Entrepreneur in the Most Unlikely of Places
Artistry can be found in the unlikeliest places, even on a busy sidewalk. Ruben Delemon, or Ben as he likes to be called, or Manong as some customers insist on calling him, moves around a lot. He could be working by that corner near the Manila City Hall one day and in another part of town the next, selling his plastic plants and entertaining passersby with a demonstration of his craft. It’s a necessity, he says: Like the migratory birds that follow the season, he chases after the crowds.
He’s been doing this for three years, after learning the craft from some unnamed person years back. He eventually decided to turn his new-found skill into a money-making venture while at the same time, passing on to some of his wards the secrets of the trade.
Mang Ben neither pays rent nor taxes, and that he uses materials you and I would normally think of as bound for the recycling plant or the trash bin. However, with all the hard work and creativity that go into each creation, it is worth it and more. An artist who bought two of Mang Ben’s pieces describe them as “mesmerizingly beautiful.”
This little wisp of a man with a gentle demeanor personifies grit, hard work, and determination to survive, not to mention wizardry.
image via CiscoNYC
cassy on September 15th, 2008 4:27 am
This is only tells that age doesn’t matter when it comes to artistry-kinda-of-business and you don’t need a good place to work and sell your products plus you can carry it anytime, anywhere.
I am proud to you Mang Ben as I am also a Filipino. Good luck and keep up the good works.
Limo Hire derby on September 15th, 2008 6:50 am
i have sesn some great Artistry around the world on my holidays olong side streets. keep up the good work..
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