How Were the Animals Born?
As I started to develop the questions for the game I thought, “how in the world am I going to bring some lightness into such a heavy topic?” The first thing that came to mind was bright, colorful imagery that could be the background for the game.
I closed my eyes and imaged a stark white room filled with buckets of paint - blues, greens, pinks, turquoise, purples, and yellows. I imagined dipping a paintbrush in the buckets of color and flinging them against the walls, the ceiling, and the floors until I was swimming in their vibrancy. I felt I was on to something but who in the world was going to translate that abstract vision into reality?
One woman instantly came to mind, Pam Kraft.
Pam lives in a small but mighty town in Wyoming. She is a creative wizard and a badass woman. I remember the first time I met her was really the first time I had spent an extended period in Wyoming. It was around Christmas time and my partner and I drove onto her ranch with the orange sunset melting onto the frozen trees. I can still feel the way my breath had caught in my throat as we drove up the dirt road.
The soul knows when it witnesses something spiritual. And the land Pam calls home is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.
Sunrise in WY on The Ranch.
That night the wind must have been blowing no less than 30mph but it was warm and cozy inside. At some point in the evening, Pam brought me back into her studio. The hallway was filled with the same face sketched numerous times all with different emotions. It was wild to step inside this woman’s brain for a moment!
The intimacy of her studio was a gift to wander through. Kinda like gently walking around inside her head. She turned on the light and there was this buffalo she was painting on an easel.
It was love at first sight.
A print of Pam’s Buffalo found it’s way into my home.
The idea behind the animals was to not just to bring lightness but also to cultivate joy. There’s no better person to do that then Pam Kraft. She breathed life into every one of the creatures she painted.
Each animal in the game represents a direction of play - reverse play, skip the next player, or choose a player to go. They add variety and playfulness to a game focused on deep discussion and introspection.
My heart is full of gratitude for Pam and all the love she put into the animals. The first time she sent me a picture of what she had been working on all of a sudden I felt Elephant became a reality. All these animals have a purpose. They are destined to get into your hands and the hands of your family and friends. Their purpose is well beyond color and animation.
They are your guides on your Elephant in the Room journey where you will traverse the impermanence of life, aging, your wishes with the unexpected, sickness, death, and living your legacy.
Drumroll please…