Not every artist get to experience their craft the way Bill Sager does. His art can be enjoyed under his feet on a wave, esthetically enhancing a Josh Oldenberg shaped surfboard. When two met, they immediately began combining Bill’s art with Josh’s shapes. Providing the boards with a layered, smart look, Bill brings a depth that unmistakeable. In addition to working with Josh, Bill spends his days as a senior designer at a design and innovation shop, called Bulldog Drummond.

Tell us about your background as an artist. How did you get inspired to seek out a life as an artist?

I’m a graphic designer by trade, but I studied fine art years before I ever touched a computer. The transition from drawing and painting to Illustrator and Photoshop was not that easy for me. But now I love it because you can produce so much at a faster speed. I think most artists are worker bees, always wanting to produce something. I feel lucky to be in the field that I’m in.

What is the most important aspect of your art that makes it different from what other people are doing?

It’s all about layers, whether it’s graphic design or surfboard art. I try to approach every project like a painting. I map out a rough idea, then build on it with many layers. I hope the end result is something that has richness and depth.

Where do you get your inspiration? What other artists do you feel are standing out these days?

There are so many good artists and designers out there today, especially in California. But I try to pull my inspiration from the past. Artists who had a broad range of talent like graphic designer Paul Rand, and Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani. They never focused on just one aspect of their art. They were constantly trying new things and that helped them develop their own unique styles.

You do some art for Josh Oldenburg on his boards. How did you two get connected? And what’s your take on his boards?

I met Josh through Garrett Highhouse, a photographer I work with. Garrett and I have been surfing together for a few years and we both like the same design aesthetic. He asked if I wanted to do some artwork on a new pig his friend was shaping for him, so he introduced me to Josh and we started on three boards right away. That’s what’s cool about Josh—he isn’t afraid to let me experiment on his boards. He wants to try new designs, but every board he shapes is based on concepts that are proven in the water.

How does your process work together (with Josh)? Does he show you the board he is making and then rely on your for the artistic touch? Or is there a theme from the get go?

It depends on the board. Josh gives me a heads-up on what type of shape he’s working on and I’ll start sketching some ideas. When he has the board ready, I add my pencil work and print design, then send it back to the shop for glassing. Once Josh is done sanding, I add another layer to the design with paint, then Josh finishes off the board before it hits the water.

As an artist there has to be an internal spark that keeps you motivated, seeing as how it is a self-reliant thing. In other words, how do you stay motivated to keep creating?

For me, it’s all about the process. I have fun working on these projects. And there’s an unknown when you start something new. It’s like the anticipation when walking into a thrift store or sitting in a lineup waiting for the next set to roll in. You have an idea of how it should go, but you don’t really know how it will end up until you’re fully in it. It’s that unknown that keeps me going.

What has been getting you the most stoked these days?

The surfing community has a wide range of characters. I think we all feed off each other. I recently met Mike Black (director of “Invasion! From Planet C” and “Jazz The Glass”) while surfing San Onofre. He sat down and told me his life story, where he grew up, how he got into surfing and a crazy story about a road trip he took with his brother back in the 80s. He is easily the most stoked person I have ever met. The world needs more Mike Blacks.

Any upcoming projects that we should keep an eye out for?

Josh and I have a few new boards in the works, and later this month some of our work will be up at an Igloo show in Little Italy. Stop by and check it out.

To stay up with Bill’s work, follow his blog at http://creativebuck.com/

Seems like as good a day as any to remember Andy’s incredible surfing prowess. His part in Transworld’s High Five was one of the most memorable of the year in 2010 with his incredible tube ride at Desert Point. So just enjoy some good quality surfing on this Friday before Labor Day as we salute Andy.

Not your typical artist you find here on Kordruoy, but Reubin Margolin is doing some amazing stuff with waves. But not the waves like you and I think about. Instead, Reubin makes singular techno-kinetic wave sculptures.

Singular techno-kinetic waves sculptures, you ask? What they heck are those? Well, they are three-dimensions kinetic representations of waves using various moving parts for its effects. Some are elaborate structures with motorized parts, and others are simple and small. And on top of these amazing art pieces, Reubin is DIY to the max, utilizing everything from wood to cardboard to found and salvaged objects. Check out this piece by Make Magazine and see more on Reubin’s website at reubenmargolin.com

As an entry into the Inaugural London Surf Film Festival, Chris McClean & Mark Waters put together this stunning short film featuring the poem “Uncommon Ideals” by Daniel Crockett.

“For most people the North Sea is a source of food, a source of fuel – oil and gas, a playground for catching waves or simply a mass of water that needs to be navigated. Few are aware its these cold grey waters cover a prehistoric landscape that once joined England to Europe. Yet between 18000 and 5500 BC, global warming raised sea levels to the extent that this area known as Doggerland was engulfed by water and the area that had been home to mankind disappeared. This entire land sank beneath the North Sea. Is it this former land that we North Sea surfers now surf.” – Mark Waters

http://thedoggerlandchronicles.blogspot.com/

In the surf industry, no media source is building a community around contentious issues like theInertia.com. Zach Weisberg, Founder and Editor in Chief of TheInertia.com, has taken on the mission of creating a place where insightful commentary can be expressed in a way that explores issues in a honest and open way by utilizing the global surf community’s most prominent and thoughtful figures. And much like Korduroy, theInertia.com was founded on no outside funding and has rallied around Zach’s prowess with words and experience in the surf media. In the interview below, Zach shares his experiences as a writer, former college wrestler, and what he thinks it takes to create a successful media outlet.

What drew you to become a writer?

Honestly, when I discovered that writing was a viable way to earn a living after an internship for Scott Bass at SURFER in 2006, I found it difficult to seriously pursue anything else. I was a student at Duke University studying English at the time, and the idea that I could get paid to travel, surf, and write about those experiences seemed too good to be true. This internship came on the heels of a class where we read a lot of Emerson, and his writing really resonated at the time. It seemed to say, “Go write about surfing!” So after leaving, I bugged Scott on a weekly basis from 2,500 miles away, was given an amazing opportunity, and started branching out from there.

Photo: Patrick Ruddy/ruddyphoto.com

You were the Editor at Large and Online Editor at SURFER Magazine. Why leave there and start The Inertia?

Well, the leaving and the starting weren’t exactly premeditated or even directly related, but after about three years there it became clear to me that I wanted to redirect my career. I wasn’t sure what that meant exactly, but I knew I wanted to go back to grad school and hopefully broaden my horizons. The surf industry provided an amazing lifestyle that I feel lucky to have experienced and may continue to work within, but I felt a need to look elsewhere to learn and test my intuitions.

In the meantime, while studying for the GMAT and filling out business school applications, I recognized a void in surf media, and I felt like I was well positioned to try to fill it. I figured that I might as well give it a go. The worst thing that could happen was that it might fail. I felt passionate enough about the project to risk that. I don’t regret it for a second. This whole foray into “surf writing” was a risk.

Photo: Patrick Ruddy/ruddyphoto.com

What is the goal or mission behind The Inertia? And how do you stand apart from other surf media/surf websites?

There are a couple of goals behind The Inertia. The first is to provide a platform for thoughtful and talented folks in the surf community to share their ideas, opinions, art, and photography.

Historically, surf magazines have created a product that they think will serve their readers’ interests, but with The Inertia, readers create a community and content for themselves – with a little help from us. Luckily, our community includes some well-respected pros, world champions, and industry players, and we love hearing from them. But we’re just as excited to hear from everyday surfers who are more than qualified to share fresh perspectives in a meaningful way.

Otherwise, The Inertia aims to address contentious issues in the world of surfing constructively. And it’s surprising how many actually exist. From bigotry to homophobia to misogyny to drug-use, surfing, like all cultures, wrestles with its imperfections, and, in my estimation, the editorial climate preceding The Inertia wasn’t very hospitable to the idea of honestly and openly investigating divisive topics. I wanted to change that, and I think talented writers like Tetsuhiko Endo were up to the challenge. As an example, Ted wrote a powerful piece about the controversy surrounding Andy Irons’ death, and that’s something that couldn’t have been and hasn’t been done in any other outlet – despite being probably the most significant story in the history of surfing.

I don’t see any reason why difficult issues can’t be addressed respectfully in surfing. That’s how we learn and evolve. It can be uncomfortable, but, ultimately, I think we have an obligation to make sense of our history – even if it’s uncomfortable. I absolutely love journalism. Real journalism – where a reporter does his best to present a situation as fairly as possible and trusts the reader to form an opinion – is a beautiful thing. I want surfing to enjoy that gift, too.

Photo: Patrick Ruddy/ruddyphoto.com

What does it take to have a successful blog? Describe the challenges a person must overcome.

That all depends on how you define success.

The challenges associated with organically attracting a modest readership vs. the challenges of creating an outlet that will eventually support a mortgage are very different. I can’t offer much insight on the latter…yet. Ha.

In the short term, the greatest challenge is to consistently create quality content. Then, it becomes an “if a tree falls in the woods…” scenario. You need to attract a readership, and starting from scratch, that requires commitment and creativity. Beyond that, you have to figure out how to sustain the output required to succeed over a long period of time. Even trickier.

You started The Inertia like we did it at Korduroy with no outside funding, how is this possible?

When it comes to the Internet, the barriers to entry are low. Luckily, I have an extremely talented network of friends and colleagues like Ross Pfahler, Matt Bauer, Alex Haro, Johnny Blades, Jay Ashenfelter, and Chris and Corey Jones who believed in the idea, and were willing to offer their services without asking for much in return. I also invested some of my personal savings into the project.

Photo: Patrick Ruddy/ruddyphoto.com

You were a talented wrestler in high school and college. How did you go from wrestler to surfer? Or were you a surfer before a wrestler? Is there anything you take from wrestling and apply it to your surfing?

I grew up going to the beach in the Outer Banks, so I think the beach thing actually came first. Wrestling wasn’t far behind, though. My older brother wrestled at Brown University, and I was eager to follow in his footsteps, so I took that challenge pretty seriously. I think I wrestled in my first tournament when I was either eight or ten. I probably weighed 60 pounds.

Honestly, I can’t think of much crossover when it comes to wrestling and surfing. Wrestling is a culture of ascetics. It requires so much discipline and self-sacrifice and starvation that I almost consider it diametrically opposed to the idea of surfing, which, to me, is pure pleasure. After cutting up to 20 pounds each year and being pretty miserable doing it in college, I made a conscious decision to only pursue things that made me happy. Surfing topped that list. It’s much better than losing 17 pounds in two days to fight someone.

Photo: Patrick Ruddy/ruddyphoto.com

What’s the ultimate scenario for Zach? The Inertia?

Both are continually evolving. I’m hoping that The Inertia will keep growing and maybe one day develop into a more robust, diversified media outlet. But that’s a long way off. I couldn’t be happier with the site’s progress thus far.

As for me…I actually just started the Full-Time MBA Program at the USC Marshall School of Business last week, and I’m loving it. They have a really innovative business school that excels in media, entertainment, and the business of creative industries, and I’m excited to explore their resources and opportunities. Where exactly it will lead, I’m not sure, but it will definitely build upon all the great things I’ve learned from working in the world of surfing for the last five years.

After growing up in the culture, colour and wildlife-rich country of South Africa, Ryan Ward’s family migrated back to North Devon, UK, where his family originated. From there, Ryan quickly dug in as an artist. While attending college to receive his degree in illustration, Ryan’s fascination with surfing grew and after graduating, he headed out to surf and experience the world. Upon returning, Ryan honed his graphic design skills and now has a career combining the two things he loves most, art and surfing. Check out Ryan’s work as he continues to be inspired by emotions and the ocean.

How would you describe your art? What mediums do you work in?

I would say my art is about emotions, the ocean and life in general. I am very passionate about graphic art / illustration and photography… and of course surfing! The ideas behind my art are put together very rapidly in my mind, most of my art is produced with a bold drive to what ever I hear, see and feel at the time – I have to put these emotions down on paper or what ever platform they transpire onto!

I feel very fortunate to have this ability to express myself in this way – however the work is seen or taken, does and doesn’t affect what I produce! at the end of the day – I just love doing it!

The mediums i work in usually are computer generated images, with some hand created effects, i also produce hand drawn images that are then scanned into the computer and enhanced. I like to mess around with typography and combine it with images in a sort of mix media style of graphic art.

Explain your process.

I’m not sure I really have a clear process, I’m constantly trying to improve ‘my style’ of artwork and produce ever evolving pictures. I suppose my process would be that some idea pops into my head through hearing or seeing something, and I get a creative impulse to produce a response to this inspiration in the form of an image, t-shirt print or posters.

How did you get your artist chops? Formal education? Or just trial and error? Is that your main job?

I have been into art and drawing since I was a nipper, at school and college I never knew what I really wanted to do so I guess I just followed the art path due to the fact I enjoy it and that was the most interesting subject I found at school. I carried on to study a degree in general illustration at Swansea (Wales) All the time I was doing my degree I just enjoyed producing work not really thinking how I would make something of myself in the ‘real world’.

I came out of university with a good degree and after studying I decided to go back home and work hard, and save up to head off surfing round the world again. On returning from a 6 month trip I realized I did not have any computer programming skills, just art based skills, so was not sure how I was going to get into what I wanted to do! I plugged on and taught myself the bare essentials of the computer art packages I needed. I then managed to get various bits of work in the surfing industry.

And I now work in my free time on my own project for a label I’m starting called JUNCART. For my full time work I work for a surf company in Devon called Alder Sportswear.

What is the story behind the border you use on your art? Is there a meaning behind it or just something you like to add?

The border around the art incorporates the JUNCART logo as I wanted this in every poster, and it is a way for me to keep my series (the poster art path) looking uniform. I don’t plan to use the border through out all my artwork it is just this series of poster art.

How do you choose what image to work with next?

I usually choose the image that helps portray the feeling i want to get across in my posters. I feel the images and posters have a very retro feel with hopefully a modern twist

You recently designed some boards. How long have you been working on surfboards? And what are you recent designs? How do they ride!?

Yeah I have a slight fetish for surfboards i have only just got the opportunity to design three personal JUNCART surfboards:

The Imposter – is a 6’3″ wider performance thruster shortboard
The Sea Sprout – Is a 6’1″ quad fish
The Sea Plough – Is a 5’8″ twinny (simmons inspired board)

I have not been able to get my hands on the boards yet – but I’m buzzing to ride them!

How has surfing influenced you art?

Growing up in the 80′s in South Africa i was very influenced by 80′s skate boarding to start with and all the brands that were around at that time! My interest in skate boarding soon turned into an obsession with surfing and the art that goes along with it. I feel being a surfer and artist you can’t help but to be influenced by the masses of advertising and artwork out there, and i want to put my experience and love for the ocean down on paper now.

Describe the surf scene in your area of North Devon, England.

The surf scene in North Devon is definitely buzzing now, there are a lot of guys pushing the boundaries of competitive surfing, as well as that there are some excellent local heroes! Westward Ho!, the beach i live on, doesn’t have too much of a surf shop style scene, which is kind of why i like the place. There are some excellent waves around, and i feel very fortunate to have a good crew of mates, I am part of Westward surf club which is probably one of the oldest surf clubs in England and for me that’s where our scene is generated from not the shops.

For more on Ryan’s work check out: http://www.juncart.co.uk or his blog http://beyond-adversity.blogspot.com

Chapters Surf Movie bridges the gap between logging and high performance longboarding.

Chapters Surf Movie features: Joel Tudor, Colin McPhillips, Kai Sallas, Josh Constable, Brendan White, Greg Briggs, Noah Shimabakuro, and Tommy Witt.

Shot on location in Hawaii, California, and Australia.

Music by: Collapse Under the Empire – Captured Moments

Toby Cregan was born in a small town on the southern coast of NSW called Berrara. While many people questioned what there was to do in place like that, Toby used his time to surf and become a better filmer and editor. Now, the 20 year old has moved to Byron Bay for film school and has been creating some amazing clips as the in-house filmer for Ocean and Earth.

How did you get started in filmmaking? And what have been your steps to learning the art of filmmaking?

I have always had a camera and played in bands so the first clip I made was of a friend of mine playing a gig down the snow, the next morning, I broke my leg skateboarding so that pretty much meant the next 6 months for me out of the water. I ended up filming heaps of surfing, bands, etc.

From there everything has kind of snowballed, at the start of the year, I moved to Byron Bay to go to film school but I ended up doing a movie for Ocean and Earth that came out with the July issue of Tracks magazine so I didn’t really have time. I am not going to go to film school for the time being.

What type of equipment are you using these days?

I use a Canon 600D with a 1.4 50mm lens for shooting lifestyle and interviews and a Sony HDR-FX1 for shooting surfing.

When approaching your next filming session, what are you looking for in terms of angles, lighting, etc?

It all depends. Every place you shoot is different. I usually just go to shoot with an idea of how I want the clip to feel and go from there.

What is your role with Ocean and Earth?

I am the in-house filmer for Ocean and Earth. I have worked there for a long time. My first job there I was probably 8 years old tying swivels for leg ropes.

My dad started the company in 1979. Before that he shaped boards and was a surfer starring in the movie Band On The Run, which also featured Rabbit Bartholomew, Bruce Raymond and Paul Neilson.

That was a huge inspiration for me seeing my dad in a surf movie and old surf mags, the old dude still rips as well.

I do work for other companies as well.

What is your feeling on the state of surf films right now in this digital age where people are posting all this free content? And where do you think it is headed?

I think it’s great at the moment. I know there is probably a few older guys in the industry that might feel a bit bitter about what is happening with a lot of younger guys being able to do now what only a select few could do ten years ago.

I am only 20 so I have always been one of the guys giving out the free content so yeah I’m into it. That is for sure the way it is going. People can just watch their favourite surfers and waves directly.

With the increased accessibility of HD cameras and editing software, what do you think it takes to make a viral webclip? And are you doing anything to differentiate yourself from what everyone else is doing?

I think for a surf clip to go viral there has to be good waves or good surfing having a good song helps too. I just try cut my clips as good as possible. I think everyone has there own editing style. I just hope people like mine.

What gets you the most stoked right now?

I have been watching heaps of skate movies, Doped Youth has been my favourite movie forever. Living in Byron is great too. I live in a house with 8 people and they are all my friends. Everyone in the house is creative so there is always stuff going on. At the moment there are 6 boards being shaped.

Harry Triglone also does pretty much the same thing I do. He lives here so we help each other out a little bit…not much but if he missed a clip and I got it, I would give it to him.

Duncan McNicol lives here as well. The way that dude surfs is the kind of surfing I like to watch…big airs and heaps of tricks.

What are your goals for the future and what can we expect from Toby Cregan next?

I would like to do another movie, just something super fun. I was thinking of doing a movie called Throw Up, in spite of the Billabong movie Blow Up. I actually like the movie but i thought it could be funny.

I am working on a clip at the moment with 13 year old superstar from America, Kanoa Igarashi. The kid is so rad. He has done a few of the biggest airs I have ever seen.

For more of Toby’s work, check out tobycregan.blogspot.com

Xabier Zirikiain is a 44 year old former mechanical engineer that left his work designing airplane wings to start a clothing company called Loreak Mendian 15 years ago. Since then, he has been the art director of the company, however, he is also very involved in making art, filmmaking, and surfing. This Spanish artist is touring his exhibition of 10 posters to Tokyo, San Sebastian and Berlin so far, with more stops to be added.

What is the idea behind these posters? Is there a message you are trying to tell?

Last year, I decided to make a small catalog of all the artwork related to surfing that I have done in the last 10 years with Loreak Mendian. Some of it was t-shirts, some event posters, and other collages.

One of the t-shirt logos that was selected as a cover of Paris may 68 poster. The poster had written “Burgois vous n’avez rien compris.” I loved that poster, I changed Bourgeois for Surfers. When thinking of a name for the expo, this t-shirt came to my mind as I always had this impression that the surf industry never understood anything about surfing.

The posters for the expo (10) are versions of works in that catalog. I didn’t want to just make a digital print or a screen print of the originals, so I chose the ones that could be reproduced with collages or just by cutting colored paper. All done by hand, with lots of love.

I always try to make designs that make you think (a little bit). Most of the designs deal with movement, identity, roots or nationalism.

What inspired these 10 art pieces?

The original work that inspired these posters are very different. It’s not the same to create a t-shirt or a posters. All these works are done over the last 10 years so they were made with very different states of mind. But the posters were done all in two weeks, so even if the origin is different, the result is quite solid.

My original idea was to do very short expos in the streets. Just a happening of two hours on the street…some beers, some friends. I didn’t want to frame the posters and didn’t want to put it in a gallery. I enjoy very much walking down the street and watch things. Could it be a punk poster, a stupid tag or anything, really. But then I found that it was very difficult to bring people’s attention when your posters are close to other posters with special offers. This last weekend, we did a show in Langbrett, (a beautyful surf store in Berlin) and we hung the posters on the shop window. It looked amazing!

We know you are into filmmaking and now have seen another extension of your creativity. What other art are you involved in?

I work in many fields. I design stores, draw, make pictures, graphic design or think of marketing strategies. For me, all are the same thing really. I enjoy all of them and I like to jump from one to other. Or just have them cross paths, like drawing a big mural for one store.

Modernist Basque Surfing was my first film ever. I did  it together with Iker Treviño and the Debolex crew. That was a very different way of working. I am used to working on my own. To work with a team is very different. We were extremely unlucky as the sea was flat for two months!

What can we expect to see from you next? Another film? More art?

At the moment I am thinking of doing a book together with Cesar Ancelle Hansen, with his photos and my collages about the Basque Country. I will continue to have my own vision of surfing through films, posters or books. It’s all the same really. Gracias for your interest and I hope I can make it someday to California with the expo, with the film or just with my board.

Devon Howard has been fascinated by the Australian design period of 1966-67. In this clip, Devon test pilots his new custom 9’6″ “Tyler Surfboards” shaped by Tyler Hatzikian in El Segundo, CA. The board features the wide point back, the mid point running narrower than most logs at 22″, and a 10′ Greenough flex fin template made of Volan cloth by Larry Allison. For a better understanding of the super refined longboard designs and surfing happening during ’66/’67, make sure to see Paul Witzig’s film “Hot Generation”.

Facial hair gets all the hype these days. Mustaches make you super groovy. A beard makes you that much more cosmic. This guys goes from being an a boring, clean cut guy to a uber hip lumberjack…or does he?

Robin Kegel is the founder and board shaper at Gato Herói, an innovative longboard surf company based in Capistrano Beach, CA. The name Gato Herói (“Cat Hero”) emphasizes Robin’s unique sense of humor, along with his love of honest, casual surfing.

He designed two boards based on Japanese folklore hero Momotaro and is auctioning them off for the Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Relief fund (A GlobalGiving Project).

This video shines a light on the art of Gato Herói’s hand-made custom shapes and Robin’s philosophy on surfing.

You can bid on the Momotaro Daily Driver or the Momotaro Smooth Operator.

Each are valued at over $1400, and 100% of the proceeds go to Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Relief Fund – A GlobalGiving Project.

Cyrus will be teaching a handplane class at Grain Surfboards in York, ME on September 11. With Cyrus’ help, you will cut and shape your own hand-board made from sustainably grown cedar. Use of edge tools, sanding and sealing will be covered as well as a brief tutorial on best use of hand-boards. The cost of all materials and supplies are included in the course. Grain will also provide practically-gourmet breakfast and lunch for the day.

To sign up for the class, visit http://www.grainsurfboards​ .com/classes/hand-boards-c​yrus/

In addition to the class, on Saturday September 10th, 2011, Grain and Korduory are teaming up to host the Surf Re-Evolution event, a day of sun, surf, art and music.

Oskar Lindholm is an artist out of Stockholm, Sweden who works as a graphic designer doing a variety of projects including fashion/clothing design, print designs and film/animation. After being introduced to surfing in the early 90′s during a blizzard in Sweden, he quickly fell in love with the sport and has used it as an inspiration for his life’s work. It’s not too often you hear of surfers from Sweden, let alone a creative like this guy, so it is fitting that he is our Artist Interview for the week.

How did you get started in graphic design? What were some of your first jobs? How long did it take for you to get to a point of being self employed and where you were satisfied with the work that you were putting out?

My career has been weird and long. It has taken me to many places and with many odd requests down the line. I guess the path got started in high school when I was just drawing typography and word constellations in my note books rather than taking notes from class. I was all in to graffiti and tweaking letters at the time and knew all about the early scene in the US, how it spread and the local scene around me in my hometown of Stockholm. There was no internet back then so you had to buy books, fanzines and go out and explore your hoods to see inspiration. I ended up creating a bunch of black books (that I still have somewhere) that I was proud of, but never really took too many of the pieces I created to the real canvases of the streets.

Anyways… with shitty grades (except art) I moved to the Hamptons on Long Island, NY for a few years. I met this guy that liked my sketches and my art at the time. He made me aware there was an actual occupation of sitting around just drawing, typography, scribbles, ideas and shit like that all day. I was like… no way!!! It sounded too good to be true, so from there I started working my way into the world of graphic design and figuring out what it is.

I got sucked into the IT boom throwing money at everything interactive of the late 90′s. After a couple of years I got bored with all the overtime and the web stuff with all the limitations it had back then. Having just discovered surfing, I quit my job at the agency and went to Australia to study, but more importantly to start my learning curve of riding waves.

From there it has been rolling on with jobs here and there at different agencies and freelance of various types and caliber. My focus have never really been on getting rich and famous, but rather to live a majestic lifestyle of surfing, traveling and doing the things I like (as much as possible).

Tell us about your design firm, Flower Hell. What types of projects do you work on? How many people are involved? Where might someone recognize your work?

Flower Hell was started by me & my girlfriend, Freshteh, a few years back. She’s in the film industry so we wanted to create a creative sort of production company, to work as an umbrella organization, which could branch out with time and include anything creative really. Arts, Films, Fashion, Music, Surf, Skate… you name it. All things we dig.

We have so many creative friends around us and we meet a wide spectrum of uber creative souls in our daily lives… so trying to tie it all together was our plan. It’s more fun working alongside friends and like-minded people you know. But we are still just getting started and preparing to hit the world with our styles and productions.

How would you say the graphic design world has changed the most in the time you have been involved?

Hmmm… tough question. I think the biggest change I have seen and experienced has to be the digital revolution. And in there the internet has got to be THE single most influential factor to both the design and the industry. Having been a part since its infancy, I have seen so many waves of change.

All that it has brought with it in anything from printing to how people now connect and share information and inspiration. We can send or share files from on side of the globe to another in a matter of seconds and the file can be an art exhibition or a film seen by millions in the next few days.

I remember in the early days how there were so many different areas of information that wasn’t too present on the net. Surfing was definitely one. Because of this I think that the surfing industry has branched out a lot today with the way that we swing. Especially just in the last 5-6 years. In every area from the arts scene to the waves we surf and our board designs.

What would be the most important job or project of your career? Why?

I’m going to answer that realizing that the two worlds that I live in and for, design and surfing, can be combined. That is, up to this date, the best and most important factor of my career. It IS my career. I am now spending most of my working time in projects related to that somehow… and working mostly with friends and like minded people. It’s definitely nothing that has made me rich (yet), but it has guaranteed to put a smile on my face while both working and living.

What other art are you involved in besides the professional work that you do?

I have many art projects going on at all times. The last few years I have taken time away from the advertising industry and commercialism as much as I can. I have focused on a few projects of my own. Especially underwater photography and other ocean influenced art projects.

A few projects are co-labs with some of the creative friends I’m surrounded by. Like two long time friends both named Andreas. I have worked close with them on art exhibitions in Stockholm and Sydney.

Anreas A. is the other half of Flower Hell / Graphics. We’ve shared studios and clients when we both live in Stockholm just because it’s more fun to work together. Then Andreas L, which I moved to Australia with in 2005 and with whom I shared a flat with for some time. We have had many joint effort projects that combine our passion for the ocean with art. Tunnelism and Style Evolution Project but to name a few.

And of course me and my girlfriend Freshteh, who is the most creative person I have ever met, comes up with new ideas all the time. I think that we need to finish a projects before we start a new though. We have a bunch going on that have not rolled out just yet, but we know that when we do, they will send waves all around.

For the last year or so I have worked a lot with my close friend Jonnie Reggie on a resort in Portugal, Surfers Lodge Peniche. It will this amazing environment and a place of art so that’s why I bring it up here. Close to the sick waves of Supertubos. Right now the builders have knocked down the old building and they are ready to start creating our vision. The governor of Peniche is doing everything he can of making Peniche the new surf capital of Europe, which of course is playing us perfectly.

Me and my girlfriend have also just jumped aboard a skate brand called 360 Project. It is a great non-profit organization that, for every skateboard they sell, send one out to parts of the world where people need it. We were just in the Philippines surfing and had a few skates with us to give out. We came up with a few small films that we’ll be working on in the next month when we have the time. I think that 360 is a great project that I’d like to see in other industries as well, especially surfing.

Where do you look for inspiration?

I have many sources that I’d like to call inspiration… but I’d like to call the main one life itself. Without coming across as a religious freak or a sect-like individual.

The way life transforms itself is all reactions to waves of different kinds. May it be waves of energy in different people around me or in the perfectness of nature. How and when it happens affect my daily life and choices.

Written words, spoken words, music, films, things, materials, people, places, experiences of all kinds influence me in some way every day that pass. There is just so much to take in these days and it’s hard to exclude anything really. I try to just suck it all in. When I do get a moment of peace and quiet it’s like it all comes towards me in a kaleidoscope. I sit back and enjoy the trip and try to create stuff inspired of it all. That might sound pretty abstract, but that’s how I feel about it… and that’s my work flow. It can even hit myself up with a little surprise every now and then.

From the design heritage of Scandinavia that I come from, with the “less is more” approach, to the beautiful accidents of digital error effects that appear in my underwater photos when I put the cameras up against the pressure of the sea.

My girlfriend is also a huge inspiration to me. She is so creative in everything she does. But she is considered a part of my life of course… so see what I mean with the life itself statement.

Being from Stockholm, how did you first get introduced to surfing? Where did you catch your first waves?

It’s funny, because I actually got introduced to surfing as early as 1993 when my friend called me from his country house north of Stockholm. There was a heavy snow blizzard and the news were warning everybody get out of their houses in the next few days. My friend was so stoked because he’d found that the raging storm generated waves in the little bay up there. He told me to get myself up there and come out battling the -20 degrees C (-4 deg F) Baltic Sea. I had some way old windsurfing gloves with cut off fingers and other misfitting apparel, so I only lasted about half hour out there… and I didn’t even catch any of the mushy waist high waves. Maybe cold made me crazy that day… Ha ha. I’m not sure. But something inside me fell in love with the feeling of being out there and the aura that surrounded it. Doing something for yourself surrounded by friends in the arms of mother nature.

I did a bit of surfing on Long Island when I lived there as well. My first real surf trip was driving down from Stockholm to Hossegor with mates in the late 90′s. All 7 of us sleeping in a van for 2 weeks.

But it wasn’t until the Millenium when I moved to Australia that I would recall learning to actually catch and ride waves. I got into surfing many different shapes, most of them older boards. Thrusters, twin fins, single fins and the odd misshaped balsa board etc.

How has surfing influenced your life, art, etc?

It has totally changed my life… and it has definitely influenced what my life is and where I’m at. The places I choose to live and the destinations I travel to are based on the possibility of waves to enjoy.

Having said that, I have lived in surf-less places like London for years… and that makes me feel like shit. Like working strict office times or being locked up when you know the waves are pumping somewhere. I end up feeling claustrophobic or like I’m in jail or something…

I just recently went to this small island in the Philippines where there are some epic waves. I had been there 8 years ago and got to know some local surfers. One guy in particular who was by far the most outstanding backside tube rider around was in my mind when I went to Cloud 9 to catch up with the locals again. I found out that the guy just recently was sent to prison for killing a guy (there was different opinions over there whether or not this was what happened). It would be such a nightmare being out there every day living with the ocean… and then a day comes when you might never even see it again. That would be too heavy for me.

For more go to http://www.flowerhell.com

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