What is the meaning of this strange word, and what does it have to do with our creative and design work?

Kenosis — from the greek kenóõs (to empty)—is a concept in Christian theology that refers to the “emptying of one’s own will in order to accept the desire of God."

In short, it means “self-emptying." It is highly relevant to our creative work. When I “empty" myself of my personal storehouse of knowledge—which is always limited when compared to the divine “cosmic storehouse"—I create space to be filled by inspiration that comes from the Whole, which is truly limitless.

This happens quite often in my day-to-day practice. When I begin thinking about a new project, I sometimes spend hours trying to “force" an idea out of that personal storehouse of mine. Then, I remember this concept of kenosis and try to put it into practice: I grow still, attempting to clear my mind of the flood of ideas that rush through—endless, yet leading nowhere.

Gradually, my mind calms down and grows “quieter." In that void—just when I least expect it—an idea emerges from out of nowhere, so good that it surprises even me. It feels as though I am seeing something for the first time, something that doesn't even feel like it came from me. Go figure!

In the video below, I show how I created our logo, starting with nothing more than a blank sheet of paper—without using a single pencil or pen—relying solely on folds.

Drawing from this sense of emptiness—and the idea that a designer’s work often begins with a blank slate (even if it’s just a blank digital page on a computer screen)—I decided to develop the logo by folding a blank sheet of paper to create a minimalist design. With just four folds, the letter “K"—for Kenosis—emerges. What do you think?