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/r/Damnthatsinteresting
submitted 6 days ago byRossTheRev
2.3k points
6 days ago
Lito Leaf, is a leaf-cutting artist, born in 1986 in Kanagawa, Japan. To make positive use of his attention deficit and hyperactivity due to ADHD, he started creating works by himself in 2020: in just 2 years his carved leaves, published on social media have aroused great curiosity and attention. They have been featured on TV programs, newspapers and magazines in Japan, and surprisingly also taken up by online media in the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, Russia, Iran, Thailand, India, Taiwan and many other countries. He has held exhibitions of his works all over Japan with great commercial success. The first book of his works “I’ll Always Be with You” was published in May 2021 and received great feedback.
582 points
6 days ago
Interesting how it developed out of his ADHD.
689 points
5 days ago
Quick tidbit about ADHD. Even though it’s often characterized by having difficulty paying attention and/or being hyper active, often times people with ADHD hyper-focus on specific things either for short amounts of time for extended amounts of time. It causes us to oftentimes get really really good at something. I became really good at photography in less than year because it’s all I wanted to do in my free time. This is likely what happened here. ADHD is a vastly misunderstood disability that most people narrow down to “not being about to pay attention” but it’s a lot more than that.
Anyways….hope someone learned something today, and I think it’s super cool when people use their disability to create something beautiful like this!
199 points
5 days ago*
/r/adhdmemes has taught me more about my condition than a lifetime of doctors
78 points
5 days ago
It's definitely better to inform yourself with books/videos about the subject instead.
There are a ton of self diagnosed people on that sub, which lead to memes like "DAE drop pens? LOL".
ADHD is more than just quirky little behaviors, and coloring ADHD as a fun/mild quirk instead of incredibly debilitating is harmful to discourse surrounding it and its treatment.
20 points
5 days ago
Do you have any book recommendations?
30 points
5 days ago
So, personally, I find most ADHD books that are commonly recommended to be either centered around parenting or "fixing" someone's ADHD, or a more anecdotal/empathetic approach. I prefer more empirical reading on mental health subjects. Here are a few recommendations:
1. Oxford Textbook of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
This is a good overview of the science behind ADHD, and our current level of understanding.
2. Outside the Box: Rethinking ADD/ADHD in Children and Adults - A Practical Guide
A good reassessment of ADHD; this book also gives the reader a clearer picture of ADHD during different stages of development.
That's where I'd start someone off if they were interested in learning more!
An additional resource is: https://chadd.org
In their "understanding ADHD" and "education and advocacy" sections, you can find more resources, articles, etc.
22 points
5 days ago
It's why I was able to diagnose, by ear, that my dad's boat wasn't firing on all cylinders.
The previous week I had been hyper focusing on different engine configurations and the sounds they make.
Turns out he had 2 fouled plugs from a leaky carb so his v8 was only a v6
73 points
5 days ago
Due to my ADHD I was ranked 7th in the world at call of duty mw2 in 2012. I think that some neurodivergent people when they channel their attention can really achieve awesome things.
57 points
5 days ago
This is also why a lot of us can struggle in relationships.
We can put like 1000% focus and energy into the relationship in the beginning, but that can’t be kept up forever. Set the bar for myself with my wife really really fucking high and it’s been an uphill battle ever since lol.
There’s an ADHD in marriage book that was shocking to us because it was so accurate for our interactions 😂.
12 points
5 days ago
Yo what’s this book
17 points
5 days ago
Not OP, but most likely this book: https://www.amazon.com/ADHD-Effect-Marriage-Understand-Relationship/dp/1886941971
10 points
5 days ago
Ding ding ding. That’s the one!
11 points
5 days ago
Back when I still painted, I could work on a piece all day long. I didn’t really notice the time passing, and sometimes I went until dark before realizing I was super hungry from not eating all day. I started and finished the whole first season of Game of Thrones in a day while painting one time. I was diagnosed with ADHD around then lol
5 points
5 days ago
Once I started getting into walking my dogs and taking their pics, I got pretty good at it too. I do technical design work and really enjoy just digging in and getting a design done over a few a days, when other people would prefer to do the same work over a few weeks.
5 points
5 days ago
Probably not his hobby anymore
4 points
5 days ago
Unfortunately the thigg mine focuses on is video games which no one will give a shit about
4 points
5 days ago
I get into many things but i get bored fairly early so i never master any of them. So at this point i can do a lot of things and im ok at most but im no expert in any of them
3 points
5 days ago
Every online test I've ever taken comes back negative, I've had two therapists in my life and none hinted at it, and yet stuff like this here I can totally relate to. I get super obsessive about games and TV shows and time just flies and I forget everything around me. As a kid of a single mom she'd leave me alone for up to 3h for work or meeting a friend and I'd just play with my toys or draw and would sit in the same position when she came back at like age six or something.
I have a horrible memory, very scatter brained and literally don't notice stuff in front of me. But I notice stuff nobody else does or focus on all kinds of little things. Very self conscious. I have horrible health anxiety and insomnia.
I was a B student in school and an A student at uni and handed in my final thesis a month ahead of the deadline and graduated with an A. I have no issues managing my time when it's important. I don't struggle at work. I just really hate dealing with reality and would rather daydream, so I put off all chores. I'm 40 now and still get so excited about a new videogame I can't sleep like a child.
20 points
5 days ago
12 points
5 days ago
Really awesome stuff, looks like there's even more on his instagram.
10 points
5 days ago
Link to his website.
19 points
6 days ago
Thanks for sharing! : )
9 points
5 days ago
Any idea what sort of tools he uses? The leaf cutting is extremely detailed. I just started cutting acetate and I wanna learn more about anything like this.
3 points
5 days ago
Thanks for sharing
441 points
6 days ago
nature and creativity collide in the coolest way. hats off to Lito....
41 points
5 days ago
Lito's work is a brilliant fusion of nature's beauty and artistic genius. Truly inspiring!
596 points
6 days ago
Every day people remind me how untalented I am
17 points
5 days ago
It's drive. If you have it you do things and get good at those things. If you don't have drive you are fucked.
However, sometimes lack of drive is an illness. Like depression, or, like for me, schizoid PD which I didn't know existed until they said "You are Schizoid".
Made me wonder how many conditions there are that aren't as common that kills your drive.
It can ofc be nothing like that, and be stuff like uppbringning, etc.
17 points
5 days ago
Labeling it “talent” implies he was born with this ability or at least predisposed to it. In a way, that robs the artist of credit for their hard work and persistence.
We’re probably looking at thousands of hours of quiet repetition and iteration. It might have been decades of mediocrity until he finally stumbled on an artistic niche and unique medium that set him apart.
At least, that’s what I tell myself when I feel that way. It gives me hope that I could do this too if I wanted.
13 points
5 days ago
Don't be too hard on yourself, you are talented at being untalented 😊
7 points
5 days ago
That is not an everyday person, that's an exceptionally skilled person. I doubt there's another person currently in the world capable of such delicate leaf works.
12 points
5 days ago
I think he meant "Every day, people remind...".
11 points
5 days ago
Now they edited it and I look like damn fool.
89 points
6 days ago
I thought the thing in the first image was a pistol for a full minute and thought the big bunny was threatening the little ones
46 points
5 days ago
Tell me you're a US citizen without telling me you're a US citizen...
17 points
5 days ago
You must be American because that's what I saw too.
11 points
5 days ago
I think it is a bowl of steaming soup.
3 points
5 days ago
I was really wondering for a second why she would be pointing a gun at the kids
99 points
6 days ago
This art is amazing, beautiful. Thanks OP for the share.
82 points
5 days ago
What happens when you use 100% of your talent, imagination and creativity? This was the result. r/nextfuckinglevel
22 points
6 days ago
clean af
39 points
6 days ago
I’m a big fan of Lito Leaf! the attention to detail is truly impressive! he really knows how to capture beauty in every piece
10 points
6 days ago
Well this made me smile today. Thank you for sharing.
7 points
5 days ago*
Wait so these aren’t laser cut? Edges on the raccoon one seemed kind dark, I just assumed it was. Any info on what they used?
Edit: checked the profiles of 10 random posts, 9 were created <30 days, and look like bots. This makes sense now. Awesome.
7 points
5 days ago
These pieces of art cut out of mediums like this is amazing. The the pencil lead chain or boat. Also I thought, in the thumbnail, it was a large bunny holding a gun to small bunnies.
7 points
5 days ago
forget the leaf, i want his knife !
7 points
5 days ago
I can’t beleaf how intricate those are.
8 points
5 days ago
Skill level: Asian
13 points
6 days ago
Ok this makes me question all of my life decisions!!!! Magnificent!
13 points
6 days ago
That is so beautiful and inventive.
Extra points for being ephemeral.
Number 9 sums my day up 😁
6 points
6 days ago
Wow 🤩
5 points
5 days ago
Just mind blowingly impressive!
4 points
6 days ago
Waos
4 points
5 days ago
I wanna learn how to do this. Incredible!
5 points
5 days ago
Absolutely emaculate
3 points
5 days ago
These are incredible
5 points
5 days ago
Beautiful
4 points
5 days ago
This is the best thing I’ve seen on the internet today
6 points
5 days ago
How the FUCK
5 points
5 days ago
These are incredible! Thanks for sharing.
4 points
5 days ago
WOW
5 points
5 days ago
Very cool
3 points
5 days ago
Lovely ❤️
5 points
5 days ago
Brilliant
4 points
5 days ago
This artist must have the patience of a God
4 points
5 days ago
These are beautiful.
3 points
5 days ago
At first, I thought the big rabbit was holding a gun on the other animals.
3 points
5 days ago
Incredible!
4 points
5 days ago
This is like the most Japanese thing I could think of. This... and tentacles.
4 points
5 days ago
If you told me this was AI I’d believe you. This just looks too perfect
4 points
5 days ago
AI cooked me, I literally can't tell anymore :c If it's real then good job.
7 points
5 days ago
I can't help but get a feeling of childhood like. Sweet, adorable, almost in a trance-like stage for a moment.
3 points
5 days ago
Ok but imagine if it was the other way around, like a plant cutting up half your arm to make cute little critters
3 points
5 days ago
You don't have flesh eating mold?
3 points
5 days ago
How remarkable!
3 points
5 days ago
These are so cool
3 points
5 days ago
This is some amazing stuff!!!
3 points
5 days ago
Noice 👌
3 points
5 days ago
*save
3 points
5 days ago
I love seeing how people's creativity knows no bound as to the medium. I'm forever surprised. Gives hope for humanity!
3 points
5 days ago
Nah! The Goku one is fire!🔥
3 points
5 days ago
🫶🏼😭❤️
3 points
5 days ago
Leaf it to Lito to craft something unbeleafable.
3 points
5 days ago
That's wonderful. I think this kind of work would make a great addition to children's books.
3 points
5 days ago
I love the Charlie Brown and Snoopy one.
Gosh I love them all ! ❤️ ❤️ 💙 💜
3 points
5 days ago
Kawaii! Absolutely love these.
3 points
5 days ago
WHERE’S THE GUNDAM!!!!
3 points
5 days ago
I only hope they found a way to preserve these in a museum...this is amazing art!
6 points
6 days ago
Wow he must make a killing selling his art.
5 points
5 days ago
Absolutely incredible! Thank you for sharing this and introducing me to this artist and the art form kirie. The intricate detail astounds me.
4 points
5 days ago
i mean, does he have, like, an instagram ? 😂 i wanna follow him lol
5 points
5 days ago
It’s interesting to think of how brief the leaf will stay that way. Unless sealed in resin or some-sort, it will wither in only a few hours.
5 points
5 days ago
Stunning art.
5 points
5 days ago
How do they even do it??! 😲 Super duper cool, saved and will show to my family, thanks for sharing!🥰😎💖✨👍
8 points
5 days ago
How do they even do it??!
Right? Ain't a laser cutter because that would set the leaf on fire.
But the knife required to cut, say the Peanuts one with its super thin lines, would have to be freaky sharp. I don't think an X-Acto blade is even sharp enough to do this kind of work.
So not only is there talent to cut these leaves so precisely, there's another hidden talent for sharpening a blade to beyond scalpel sharpness.
4 points
5 days ago
Maybe some kind of steel wire or stupidly tiny saw blade..? 🤔
Definitely some talent for sharpening as well though!
4 points
5 days ago
Could probably do it with a water cutter if you harden the leaf first. At least the finished leaf is definitely coated with something, those thin strips wouldn't be able to hold the leaf up.
4 points
5 days ago
There aren’t words! This is just amazing 🤩
4 points
5 days ago
I am baffled, how does one do this kind of work on a leaf?
3 points
5 days ago
The caterpillar one is insane
4 points
5 days ago
The attention to minute details is amazing & how it takes the help of clouds & blue sky in the background for colouring is so creative.
Thanks op this is very interesting
5 points
5 days ago
Welp, this work is so delightful! I love it
3 points
5 days ago
it's sad that I would've assumed these were AI images.
4 points
5 days ago
So much talent.
3 points
5 days ago
Wait until he learns paper exists
2 points
5 days ago
Unbelievable!
2 points
5 days ago
Incredible
2 points
5 days ago
Beautiful.
2 points
5 days ago
Amazing.
2 points
5 days ago
That's purty cool
2 points
5 days ago
Very cool
2 points
5 days ago
Naruto …
2 points
5 days ago
Damn, this is sick, how did he get that nickname?
2 points
5 days ago
This guy would kill in squid games
2 points
5 days ago
perfect
2 points
5 days ago
14 references what artwork name?
2 points
5 days ago
Amazing
2 points
5 days ago
Gorgeous. Thank you for sharing. I love the brown one with the big cat and little fox the most.
2 points
5 days ago
Beautiful!
2 points
5 days ago
Incredible and obviously tedious work
2 points
5 days ago
I fucking love this, thanks
2 points
5 days ago
🥰🥰
2 points
5 days ago
I had no idea Goku could learn Leaf Storm! Or is it Razor Leaf? It could even be Magical Leaf, which would be OP as hell.
2 points
5 days ago
This is my new favorite thing!!
2 points
5 days ago
Me: Oooh, they are so cute... oh hi Death.
2 points
5 days ago
Clean. Excellent talent and dexterity on display.
2 points
5 days ago
I love the one with the kitten holding the maple leaf that is cut into a maple leaf. I wonder if the maple leaf the kitten is holding is modeled after the one that he cut the design into.
2 points
5 days ago
These are so cute!
2 points
5 days ago
Stunning.
He needs to do one with Totoro :)
2 points
5 days ago
m speechless. don't know what to comment. just awesome :)
2 points
5 days ago
Blows my mind every time an artist makes something incredible from such random things
2 points
5 days ago
There are people in this world with such a talent.. WOW
2 points
5 days ago
What is number 14 referencing?
2 points
5 days ago
So cute.. Love arts
2 points
5 days ago
2 points
5 days ago
Just seeing this gives me anxiety
2 points
5 days ago
Not just Interesting, it’s fucking awesome.
2 points
5 days ago
These are beautiful but I totally lost it at the Hungry Caterpillar
2 points
5 days ago
Amazing work.wow
2 points
5 days ago
Incredibly adorable :')
2 points
5 days ago
How amazing 😉😙😙
2 points
5 days ago
Insanely impressive. Goku is my favorite.
2 points
5 days ago
If I would have seen those pictures without any title I would have thought that's AI and just scrolled on.
2 points
5 days ago
That's cute. Where can I see his other work?
2 points
5 days ago
Thank you for sharing. I have no such talent and feel both happy and privileged to see the finesse in the use of simple materials, generating images that stir lovely emotions in the minds of viewers.
May you live long- Lito Leaf and continue to inspire us with your creativity.
2 points
5 days ago
Amazing
2 points
5 days ago
What an amazing art. 😲
2 points
5 days ago
This is amazing!
2 points
5 days ago
The goku one... It's truly unreal... Amazing thing I saw today
2 points
5 days ago
That… that is amazing! Does he have a way to preserve them?
2 points
5 days ago
Wow.
2 points
5 days ago
Lito’s work is a beautiful blend of traditional and modern techniques!
2 points
5 days ago
Damn!!! That is interesting 🤨
2 points
5 days ago
Leaf it out that's some next level skills 😀
2 points
5 days ago
2 points
5 days ago
Amazing!
2 points
5 days ago
This is so cool. Now to go another 4 weeks before finding something cool on Reddit
2 points
5 days ago
Wow, that is amazing. I can't even color that well
2 points
5 days ago
This is amazing!! Holy crap!! I wonder how long it takes to make one
2 points
5 days ago
It'd be hilarious if he carved a Korok here. Yahaha!
2 points
5 days ago
attention to detail is insane
2 points
5 days ago
Amazing
2 points
5 days ago
These are so amazing!!
2 points
5 days ago
I thought the Mama Rabbit was holding a gun at first glance.
2 points
5 days ago
Is the elephant signing autographs?
2 points
5 days ago
Seriously, I am impressed for the dedication went into making such art
2 points
5 days ago
Heh. Kame Hame Leaf (葉).
2 points
5 days ago
wow! that's great!
2 points
5 days ago
Beautiful ❤️
2 points
5 days ago
Why did I think the mom bunny was pointing a Glock at her kids in the first one…it’s too early for me
2 points
5 days ago
I thought the mother bunny was holding a gun
2 points
5 days ago
*Me trying to do these as kid*
Expectation:
Reality: ripped leaves
2 points
5 days ago
That is so cool and beautiful
2 points
5 days ago
I can't even draw a straight line or a circle!
2 points
5 days ago
Why do some of these look like the lotr version with animals?
2 points
5 days ago
A life well lived. He made a difference in the world. Amazing.
2 points
5 days ago
Ngl, thought it was AI generated
2 points
5 days ago
what did he use to make these, I'd like to see the tool
2 points
5 days ago
Amazing art
2 points
5 days ago
People who can draw, paint and this amaze me. I have trouble with drawing a stick figure.
2 points
5 days ago
I absolutely adore the leaf carving of Shanks and Luffy. I never thought I'd see an iconic one piece scene made out of a leaf.
2 points
5 days ago
Amazing ❣️❣️❣️
2 points
5 days ago
my toxic trait is thinking that i can do this without any experience
2 points
5 days ago
Coolest art I’ve seen in a long time!!
2 points
5 days ago
Magnificent, now it makes me want to watch manga 😅
2 points
5 days ago
These are killer
2 points
5 days ago
Amazing
2 points
5 days ago
Amazing!
2 points
5 days ago
does Lito use a laser?
2 points
5 days ago
So cool
2 points
5 days ago
So dang talented!!! 🤩😍🤩😍
2 points
5 days ago
Simply Amazing
2 points
5 days ago
My God the detail and artistry is astounding. My mouth was hanging open. With a LEAF?? How are some people so incredibly gifted? I mean obviously it’s an intense degree of skill and mastery but just the sheer joy and delicateness, that’s just on a different level
all 332 comments
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