Erin 'Worm' Ashley

I'm beginning to notice a pattern... I can't seem to remember how I met a lot, if not all, of the more interesting people I know. The internet? Probably. Through a friend-of-a-friend? Perhaps. Maybe at the mall? Uh, nope. However it is, er, was, I am happy it happened. An example is Erin Ashley. I know that my friend Alex Swanson - a mid-length shredding, photo taking, life saving, Newport resident - was somehow involved. But for the life of me, I can't remember how. What I do know, however, is that as soon as Erin (a.k.a. Worm) and I became friends, my cell phone was never silent - so long as she knew I was in Southern California. "What's it look like?" Was a common question. Erin, knowing that Chris and I were parked at Camp Pendleton for the better part of two months filming The Peelgrimage, took full advantage of this fact, checking surf conditions whenever she could. Now I'm not saying she abused our burgeoning friendship - shit, I would have done the same damn thing - I'm simply saying she was eager for information. And I was a resource. As the weeks past, something became increasingly clear. Worm is down. Always. A quick note on a Monday morning would result in a two hour session at Church. Another message mid-week would lead to a short excursion further south. Pipes perhaps? Or howsabout the morning we met at Malibu, inadvertently. All of this to say, Worm is always looking for waves, and her style, grace, and skill are evidence of her persistent and passionate pursuit. Follow the link and read our interview with WORM!

Nick Maimone

Nick Maimone is a San Francisco shaper who was born in New Jersey in the late eighties. Nick's family was the adventurous sort, who inspired him to stay outside. Before Nick was born, his parents lived in Redondo Beach, where his father pursued professional diving and underwater photography. "Whether it be frozen (snow) or in its liquid form, we were in it. Sometimes knee deep, sometimes consuming us whole."

As Nick grew older, his appreciation for the ocean and art lead him to focus on geometry and physics in school. "I wasn't really interested in other classes and judging from my grades they weren't too interested in me either." Following high school, Nick attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia where he earned his BFA in Sculpture. In the process Nick "... had the opportunity to develop not only my hands-on and process oriented skill sets, but my conceptual and philosophical mind. I came out of college with experience in welding, blacksmithing, carpentry, painting, sculpture, philosophy, casting metals, printmaking, and everything in between."

Following his formal art education, Nick moved across the country, settling in San Francisco where he re-discovered his passion for the ocean and began shaping his own sticks. After building boards for himself and a handful of friends, Nick launched Our Daily Shred, the name under which he hand shapes an assortment of surfboards. After following Nick on Instagram for the last year, I decided to send him a couple questions in hopes of learning more about both his boards and his (new) business.

Andy Wauman

I inadvertently met Andy Wauman one morning at Malibu. He was surfing the inside section on a rather interesting piece of equipment. A stick that was shaped while he was living in Indonesia shooting a short film. I'm not sure how it all happened - Andy and I exchanging our information - all I know is that by the end of that afternoon we were standing on the sand sharing stories and discussing the aformentioned film he'd recently finished for Deus Ex Machina.

Andy was born in Belgium. His artistic life began with painting, however, according to Jack Taylor "his fascination for language steered him towards other mediums of expression." Since escaping Antwerp, Andy has spent the last ten years traveling the world "on a personal artistic exploration." Andy’s solo exhibitions have been displayed in galleries all over the world, including Europe, the United States and Asia. Gutterdust, his alias, is a creative outlet which covers his work in the field of analogue photography, film and sculpture.

Since our initial encounter, Andy and I have become thick as thieves - surfing Malibu in the mornings, eating tacos in the afternoon and shooting photos for an upcoming adventure I intend to embark upon at the end of October. So, before Andy left Los Angeles, I sat down and asked him a couple of questions...

Keith Novosel

I don't really know Keith Novosel... not in the traditional sense. I had heard of him, seen a few of his photos, read other interviews, etc., but we have yet to surf the same spot, or spend some time around a campfire together. And while I may not know him, Keith is an inspiring individual, a like minded logger and a fantastic photographer. Living in Oregon, Keith is able to surf spots I don't get down to that often - Pacific City in particular. And although he and his fiance (congrats, btw) recently traveled to mainland Mexico - surfing somewhere I fell in love with last winter - Keith is eager to explore other areas, expanding both his photographic and film portfolios in the process. So in an attempt to get to know Mr.Novosel a bit better, I sat down and came up with a couple of questions, to which he promptly replied. Follow the link to see what he had to say.

Andy Bokanev

You meet all sorts of individuals on the internet. Artists, authors, entrepreneurs, overly opinionated passive-aggressive people and a lot of idiots. There are, however, a few exceptional souls. My dear friend Linhbergh, or Slurpee connoisseur, Camden Thrasher, for example. And then you meet somebody like Andy Bokanev. An NYC transplant that swallowed the PNW pill whole, Andy has the attention span of a twelve year old; interested in everything from mountain climbing and canoeing, to craft beer, weird cabins, surfing and stuff made in Seattle.

As a result, Andy has an eclectic collection of film and photos featured on his blog. To be honest, though, I don't know what he does - you know, for a living. But forget that filler. What I do know is that Bokanev spends his Saturdays and Sundays exploring the outskirts of our state, taking fantastic photos and finding some of my favorite music. So with that being said, I sat down and asked, er, emailed him a handful of questions, trying to better understand his inspirations and ideals. Follow the link and take a look at his answers.

Geoffrey Holstad

I wish I could remember how I found my friend, Geoffrey Holstad. I think I saw his stuff on some sorta website, maybe an inspiring illustration or interesting looking lettering, and then followed the bread crumbs back to his blog. And a damn fine blog it was. Page after page after page. Images and illustrations. Camping crap and all kinds of other cool shit. Then, after I'd browsed to the back of his blog, I sent Geoffrey an email and asked if he'd be interested in designing a new banner for the top of this here blog. Something inspired by surfing and camping and cold waves. Fast forward a few weeks and guess what was waiting in my inbox? That business! (points up). Along with lettering, illustrating and printmaking, Geoffrey is also the founder and director of Cabin-Time, a roaming creative residency to remote places. He's also a surfer, a self proclaimed optimist and someone that likes to listen to jazz! So, what else is there to say about my friend from the mitten? I suppose I should let him tell you about surfing on the Great Lakes and what inspires him to make art in the middle of nowhere.

Emily Ballard

Emily Ballard grew up on the east coast of Vancouver Island. At seventeen, inspired by a song she heard while working at a skate shop in her hometown of Nanaimo, Emily ventured across the island to the town of Tofino. She took her first trip solo, driving a shitty Chevette four hours from one coast to the other. She bought a board, donned a wetsuit and fell in love. She never went back to Nanaimo.

I found Emily on the internet. No, not on some sketchy dating site for surfers, but on the entry list for the Australian leg of the ASP Longboard World Tour. She was the only Northwest Native on the list, and seemed eager to show the world that 'cold waves are cool.' After a few weeks in Australia, Emily has since returned home to Tofino and was kind enough to answer a couple of questions.

Derek Sparks

Born and raised in the sad state of Oklahoma, Derek Sparks moved to the Pacific Northwest some ten years ago. The proprietor of dSparks Creative, Derek is both a photographer and a graphic designer. He has a healthy appetite for Single Malt Scotch and strange, pig shaped surfboards. I met Derek last summer, and after countless hours around a campfire, he and I have become good friends - sharing strong drink and sizable swells. That said, I asked Derek to describe his feels about surfing, shaping and something he calls the grey stoke.

Foster Huntington

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Foster Huntington is a graduate of Colby College, a former employee of Ralph Lauren and the author of the forthcoming book, "The Burning House." For the past few months, Foster has been traveling around the country, from Big Sur to Baja, taking photos, mining stoke and making friends - all of which he chronicles on his blog, A Restless Transplant. Ahead of his next adventure, which will take him even further south in search of surf, Foster took the time to answer a handful of questions.