At my squid class at the OrigamiUSA convention last Saturday, I had a student who really wanted to get better. As soon as I walked in, he asked me a flurry of questions.

  • “I know this is a complex class, but I’m not at that level yet. Is it okay for me to be here?”
  • “How do you design origami? How can I learn design?”
  • “How do I get better at origami?”

During the class, he was very frustrated with himself. It’s a feeling that I can relate to–to want so badly to be able to do something, and yet be not quite there yet.

After the class, he gave me his email so that I could send him the diagrams. I sent him the diagrams, along with some advice. Here’s what I wrote:

Hi ____,

It was great having you at my class at OUSA. I’ve attached the diagrams for my squid below.

For improving, I highly recommend John Montroll’s “Teach Yourself Origami”. Both the original version and the second edition are good. If you fold every model in the book, you will get better. Don’t rush to finish the book–don’t skip models, even if they seem easy. If you don’t get a model perfect, get more paper and fold it again (and again) until you do. This was the way I taught my origami class at Berkeley. I promise you’ll improve quickly if you do this.

Also, it’s helpful to be part of a community of folders. Sharing your folds and getting feedback is important for staying motivated. I recommend attending meetings of your local group, if you have one nearby. Also, if you’re not in it already, the Origami-Dan discord server is a great way to be part of an online community of folders. Their invite link is discord.gg/fold.

Best, Oliver

squid.pdf