Ross Symons

 

“Paying attention to everything that nobody else is”

Ross has always battled with taking orders from his superiors and following what others do. If there is a way to do something differently, Ross will find it. When it piques his interest he will focus on something until he understands it and is able to recreate it in his own way. And just as he starts to excel at a skill, he will blend it with a brand new one to create something unique. Not always good, but always unique. Always searching for a reason to create something and share it with people around him. A bad joke, a decent meal, a quirky animation, or a solemn paper rabbit. He wants nothing more than for people to get along and enjoy their jobs.

Ross lives in Cape Town, South Africa. He started folding paper when he was 21 and the first origami figure he ever folded was a crane(bird). He folded that bird over and over again until he could fold it with his eyes closed.

If he had a beer bottle in front of him he would tear the label off and fold it into a crane.

Not too long ago he was working a 9-to-5 job as a website developer, but over time it became apparent that being employed by someone was never going to enable him to create the happy, free life that he wanted. Although he was competent in his work, he was not feeling fulfilled.

He found himself starting side projects all the time. One of these came out of his enjoyment of practicing the traditional Japanese art of paper folding known as origami. He was always folding little paper creatures which littered his desk at work, and he kept challenging himself to create more intricate pieces.

He dedicated the entire year of 2014 to improving his craft and sharing it with the world. That’s when he started his popular Instagram account, white_onrice, where he folded and posted a different origami figure every day of the year. He increased his following on this account from just 120 to over 100,000 in under 18 months. As the project grew, he developed an entire brand around White on Rice, which has allowed him to quit his 9-to-5 job and run his own business.

Interests: Yoga and motion graphics

Organizations: White on Rice

Follow Ross’ work: Instagram, Website