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Jakraphan Chaijit

"Sometimes you wish to abandon destiny, but if it is your fate you cannot flee from it for all your life. And you just have to accept it, because it is in your blood and your heart. My name is Jakraphan Chaijit and I was born in the city of Chiang Mai in 1971. I am a person who wanted to escape destiny, but I couldn't. My father is a woodcarver who is known for the delicate details of his works and the stories contained inside. I was born into woodcarving and saw it all my life. When I was young I thought I didn't want to be like my father. When I was still young I moved to Bangkok to study, graduating from high school there. After that I wanted to enter into a university engineering program, but I couldn't get into any. I was very sad - it felt as if my plane had crashed. I had lost my world already. While your friends are learning higher education you have to stay alone at home and feel the pain in your heart. In this time I thought a lot about the direction of my life. And I could see the exit doors.

"God gives you 20% through blessing and the other 80% is your own endeavor, which is the formula of my father's success. I decided to do the same work as my father – carving. I studied my father, learning from his experience and suggestions as a model for woodcarving. Due to customs, the villagers in my home crafted only elephant figures. It sells a lot and there are always orders. We had never done other models. Because of this, our village is known as the elephant-carving village. I crafted these pieces for seven or eight years but then it became too much. Sometimes I sketched elephant models and made drawings to sell these as well, but it is boring if you do the same thing for a long time. Even though your career is supposed to earn you money, it is best if you do what you really want. I began to carve idealistic works so that I could create freely. Two years later I am really enjoying this style.

"Every wood carving has its own story and meaning according to your mood. When I start a piece I must think about the concept, form, and the material. I use hardwoods for voluminous works, and currently I use teak.

"In my personal life, I will get married this month [July 2002] and I am waiting for the good auspices. This situation corresponds with the way I view life. If it is supposed to happen, it will come. I trust in this."