We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bernard Semerdjian a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Bernard, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I think it’s important to draw a hard line between work and life in order to have some sort of balance. A lot of my work ethic comes from my childhood. Growing up, my parents always made sure I was on top of my homework and chores before I could play. I also found that I enjoyed my playtime more knowing I had finished my scholastic responsibilities. I wouldn’t have this lingering guilt that loomed over me as I tried to play with my toys. But as I got older however, this guilt started to consume my work ethic more and more and I realized the scale was tipping more towards work and less in life. The constant pressure from growing up and making sure all my work was done skewed my perception of what was a priority. Life above all is a priority. I created boundaries so that I could have a more structured work ethic that I can follow. I still enjoy finishing all my work before play, but I also have to remind myself that what I’ve done is enough at the end of the day and that more work will surely be waiting for me the next day. Respect your boundaries and trust your work ethic process.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m the Co-Founder and Chief Design Officer of 11 Ravens where we design and manufacture custom luxury game tables, furniture and lighting. What’s most exciting about this is that it married my love of art & design with one of my favorite sports, table tennis. I met my business partner at a ping pong club he ran in West LA and both he and I shared similar passions. One thing lead to another and we’re designing some very unique ping pong tables. We then quickly expanded to pool tables, shuffleboard, dartboards, air hockey, and more. We recently just launched our very first lighting fixture which is a pendant ceiling light that perfectly perches above your pool, ping pong, dining or conference table.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The first thing that comes to mind is that I was always eager to learn new technical skills and software. I was able o study multiple types of design and tech which enabled me to have some experience with different tools. The more tools you know, the more opportunities and approaches you can take. It also made it more accessible when it came to finding jobs early on in my career.
The second point would be to never stop looking for inspiration. As a designer I’m always looking at what’s out there and learning how other creative professionals come up with solutions to design obstacles. And inspiration can come from anywhere, whether it’s tv, video games, comics, nature, architecture, etc. Find what inspires you and try to stufy why you love it so much.
The third and most important thought would be to never let your ego impact your journey. At the end of the day we’re all humans trying to make sense of life. The more we help each other to grow and become the best versions of ourselves we can be, the better and stronger our communities and relationships can be.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did was support my love of art. Sure there were moments when they would ask, are you sure you wouldn’t rather be a lawyer or pharmacist…? But ultimately they recognized my passion and supported it by surrounding me with as much art supplies and books as possible. And when I wanted to go to art school after graduating high school, they did their best to accommodate it. We didn’t have much money, nor did we know anyone with this kind of experience we could ask advice from but they stuck with me all the way and I owe everything to them.
Contact Info:
- Website: 11ravens.com
- Instagram: @11ravens
- Linkedin: 11 Ravens
