MCTWISTS OFF LAUNCH RAMPS PT. 1

Posted by Adam

THERE WAS A COMMERCIAL ON NOT LONG AGO THAT CAUGHT MY EYE. IT WAS FOR A SHOE COMPANY, VOX I BELIEVE AND IT SHOWED THE VIEW OF A YOUNG CHILD PEERING OUT OF A MINIVAN AT A GROUP OF SKATERS ABOUT TO BOMB A LOCAL HILL HERE IN SAN DIEGO. AS THE VAN DROVE BY YOU COULD SEE THE LOOK OF EXCITEMENT ON THIS CHILDS FACE AS HE WATCHED THE SKATERS ROLL BY. AFTER WHICH THE WORDS "EVERY SKATER REMEMBERS THE DAY THAT THEIR LIFE CHANGED" WERE ACROSS THE SCREEN AND THE COMMERCIAL ENDED. THOSE WORDS RAN THROUGH MY HEAD FOR DAYS AND I HAD TO AGREE; ANY TRUE SKATER OR TRUE MASTER OF ANY ART FORM DOES REMEMBER A MOMENT FROM THE PAST THAT STANDS OUT WHEN THEY EITHER CONSCIOUSLY OR SUBCONSCIOUSLY DECLARED THEMSELVES A SKATER, AN ARTIST, A WRITER,OR ANY OTHER SUB-SOCIAL CLASS THAT LIES MUCH OUTSIDE OF THE MAINSTREAM. IN THE COMMERCIAL IT WAS THAT MOMENT THE CHILDS BRAIN CLICKED AND HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS GOING TO BE IN LIFE, A SKATER. AT THAT MOMENT FOR PEOPLE LIKE US EVERYTHING ELSE BECOMES SECONDARY. HOMEWORK? WHAT'S THAT? POLITICS? I COULD GIVE A FUCK!! IF IT'S NOT RELATED TO SKATEBOARDING, GRAFFITI, SCULPTURE OR WHATEVER TRUE ART WE CHOOSE WE COULD CARE LESS, LEAVING BEHIND THE THOUGHTS OF "MAKING A LIVING" OR "SUCCESS" TO ONLY BE PURSUED BY THE COMMON. FOR US SUCCESS AND MAKING IT LIE IN A SIMPLE TRICK LANDED OR IN AN ART PIECE THAT WE WORKED SO HARD ON. THEN WE BECOME THE ART INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT IT IN SOME OUTSIDE MANNER MUCH LIKE THE CHILD IN THE COMMERCIAL BEFORE HE SAW THE SKATERS, OR THE HIGHSCHOOL 4.0 STUDENT STUCK IN THE BOX. WE BECOME WHAT WE KNOW WE WILL BE THE REST OF OUR LIVES AND THAT MOMENT IS RARE AND THERE ARE VERY FEW WHO UNDERSTAND IT AND WILL EVEN GRASP WHAT I'M WRITING HERE. WE ARE A SPECIAL BREED AND CHOSE LONG AGO TO NEVER LOOK AT THIS WORLD WITH THE SAME COMMON EYES THAT ACTUALLY SEE A CURB CUT AS A MARKER FOR DRIVING OR A DESIGN ON A TABLE AS A SIMPLE DESIGN AND NOT PEERING A BIT FURTHER TO SEE THE TINY LITTLE FACES IN THE DESIGN PEERING BACK AT US. WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF THE ARTIST. IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THIS: IF YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF AS A DOCTOR, A FLIGHT ATTENDANT OR A SCHOOL BUS DRIVER YOU ARE THEN DEFINING YOURSELF ACCORDING TO YOUR JOB AND NOT WHO YOU TRULY ARE. WHEN YOU DEFINE YOURSELF AS AN ARTIST, A WRITER OR EVEN A SKATER YOU ARE INTRODUCING YOURSELF AS SOMETHING THAT YOU CANNOT GET FIRED FROM AND WILL NEVER LEAVE YOUR SOUL. THERE ARE NOT MANY HUMANS THAT CAN EVER DEFINE THEMSELVES SO SIMPLY, AND THOSE, IN ALL HONESTY, ARE MY FAVORITES BUT THERE IS SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR THE MAN OR WOMAN WHO FIND THEMSELVES AT AN EARLY AGE AND TAKE A STANCE AGAINST THE NORM WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING IT AT THE TIME. THOSE ARE MY TRUE HEROES AND THEY SEEM TO BE THE SAME PEOPLE WHO LEAVE THEIR MARK RATHER THAN A DISTORTED VERSION OF SOMEONE ELSES. WITH THAT SAID, THERE IS A MOMENT THAT STANDS OUT FOR THIS TYPE OF PERSON WHETHER IT BE AN ART PIECE THEY SAW IN FOURTH GRADE OR A KID THEY SAW DO A BACKFLIP. THERE IS THAT MOMENT, AND MAYBE WE CAN ONLY SEE IT IN HINDSIGHT, WHERE WE SAW IT ALL CHANGE AND CHOSE THE OTHER PATH WITHOUT LOOKING BACK. CHEERS TO THE FEW THAT CAN LOOK BACK AND REMEMBER THAT FORK IN THE ROAD WHERE THEY TOOK THE PATH LESS TRAVELED. THE TYPICAL PATH IS SO TRAMPLED THESE DAYS IT'S TURNED INTO A PIT THAT PEOPLE ARE FALLING IN AS FAST AS THEY CAN BE BORN.