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.