Sunday, April 26, 2009

Leary had it right...



As strange as the man was, he had it right. Pseudo-shaman Timothy Leary, prophet at the center of the now decades old LSD centrifuge, once said that surfers were perhaps the most "evolved" of all people groups. We give up accumulation for the sake of "the dance". We forsake cultural self-evaluation and the consequent neuroticism for "the dance". The stage becomes more important than the audience. The improvisational act becomes more relished than the expectation of a scripted life. "The dance", the pure moments experienced while riding on a wave of energy moving through liquid beneath your body, is a consuming presence in the surfer's thoughts.

As it is for a wave it is for a life. The moments spent creating compel us onward. The emergence of a new paradigm is a moving target, but worth pursuing. Doodle becomes sketch becomes painting becomes triptych becomes installation becomes interaction between idea and the viewer. One wave becomes scribble becomes board dimensions becomes draft shape becomes a realized board design strand. Creative acts build upon their own younger brothers' foundational steps. Just as that first wave transforms into that life-long memory of a wave. Just as one board design becomes an access point to another design.

Above, Manuel C. Caro shares a snapshot in the evolution of his surfing and shaping dance. He is a man who relishes the creative act for the full engagement that is required of it and the rewards it brings in like kind. The only description of riding a hull that has ever intrigued me beyond, "that's a cool trip." I was fortunate enough to handle a fine little stubby, fruit of Mr. Caro's hands, and can honestly say that I'm ready to give the shape a go. The dance goes on.

11 comments:

Ed Fladung said...

such a great post, great video. really inspirational.

The Blogger said...

Who is that interviewing Manny?

borntoloser said...

Ed- Thanks.


Dan- It's me. I'm working on a project or two and this was a snippet from a l o n g interview.

pranaglider said...

Interesting interview, will we be able to see the whole project once it's finished?

borntoloser said...

Prana- I'm unsure about whether hour long plus interviews are part of my web approach;) Maybe in a different format or a different venue.

Tom Threinen said...

Interesting thoughts... sometimes the onward motion takes you around in a circle and back to the beginning. You just have to keep at it long enough.
Tom T.

borntoloser said...

Thomas- Good point. It's funny, through all the designs I've ridden the sheer join of trim- like that first open faced ride when you're a grom- leads to the most satisfaction.

The Blogger said...

Looks to be a cool project and look forward to seeing the rest of the interview. BTW- Surfers haven't entirely given up accumulation. I'd had a double digit quiver for years and that's small by comparison to others I know.

borntoloser said...

Dan- agreed regarding the accumulation aspect. I suppose it's all relative. I give up a lot of work and cash so that I can surf more. And it's still not enough:)

Anonymous said...

Evolved? No, that can't be the right word; evolution takes too long, and many surfers are first generation surfers. Perhaps "most addicted"? That would make more sense for Leary and for what I see in the water--people willing to put another down "for the sake of the dance." I see more surfers these days with gas hogs, chinese pop outs, and the latest gear by quiksilver to think that they are not accumulators just like the rest of us. Leary was a fool; sorry to let you know. He didn't know surfers. He knew a romanticized image of surfers, one the magazines and videos have been selling for years. One very few surfers actually live up to.

JP from Surfy Surfy said...

Cool beans.