The Wooden Elephant Story
Image from Depositphotos
A traveller comes across a local craftsman carving ornate elephants out of wood. Fascinated by the craftsman’s skill and the beauty of each and every wooden elephant, the traveller asks the craftsman, “How do you make such beautiful elephants?”. The craftsman responds, “First, I take my block of wood. Then, I take my trusty carving knife. And I carve away everything that is not an elephant.”
I don’t remember where I heard or read this story, nor can I definitively ascertain its origins. However, I do recall it was quoted from a branding perspective: that ‘branding’ seeks to carve away everything that isn’t ‘you’, to bring the root of oneself to the fore. I’ve also heard it used as an analogy for simplicity: to remove everything that is not essential to fulfilling a purpose.
As an additional/ alternative dimension, I offer to delve into the perspectives of the traveller and the craftsman, to frame them as ideals in their relationship as creator and consumer of design.
The traveller, as a design consumer, is the ideal in design awareness. She is someone who looks beyond the end product’s (the elephant) aesthetics or utility. In her intrigue, she seeks its origin: How does something so beautiful occur? The traveller exemplifies a person who is aware of great design but doesn’t stop there. Her curiosity compels her to approach the craftsman in regard to his process. Her connection to the craftsman and understanding of his process adds to her relationship with the product, making it that much more special to her.
The craftsman is the ideal creative. He is someone who not only demonstrates excellent design but can articulate his process as a homage to the product, as well as himself as its designer. He is intimate with what is and isn’t a great design (the elephant) as he applies his creative process (the carving knife) to the materials and resources available (the wooden block). His skill has been honed over practice, experience and mistakes, and is now exhibited through his precision: Once he carves something away from a piece of wood, it cannot be replaced.
While the traveller and the craftsman are the main subjects of this story, there is a silent third subject coalescing their relationship: the wooden elephant necessarily embodies the metaphor for good design. While the traveller and the craftsman each bring their respective sets of expertise to the table, in the selection and creation of a work of art, the iconic and inceptive product of intuitive artistry stands testament to the unification of these two trials of fire.
