Dear Readers, Is there anyone out there that has figured out what to do with all the models one produces every day as a practitioner of origami?
I want you all to know that I am grateful to have origami in my life. It helps me keep my mind at peace. I often think, ‘Thank God for origami’, even though I consider myself an atheist. However, the models I produce take over my living space. I have no idea what to do anymore. Every horizontal surface in the apartment is fair game to become populated by folded paper. Despite being warned away from the ironing board, you’ll find them there too. Now, please realize that I am not writing about what I call ‘first-try’, or ‘study’ models; those - without any hesitation - go into the trash. A friend not long ago admonished me for even throwing out those models. I told her that they were just for practice. From her line of thinking, every pianist practicing Chopin for hours every day ought to have every one of those minutes archived and recorded for release by Deutsche Grammophone! All my friends appreciate it when I give them models. They sincerely enjoy receiving them. I kid you not. I see the pieces I folded on display in their houses where they have been given a place of honor (despite accumulating dust). But, I have to be very careful about this. I just cannot without restraint pass my burden onto them. They will never throw them away either! Here are a couple of concrete examples of the problem at hand: From a large scale view: I enjoy folding Kusudamas designed by Tomoko Fuse. I have dozens and dozens floating around. It’s like drowning in candy! I usually give one to all my neighbors on their birthdays - but those only come around once a year - and, besides, these kind gestures make no recognizable dent in my inventory. From a small scale every-day view: I just received the new issue of the NOA magazine and found a model that I just had to fold at the breakfast table, a Space Station. First I made one out of kami which ended up being too small and too bulky to look nice. That one went right into the trash. Next, I made a larger one out of shiny silver paper. It looks great, but now what do I do? Put it in a safety deposit box and enter it in my will? For those of you who would recommend I seek psychotherapy, I should note that my friend mentioned earlier, the one who could not see my throwing anything at all away, is a psychotherapist. Thank you for any strategies you could suggest, Mark Burger Denver, Colorado
