The Journey Is The Destination
The summer of 2015 was not just any summer for Jobi Manson; it was a life changer. A ‘call to arms’ of sorts to travel and explore what she was most passionate about. Manson decided to head to Africa, a special place to her since childhood, returning few months later with a new life purpose and a vision for her sacred spot she calls Sefari, located at the Malibu Design Center.
Sefari, a name that seems to exude a kind of mystical philosophy, was dreamed up by Manson combining her love for the ocean and african adventure. The name perfectly encapsulates her vision of capitalizing on the beauty of Malibu and our connection with nature – a place where the creative process can take center stage. Sefari’s retail area is filled with carefully curated, worldly and locally sourced goods to complete a seemingly idyllic and inspiring space.
Motivated to help people realize their full ceative potential, Manson launched The CARVE Sessions, one of Sefari’s ‘creative activations’ for the community. The Carve Sessions is a monthly speaker series that features entrepreneurs who are in touch with their creativity and willing to share their journey and inspire others. A process she feels is vitally important as she realized on her African adventure last summer, and believes ‘in order to be creative, you need to be in a creative environment.’ Her mantra extends to the space she created for Sefari, a place that not only inspires her, but where she hopes others will come to be inspired as well.
While Sefari mostly functions as a retail space for now, future plans include a creative co-working environment with an outdoor garden patio complete with a mobile coffee bar. Manson envisions this to be a place where people can come together, work independently or collaborate and be in a relaxed environment.
Journalist and visionary Dan Eldon (also the son of philanthropist and Malibu local Kathy Eldon) was, and continues to be, an important part of Manson’s vision and creative development when designing theconcept for Sefari. Eldon who was stoned to death in Mogadishu at the age of 22, coined the phrase “the journey is the destination” and Manson has manifested just that in the most inspiring way. – Cece Woods
Sefari, 25001 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. Sefari
