Revalation

A magician is not a magician if he reveals his tricks.

Confessions of a Surfer Artist

So Yeah I surf. Work Hard too. So what.

What makes me so special. I'm an artist. What does that mean?

It means a lot of things. One of those things is that I express myself.

Yeah, but everyone expresses themselves, just by living. Living is an expression of the soul.

But what makes me different than an ordinary person that expresses?

As an artist, I choose to express myself and present that expression to the public for ridicule, judgement, entertainment, admiration, inspiration and whatever else.

So how is art therapeutic? By laying out my feelings and thoughts, I can lay them out and arrange them.

Realize Dreams.

So let's see: I've been working solar for the past 3 months. I've been paying for a studio that I don't use.

I've been surfing some pretty awesome waves.

I have a beautiful wife and child. And I feel little uneasy, not completely on it.

I have some goals for this year.

1) To do the best art show I've ever done to date. (First Priority)

2) Financially Maintain Studio

3) To see my family this year.

4) To go on a a surf trip to Indo with some friends

5) To continually have enough money to travel once a year.

These are the things I've been juggling around in my head and sometimes the priority balls are bouncing off the walls of my head and its a big mess. I put a big blanket over it all and go surfing and everything looks radical. Oh yeah, Manny lives a good life, he has a modest job, surfs rad waves all year round, has a wife and kid. What a perfect life.

But life is definitely not all about surfing. There is so much else, especially if you have grande modern dreams. So my goal is to keep it simple. Not trip up in complication or wanting too much.

As an actual person that can juggle, juggling 3 balls is cake. Any Joe Shmoe can juggle 3 balls and go through the motions. Its juggling 4 or 5 balls that is stunning. And that is where I personally want to be. Or if 3 balls, make sure those dream balls are original, dynamic. OK enough of that analogy.

The Wrench

Oh and a big wrench in this whole equation, is that I got into an argument with a big guy in the water yesterday when he dropped in on me. I was deep in a barrel at my favorite home break. It hardly barrels like that all year, and he just caught the last awesome wave. It was my turn and I was lined up perfect. I drop in, he drops in, we're both in the barrel, and he kicks out fast,  we were so close that his leash caught the nose of my board, and yanked it beneath my feet and my head got caught in the face of the tubular wave, and tweaked my neck out a bit. Before I could get my head out of the water, my arm and middle finger rose out of the foam and I imagine he saw it. I came out and said "come on man?"

If I was zen master, I would have said nothing. Maybe that experience has brought me one step closer to zen master, where all my energies are at peace and I can handle any obstacle and accident with grace.

But at that point, this was not the case. It was a guy that surfs there all the time. I see him in the water and as well as on land checking out waves. He knows a lot of the people I know, but we don't talk very much.

Anyway he proceeded to say "don't say anything to me", I said "all I said is come on"He then proceeded with I've been surfing here for 20 years and remember when you started surfing here."

"Yeah so what"  I said. He said, she said. Who cares. The main deal is that I lost my cool and said Ok then well "Fuck You" and F this, F that. And that is something that I am not proud of or happy about. So this incident made me realize that I need to take a step back and get all my priorities in line so I don't snap.

End of Wrench 

Writing is so much better than venting to a friend over the phone. Although it may be very valuable, there is also great value in figuring out hardships on your own. And having it drawn out so you can reference it yourself, or better yet laying it out as inspiration or a trail so the next seeker or awesomeness can learn from your mistakes, trials and tribulations.

So back to the dreams. They need to be tackled one at a time. Here they are again.

1)Art Show

2) Maintain Studio.

3) See Family on East Coast

4) Save for a Surf Trip with friends

5) Make enough money to consistently travel.

Art Show

What do you need to do to have an art show in September.

1) Find the venue you want to show in.

2) Make the art

3) Invite the people and have a small agenda and let the rest play out itself.

Process breakdown. One painting per month.

Maintain Studio

One small studio show per month to fund rental.

Bring all art work wanting to sell to studio and frame and hang for sale.

To see my family this year

1) Find out when you want to go

2) Find out how much tickets and how much spending money needed.

3) Save money every week or month for trip

Surf Trip to Indo

1) Find out when you want to go.

2) Find out how much tickets are

3) Surf Camp or Place you want to stay

4) Spending cash needed.

5) who you want to invite and how much they need to save per week or month.

6) Make the invite.

7) Save the money, 

8)Purchase Tickets, 

9) Make Reservations. 

10)Go.

Have enough to Travel once a year.

1)  Decide where you want to go each year and when 

2) Decide on a budget for each trip

3) How much you need to save per week, per month

4) When the deadline is to purchase tickets, and make reservations

5) Save the money

6) Purhcase Tickets and Make Reservations

7) Go

What to do today.

Home. Breakfast. 

Greet Mommy and Hayden.

Ask what they want to do?

Family time.

Make a visit to studio to drop off all art and Hang for show.

Spend some time prepping walls and art for hanging.

For Friday?

Thanks. 

-Manny Aloha

Clear Communication with , Systems more organized tools or studio,  finishing following through. See them through.

Revalation

By playing the fool, I learn how not to be one.

Scattered Thoughts

Sunday Surf Session

Holy Guac.
Time Flies.
Months have passed since I've kept up with the blog.
Why write? Because it kills a million birds with one stone:
It keeps my inner voice alive.
Keeps my friends in touch with an old bro.
Inspires others to do better
And entertains?

I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty much stuck in the grind, with a morsel of energy left for myself to make this minute effort to express myself. My blog is my sketchbook/journal.

Life is passing before me while I work the 9-5 to take care of my wife and son Hayden.
Any free hour or two are either spent bonding with my wife Marisa or son Hayden or surfing, skating or making art.

I tell you what. if you don't practice your passion, your skill dwindles.
Out of all of my passions, Art is the toughest to keep satiated, as well as most difficult to be good at.

As for Surfing or Skating, I've admitted the fact that I am not going to turn pro. and I am not working on being the best skill wise. However, one pro gave a tip once and said that the best surfer in the water is the one having most fun. In that sense, I may be up there with the best.

But.... well this leads to my secret dream which I will remain secret, because this is one thing that I am trying to get better at.

But back to the Art practice... Damn! I have a new studio that I pay good money for. So far it is half way through January and I've been in there once.
Enough self pity.
Writing this makes me realize how I need to grab a hold of my life and come up with a better game plan of being more efficient with my time, as well as manage more time for creating.

It aint easy. But thats the game. How to be free when there are all these things/ necessities / forces that keep you busy... mostly the need to make a dollar bill.

Anyway I won't bore you with any more rant, but maybe interest you by sharing my dreams.

1)Do an art show this year.
my biggest and most well planned out show ever in the history of my life.

2)Go on a surf trip to Indonesia with friends this year

3)Be a radical Husband and Father

Ok. Thats enough. This is all I want to do this year.
If I can do 2 out of 3 of those this year. especially number 3,
I'll take another deep breath and smile.
Shoot.
I'll take another deep breath and smile right now.
I'm blessed.
You're blessed.
We are blessed.

Photo above is a photo of my window of surf time last Sunday Morning.
Time to go to sleep.
Thanks for reading.
Signing off.
Manny Aloha.
11:17pm Tuesday 1/15/13

Moments

Cruising emotions:
With a glass of wine in hand under stars... Or
In the ocean in the rain early when most are asleep... Or
Driving on the highway when everyone else is stuck in a traffic jam in the opposite direction... Or
Dancing under blinking lights... Or
Painting a picture...or
bouncing to your favorite song playing in your headphones...
Staring at the moon, sunrise or sunset.
Set aside chasing a dollar for a moment and Know that life is amazing.

To Homeboy Richard/Favorite things in NYC

It's late, I'm tired but I want to give a shout out to my homey Richard.

He is a bro I used to skate with in Hawaii and he just moved to the East Coast Metropolitan Area to get a change from Hawaii. 

I feel for the bro, because I know how difficult it can be for a Hawaii free bird to move into a hight intensity rat race, especially if it isn't the territory he grew up in.

To be in a place without family is no easy task.

I can speak from personal experience.

Anyway Chard as we call him, if you are out there and ever read this, I wanted to share some of my favorite things about NYC that can make the rat race worth it.

And for anyone living or visiting the place, here are some of the things that never got old even after 30 years of living in New York.

•Chicken Parm Sandwiches on a hero from your average joe pizza place or corner deli

•Meat Ball Parm on a hero

•Mid-day Early evening order of Calamari and a Pint

•Hopping on a train with a Honey or Homey to find shelter at the Museum of Modern Art on a freezing snowy day.

•Giving 25cents or a $1 for two at the Metropolitan Museum while watching everyone else pay $20 each (Suggested Donation) then seeing all the art that you can't see in one day then going out for lunch or a beer mid day.  or Grabbing a bottle of wine and going into Central Park with your lady to post up on a big rock and bake under the mid-day sun. (don't forget the wine opener)

•Seeing your favorite bands (or new bands) or comedians at the numerous venus all over mid-town/downtown.

•Dont get stuck in 42nd street at night seeing the lights. Just pop out of the subway check it out, then hop back into the subway Downtown and go eat or drink.

• Unreal bagels. Remember not every bagel shop has good bagels. Very few in NYC have epic bagels. Ask a local where the best bagels are and drive to that spot. Mostly Jersey, Upstate New York, and random spots in Manhattan/Brooklyn have the best bagels. David's Bagels in NYC (pretty good)

•Bagel toasted with butter.

•Bagel with cream cheese

•Bagel with cream cheese and lox

•East a cinammon raison bagel plain

•Order a dozen and bring them home to your fam

•BACON EGG AND CHEESE ON A ROLL WITH Salt Pepper Ketchup. (ALWAYS EPIC pretty much anywhere)

My homey James and I along with millions of others order this everyday sometimes. 

•Ordering a "Coffee Regular" everyday - a coffee with perfect amount of milk and sugar 

•A street vendor cart hot dog with mustard and sauerkraut. 

• A street vendor cart Kinish with mustard and onions

•Chinatown. You almost can't go wrong walking into any Chinese Restaurant.

But Mid/Radical grade is "Hop Kee" or "Wo Hop" both right next door to each other.

•Any Random Broadway show is worth it. The more you go to the more you learn about theater.

•Spring and Fall

•A mid day walk through SoHo ending up in Little Italy

•The Museum of Natural History

• If you're going to explore Central Park, a good place to start is at Linclon Center or Near the Metropoloitan Museum. Find a Rock Hill and take a break there and enjoy the view of the buildings to a lunch or a glass of wine.

•Any of the epic restaurants that you hear about, Tons of new ones down town, lower east side area.

If you are going to drive into Manhattan on any day besides Sunday when there is a lot of free parking, Park in Hoboken an catch the Path train, to Manhattan, but before you park stop off at Maria's Bakery at 

261 2nd St

and pick up any random loaf of bread that looks good to you and OMG you are stoked.

Hoboken Bakeries have some of the best bread on the planet earth hands down.

munch on that bread while walking to a some nearby store which sells fresh mozzarella and olives

then throw that in your back pack for a snack in the park.

Remember if you go into the city during the winter, be prepared wearing your most efficient cold gear or layers with gloves, scarf, hat, thermal underwear, so you can be a True "40 below Troopah"

**for me thermal underwear aka-long johns top and bottoms** were the top secret tools that got me through da wicked winter.

A trip to Europe from Newark or JFK... like to Italy, London, Amsterdam, Paris, is like 4-600 bucks sometimes. Hmmm. Much cheaper than from Hawaii. Take advantage brah!

So that's what I got Chard Braddah.

Enjoy the East Coast, and I hope to see you back on the island when your done catching your East Coast Frills.

Aloha,

Call me anytime.

Man Dog

Art Realization

For me, my studio is not a space for harnessing brilliant ideas, but the place to fabricate the idea into a work of art. Ideas come out in nature, or out in the street, or in my cozy home trippin' out in my sketchbook, on my skateboard, or in the ocean while surfing.

I need to tell myself this so I don't go to my studio without an intention or preconceived idea to create.
Brilliant ideas first manifest and develop in the sketchbook or on my skateboard, or in the ocean surfing.

It is not a good idea to go into major production, without any idea. Or materials will be wasted in what should have been figured out in the sketching phase. Imagine building a house without any plans. Not to say that this approach wouldn't work, but...time yfor me to crash.

Thought

Don't constantly try to reinvent the wheel