but this project gives me an excuse to do it which is nice. I also dug up an old website I used to constantly use during my origami phase as well as I new one I'll try out. Hopefully it'll all work out in the end and I'll be able to look back on this fondly (instead of regretting everything I do like usual). Fingers crossed! As for my milestones/mini-goals, this is what I have so far. (I'll continue to add to it as I go along, and a continually updated version can be found on the Timeline page.) Week 1: 4 pieces (vortex module, sea turtle, Vicente's flower, cat box); basic background research (important/influential people, basic folds, etc.); attempt to arrange expert interview (preferably with Robert Lang) Week 2: 4 pieces (currently undecided); continue background research (focus on the basic history/development of origami); begin construction of mobile Week 3: 4 pieces (currently undecided); continue research (focus on the various types, mainly modular/geometric and traditional); complete mobile structure Week 4: 4 pieces (currently undecided); continue research (focus on usage of different materials/types of paper); conduct interview (if not already completed) Week 5: 4 pieces (currently undecided); begin thinking about TED Talk Week 6: 4 pieces (currently undecided); complete mobile (add final pieces from this week)