Talk Story About Surfing's History & Culture

“…When you are trying something new and different you almost always have about a 90% failure rate, and the only way you will progress is by taking the time and effort to explore and experiment with all of the possibilities. True creativity and innovation is almost never profitable in the short haul. I have always had the deepest respect for people who truly love something, and then manage to make a living at it.” Marc Lemieux http://www.legendarysurfers.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=1&sid=71feabae77389d7233dbb2756f75f7ab

There is some really good reading at the link above. Follow the Dave Parmeter thread and enjoy-.

I’m a person who can’t and won’t stop reaching, even to protect what I’ve discovered. That usually turns into hording, then stabbing people in the back over turf. Political bigshots tend to like back stabbers. That’s how they got where they are. At times this factor has appeared to cut me to the core. But looking back, finding my errors was the least important thing on the bigshots’ minds. It was merely an excuse for their own backstabbing. I wouldn’t have done anything different. Life’s short, and then you have to pay. There’s no way to win with these people and keep the only thing that’s important. But take heart, there’s no limit to innovation for the innovative. For everyone else, there’s the Fat Penguin.

90%!!? I wish I was that good. True inspiration and knowledge come from from failure, not success. With that said, isn’t it amazing how much this industry and sport fears failure.

Life’s short, and then you have to pay. "When they ask me, “Jack Burton, have you paid your dues?” I look them right in the eye and say, “Yes, Sir…the check is in the mail.” -paraphrased from “Big Trouble In Little China” Pay at the end, pay as you go, either way…go for the value, not the vogue…It’s Primary Erection Day in many U.S. states today, and we should all take a moment to remember to question authority as often as possible, especially when anybody or any entity CLAIMS it.

“90%!!? I wish I was that good. True inspiration and knowledge come from from failure, not success. With that said, isn’t it amazing how much this industry and sport fears failure” Boy, you can say that again. The mantra in the go-go years of Silicon Valley innovation was “Fail early, fail often” as a recipe for success. Some guys won’t even fund an enterprise if the founders don’t have a few big failures under their belt. I wish more surfer/designers had that sort of spirit.