In and out of folding flow

A dear cousin of mine moved from sunny Languedoc to a grey suburb of Paris about 15 years ago. I visited her before my big move across the Atlantic and we talked about how to cope with being a “transplant”.

“Home is where you can get in your flow”, she told me.

As a (almost) Millennial I discarded the idea as a vaguely hippie one, coming from a child of the seventies. Silly, silly me.

A year after moving to Minnesota, I was in a horrendous lull. I felt “un-rooted” (as in: having had my roots torn away from me). The presidential election didn’t make things easier. I couldn’t relate to my new surroundings, let alone connect with them.

That is how sloppygami happened, and later on “catch-a-breath“. For that project, I folded one thousand paper structures (16 folds each) over a period of three months, worked on my blog, did some networking, organized a couple events… But most importantly : I completely forgot about being a “transplant”, because I was deep in flow.

Installation went like a charm, everything was beautiful that day : the space (an empty office building), the MadeHereMn installation team, my husband, the light pouring in through my structures, the texts friends kept sending me…

But once we left the building… it was like these 16000 folds had never happened. Looking at the display from outside, it almost felt like it was not mine. I had expected this folding journey to be truly transformative,  yet I couldn’t see the change.

It took me a good three days to realize that something is different. I am out of my folding flow, but the horrible transplant angst that was here before is gone. That is really astonishing. Empowering as well.

I know now that I can get in my flow here and I can get things done, thanks to my incredible local support team (I love you guys!!!)

On to my next folding adventure, wishing you all to find a place where you get in your flow!!