THE PROCESS

What do you do?

I design and craft wood paddle boards and surfboards in Austin, TX. 

What does your work space look like? Where do you like to create?

My workspace changes depending on the day. Sometimes my work space is in our studio in East Austin, some days it’s at a small table inside a hip coffee shop, and other days it may be as simple as the kitchen table in my house. The inspiration for a new board design can come anywhere but it usually occurs while I’m traveling or sitting at a coffee shop in Austin. Once I finalize the design, I head to our small studio where we bring the design to life. 

What role does the pencil play in your process?

The pencil is vital. I keep a journal of ideas where board concepts are sketched, changed, and refined until a new design is ready to be crafted. The pencil allows me to sketch out and think through what the board will look like before we ever start making sawdust. 

Why do you choose to work with pencils and, specifically, Blackwings?

Our design process is organic and fluid across time and multiple locations. Pencils are the perfect tool for sketching and laying out any design I think of. I never know when I’m going to think of our next board concepts so if I don’t have a pencil with me at all times to memorialize the concept it may be lost. As the design is refined, the pencil allows to me to make unlimited revisions along the way. There is something magical about using Blackwings to sketch out my ideas. For starters, there is the technical quality of the pencil that is unmatched but also, the mission of supporting arts and education for future generations is something that hits close to home. 

What other tools are essential to your process?

The design process is just the beginning. Once a design is created, the sketches must be turned into reality. We use a number of saws, sanders, grinders, and various other crafting tools over the course of weeks to mold each board until it is ready for it’s forever home in the water.

How do you overcome ______ block? Writer’s block, artist’s block, etc. 

I’ve learned that you can’t force creativity or concepts. I like to spend time focusing and thinking about what I’d like to create then walk away from it for a while. This could mean taking a name, having a glass of wine, or spending time outdoors on the water. It is during those times “away” from trying to create with the connections are made and the creativity seems to come. 

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

When I was in college, I worked at a retail outdoor goods store and there was this old retired army ranger who told me, “What ever you do when you graduate, don’t get stuck in the dreary fog of uninspired living.” I couldn’t tell you the guys name if I had to and I’m unsure if that is his original quote but that one has stuck with all these years later.