This week, we were visited by designer, illustrator, educator, and creator Craighton Berman. His passion for entrepreneurship was evident the moment he began to speak about his company, Manual.
Berman continually emphasized the importance of slowness and thoughtfulness in living, arguing that often times, the act of preparing food is as satisfying as the food itself. Coining phrases such as “effort is pleasure,” and “take it slow,” Berman made it clear what Manual was in the business of doing – creating a ritual out of food preparation.
Berman believes in contributing to a positive change rather than sitting and complaining about how things could be improved. He argued that the only way to be truly successful as an entrepreneur is to be an active participant in the culture. The best way one can do this is by taking hobbies and turning them into businesses.
“What you lose in stability, you gain in flexibility,” Berman stated.
He went on to talk about how having a company allows for a more flexible life in terms of both scheduling and creativity.
For example, through his creative ventures, Berman has discovered that design can be applied to many places where it doesn’t currently exist. A specific example he mentioned was applying design thinking to insurance.
Berman finally decided to commit to what he called his “side hustle” when he realized he was spending more time working on his own business ideas than time at his actual job. Through this passion and commitment to the ritual of food preparation, a successful company, and in turn, entrepreneur, was born.
