Creator Spotlight: Origami Talk
Ali Bahmani started making origami 10 years ago and when no one in his country, Iran, was involved in high level origami, he reached out to artists directly to learn more. He wrote a paper about teaching math through origami, and was invited to Tokyo University in 2014 to present. In Japan he met origami professionals face to face and the experiences that stuck with him most were the unofficial meetings more than the formal talks. He recorded his experience and interviews to capture it all. There is little information on the internet about many of the origami artists in Japan, and since Ali is fluent in Japanese, he was able to interview them. So far he hasn’t published any of his videos from his trips to Japan, but these experiences motivated him to start his series, Origami Talk, to connect the community of fellow origami enthusiasts. Early in quarantine Ali joined Quarantine Book Club and was inspired by their format and friendly atmosphere for his own events.
Origami Talk is now on week 15, with an event every week averaging 70 people each time. Ali used Eventbrite for the first three events, and then switched to Mixily. He appreciated the human touch of the Mixily team. As a UX designer, Ali even shared ideas for feature suggestions. Origami Talk is a one person passion project right now. He creates the events, sends the emails, coordinates with speakers, moderates events, so is juggling a lot. Ali is “happy that such a service exists that makes my life easier.”
We chatted with Ali to learn more about his experience organizing Origami Talk and event tips.
If someone was looking to host an event for their first time, any words of wisdom you would give them?
Advice I would give to myself 4 months back would be to care less about the formality and details, and just start the meeting. The community will find its own path. I was really anxious about the structure and details of the meeting itself, but the substance of the discussion is what matters the most. If someone has an idea of something they want to start, just do it before someone else does.
Since using Mixily, what is your favorite feature?
The ticketing donation where people can change the amount they donate, and also have the option of including a promo code. I want people to sign up without a fixed price, the suggested donation option is helpful. The donations have been a way for me to get feedback if people are enjoying the events; in the beginning people were donating around $3 an event and now $10 or $20 is a sign people are enjoying it.
Do you have any pre-event rituals?
I prepare 2 cups of something to drink during the event, usually 1 cup of tea and 1 cup of water. I also will prepare a back up connection on my phone in case my laptop loses connection to the internet and gets dropped off.
Any new favorite podcasts, books or TV shows you’ve discovered this year?
Google Design podcasts and The Hilarious World of Depression. I was just interviewed for an Iranian podcast and we talked about origami and Japan for 4 hours. In September I’ll be recording an interview in English.
What are your favorite emojis?
🍂 - in Iran we use the falling leaf emoji because there is a saying that literally means hair on my body just fell, like wow, so this is the closest emoji to that saying
🌸⭐ - sakura star, which is an origami he makes
How can people learn more about Origami Talk and join upcoming events?
https://www.instagram.com/talkorigami/
Join new events every week!