Longiee

Hi! I'm fairly new to Origami and totally new to the forum. I have been getting more and more into Origami lately, but to be honest - I'm not good enough at this at all. I keep trying, but I basically cannot complete anything. I've done some simple origamis, that were designed for kids and frankly even that was a struggle for me. Anything above kids level - I haven't completed even one model. Even the Chick, the easy one that was posted here on this forum in the tutorials topic. I feel like I'm good-for-nothing when it comes to Origami and as long as it's a pretty entertaining hobby, towards which I have grew a liking, I just don't know if there is a point in continuing. If I have to spend a year or more practicing just to get something simple done, then...

Besides, as for present, I don't even think that I will be ever capable of completing those models. That's how miserable at Origami I am. I was literally never good with my hands, be it drawing or anything else, I was always one of the worst in my class. Is there a point in continuing learning this art if I have absolutely zero talent? I know, that this is the question, that I should rather figure out myself, but I don't know... maybe I'm just looking for somebody to simply cheer me up.

Leonard

Well, as an example I can give my younger self - I was never good manually just like you, and learning Origami was a pretty much big struggle for me. I have started from the simplest of models there were available and I was struggling with them as well, but I really liked it, so even though I kept failing and failing, I was actually enjoying that and thanks to that I was able to go forward. You have to figure out yourself whether you really like it or not, because after all you are doing it for yourself. You don't do origami to impress anybody, you don't want to have your own designs and compete with world's masters. You just do it because you want to and you enjoy it. For me it's a way to shut down my brain a little bit from everyday's problems and just focus on something else entirely, on something, that I actually enjoy. Some do enjoy it, some doesn't. From what you write you seem like you really love it, but you are not sure what you do because you are afraid of being bad at it. Don't worry, everyone is bad at the beginning, such is origami after all. Some will always be more talented and some will less, you don't even have to tell anyone that you are practicing origami before you actually learn something, that you can show in front of your friends for example. Just keep it to yourself and keep doing it if you really like it. If not, then then quit now, but don't make your decision based on whether you are good at somethign or not.

Flying Deidara

Just like Leonard said. You shouldn't make your decision based on being good or bad, just keep doing what you enjoy. For example I enjoy all kind of art, but Origami has struck me the most and that's why I have sticked with it for so long and polished my skills. I wasn't the best at the beginning as well, it's all a pretty slow process, that you have to figure out yourself. Although, I never encountered such problems like you do - maybe you should practice a little bit more before you call yourself a good-for-nothing in origami? I mean, kids designs are very easy to do, but other beginners ones, like even this popular Chick are fairly easy too. Frankly, I was basically able to complete right away, without much practice, but maybe you should give it some more time. Try various designs, even if a few of those labeled easy didn't work out for you, try to make something different, even if you consider it to be harder, it may actually be easier for you. You never know. Besides you don't even know your strenghts and weaknesess. As far as origami goes, you don't know anything about yourself yet, you are as clueless as every other beginner in terms of your own skills.

I can see, that this is a pretty hard decision for you to make, that's why I advise to give it some more time - maybe it will get better on the way, and even then I support Leonard here, that even if it will not get better, as long as you enjoy doing it, you will feel much happier about yourself and eventually, you will improve.

Coffeegirl

Exactly. Don't make this stupid decision based on your lack of skills. We are all bad at the beginning. Look, I'm a beginner too, and maybe if I am a bit better than you at this, it doesn't change the fact, that I still have tons to learn and doing any complex models in my current state is impossible. And just as you, I don't even see how I would be able to make some of those harder designs, but I enjoy Origami and I'm going to stick with it. Whether I will get on the desired level or not.

Denzi

I remember when I was fairly bad at drawing too, but yet I enjoyed it and I sticked to this activity. All my other friends were doing something else, going out, drinking, playing soccer or basketball and I just kept drawing. I mean, sure, I was going out too, like a normal human being, but I liked drawing and despite my lack of skills, I just continued doing it until I eventally got pretty good at it. It started to bore me a little though, so I have switched to Origami. But the point is - as long as you enjoy doing something, then do. Life is too short to give up on things, that you actually enjoy doing. Most of our lives are filled with things, that we don't want to do and yet we have to, so use this very little time you have left to focus on something, that you indeed enjoy doing. It worked for me and even though I already reached a pretty high level in drawing, once I stopped enjoying that, I switched to Origami and just like you, I'm starting as a total beginner with no regrets, that I have already left something, that I got fairly good at. Learning is also part of fun - remember this :P

Longiee

Okay, thanks for your responses guys. I can see that you have put quite a lot of work to help me figure out the decision, that I should be able to make myself anyway and shouldn't have asked anyone about help. My bad, sorry for that. Anyway, I have decided to give it a go and stick with it for a little bit longer. Not sure how long, we will see. As you said, I will keep doing it until I stop enjoying it. That seems to be the simplest solution. If my streak of failure will continue, I'm sure that I will eventually lose my interest in Origami. While I'm still interested in this art and still take pleasure from it, although not so much as at the beginning, because frankly not being able to make anything can be extremely frustrating. But I will stick with it for as long as I can and then I will make a decision. Thanks everyone for your help!

Denzi

That's what I'm talking about, keep doing it until you enjoy it. That's basically the most important rule of any hobby. That's exactly what I did with drawing, even though I got pretty good, I just decided to let it go totally, because I just simply wasn't into it that much. If you want, name a couple of models that you have problems with and we will do anything to help you, maybe the reason for your constant failure is something simple, that you just haven't noticed yet? Like using a paper of wrong size etc.

Longiee

Thanks Denzi! Well, all those tutorials for simple models are pretty much well detailed, so it's really hard to not understand it. Even if one tutorial doesn't work for me, there is plenty of others, equally accurate, so I guess the failure is totally on me. And I accept it. We will see how it goes, I will continue practicing Origami and if I don't give up along the way, I will make sure to permanently become a member of this helpful community.

Oh and as for basics - I doubt that's a paper size problem or anything of this sort. I have been following all the instructions for beginners found on the internet and in the books, so I have pretty much covered all the foundations to start origami, before I took upon my very first model. It's just that I seem to be exceptionally bad manually, but seems like Leonard used to be in my shoes as well, and now he is making some really impressive designs. Hopefully, I will be able to match his level someday, and if not - well, no regrets, plenty of others things to do in this life.

So, sorry again for whining. This thread shouldn't be even made in the first place. Hopefully, see you soon!