Shannon from Origami Dog
This month, we're thrilled to shine the spotlight on Shannon from Origami Dog as our Maker of the Month!
Creating intricate origami designs all the way from Hawaii, Shannon is a master at turning paper into art. She swears by Surebonder's detail tip glue guns for adding those delicate touches that make her creations shine. As a lover of puzzles, Shannon knows the value of patience and perspective, often taking a break to revisit her work with fresh eyes, making sure every fold and crease is just right.
Join us in celebrating Shannon's incredible talent, as she reminds us to not wait for the perfect moment—just dive in and start creating today!
Now it's time for a little Q&A, let's go!
1. How long have you been creating and how did you get started?
I started designing origami creatures as an encore career in 2017. I had been folding for a few years according to instructions, but could not find instructions to fold MY Dog, capturing her innate happiness and joy. After searching and searching through dozens of origami books, I decided that if I wanted it, I would have to figure it out on my own. Designing origami uses a completely different part of the brain than following directions, and once I opened that door, there has been no going back. My business is named Origami Dog because that's where it all began... with an origami dog.
2. What is/are your favorite Surebonder product(s):
My designs tend towards intricate so I have several detail tip glue guns for my different workbenches and different glue colors. I love the cordless models and have converted exclusively to those, both the ones with AC chargers and Ryobi® style battery chargers. I say this honestly, Surebonder products are incomparable. I have tried other adhesives but I love the speed of hot glue sticks. It supports creative flow when you don’t have to wait 30 minutes or 24 hours for the glue to dry.
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| SHOP CORDLESS GLUE GUNS | SHOP ALL-PURPOSE HOT GLUE |
3. What inspires you to create? What do you love most and what is the hardest part about the creative process?:
I love puzzles and coming up with "creative solutions." It's part of who I am. For me, it's kind of therapeutic letting that creative part of my brain out to play. Not getting caught up in the business and sales and productivity components of being a "working" artist, and making time to regularly engage in creating new designs is the harder part. Experimenting with new designs and materials is fun, but there is no guarantee that a session will be successful or productive. I can get really focused and I love being in that all-consuming creative "zone" where amazing things can happen through my own finger tips! (I swear there are NO mind-altering substances involved in the experience.) Depending on the project, that can take hours or days or even longer, and there are times when I need to put it aside and attend to life in the real world. I also won't put anything out there that I don't think is good enough to represent my design style and brand.
The sculptor/origami artist who really inspires me is Eric Joisel. There are many origamians and a few origami artists, though none are quite like Joisel who is a sculptor and a self-proclaimed "bad origamian." Sadly, he passed away in 2010 before I ever started my art journey. Joisel had a style all his own and brought paper to life in a way that few others have been able to achieve.
5. How do you manage and overcome creative burnout?:
I look at amazing stuff that other people have made, usually in a completely different medium. The Internet is a visual feast for that, even for someone living in a small town on a rural island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It often gives me inspiration and ideas about new ways to explore my own medium.
6. Have you experienced a fail? How did you work through it and what did you learn?:
I could fill bins with my practice pieces. Sometimes I will work on a design all day and well after dark, finally having something that I think, "I've done it!" When I look at it the next morning with fresh eyes, I realize I didn't get it. So I'll work on it again and at the end of the day think, "I've got it." And change my mind the next morning. It's all part of the process. I've learned never to get too excited until I put something aside for a few hours and look at it again with fresh eyes. A wise mentor once shared with me that there are no failures, only learning experiences.
7. What advice would you give to someone who wants to get started?:
Just do it! Everything I make, whether good or bad, is experience gained. Those experiences add up over time. And there's no substitute for that, so the sooner you start, the better.
8. What’s next for you? (a new project? a new technique? a new venture?):
I recently started experimenting with... you're not going to believe it... TPR (toilet paper roll) origami faces. Something inspired by a different French origami artist, Junior Fritz Jacquet. At least it's not difficult to acquire supplies! In fact, unsolicited TPRs have already started showing up on my doorstep. :o)
Check out more from Shannon:
Instagram: @OrigamiDogHawaii
Website: Origami Dog - Design & Sculpture
Etsy: Origami Dog Design
