Taking Flight #pollinatingkindness

During Art Night, I came by to show people how to make butterflies. I brought paper and a stamp and waited in the garden, listening to the beatiful outdoor concert. I taught a few people, including one guest who already knew a lot of origami, but not the Yoshizawa butterfly. She wrote a new act of kindness on her sheet, "Give a hug to someone that needs it." As I showed her the folding steps, we chatted and laughed. She suggested I integrate social media for people to post photos of the butterflies and where they place them in the world.

About a week later, I got an email from a 12-year-old girl who saw the butterflies at Offramp Gallery on Art Night. She took one home, completed the act of kindness (synchronously, to hug someone that looks like they need it!), and researched the project. She found this site and wrote to ask if she could make and spread more butterflies with acts of kindness in nearby parks because, as she said, "I feel that something small like the butterflies can make someone's day." This made my day and I wrote back to encourage her to move forward with her plan.

When I got home from Art Night, I checked Instagram and saw a wonderful video that one of my students made, folding her own new butterfly in the garden. And, there it was, she had started a hashtag too! Now you can share images and stories at #pollinatingkindness.