After reading the Stan Pleskunas article in TSJ, I found this quote online. I don’t know when or where it’s from, but I like the message and thought I’d pass it along… “Creating something from nothing is exploration in the purest sense and can be the most rewarding experience anyone can have. This completely unfamiliar territory is all about risk and is undertaken to satisfy intense personal curiosities. It taps a natural human vein that has nothing to do with money or fame. Sometimes we wonder why more people don’t take the risk of pushing ahead into realms of creation. Everyone wants to be something, but more often than not we find ways of suppressing this, following, instead of leading, our lives. True, we are surrounded by people, places and things that tell us to hold back, conform and don’t take the risk of standing out because people are watching and evaluating. But I say let’s not hold back; we should take the risk; let’s watch the watcher. In high-profile sports, where competition for money or fame becomes the whole motive for contributing, the thing to remember is that these chosen athletes all started the same way. They started as explorers of their chosen art form. We can attempt to live the life of the pioneers or original artists, and though it can work, nothing fruitful will come of it. The saddest thing that can happen to the participants of any sport is hero worship. Hero worship strips us of the chance to be creative. It robs us of the opportunities to take the risk, and get the satisfaction of thinking it up and doing it. Pulling a move for the first time, just like the rock star in the magazines, is a small reward compared to doing something original. There is an organized conspiracy to keep heroes in the forefront in order to rob satisfaction from us, the participants. In fact, industries promote the notions that say “risk is bad.” Pandering to the fear of standing out or being different is good business. It keeps them working for the company and it keeps the profits coming in. It’s sad to see so many who have so much potential get the rugs pulled out from under them before they have their first experience of moving in a new direction. So this is a call to self-expression. Go beyond those who would have you sacrifice self-expression for conformity. Judge yourself. What you do is yours, and it is good. Don’t’ be afraid to unleash a little chaos and mayhem and don’t just let things slide or go with the collective flow. And never rail anyone for practicing his or her art.” ~Jason Messer and Stan Pleskunas
So where do you and Stan think all this “inspiration” is hiding in todays surf world? Whats not been bastardized? Re-market, re-package the same old mals, shorties, fishies, middies. Must do the same for all those aging surf stars too.