Announce Your Goals or Keep Them Secret?
A quick exploration of two opposing schools of thought.
An Open Letter to Dreamers
The world needs you to be pursuing your passions.
Travel Diary: Bali, Indonesia
Surf wasn't great. Everything else was.
(via Almond Surfboards)
Last Wednesday (why is it always “Big Wednesday”?) saw one of the biggest swells Newport Beach has experienced in the last 20 years. Aside from the sheer size of waves, the more exciting part proved to be their shape and ride-ability – leaving some to draw comparisons with Pipeline in Hawaii.
While I can’t speak to it’s relativity to the world renowned break on the north shore of Oahu, I can tell you that my wife and I watched from the beach on Wednesday morning, jaws dropped. It was one of the most impressive swells I have ever seen, and it instilled in us a further appreciation for where we live, as well as a healthy fear of the power Mother Nature holds.
Thanks to Thomas Green for capturing this Big Wednesday at the Point in Newport Beach.
(via Cool Hunting)
This month, I had the pleasure of sitting down with my good friend Dave Allee of Almond Surfboards (owner & founder). We talked about brand, the intentionality they bring to every aspect of their design, and the importance of not defining life by surfing alone. However, one of my biggest takeaways from our conversation was learning his thought process for defining a niche and sticking to it. Or to sum it up… not trying to be all things to all people.
I think there is something for everyone in this short interview. Read the snippet below and feel free to read the entire article over on CoolHunting.com via the link provided. Beyond our philosophical meanderings, I also took the time to order myself a brand new Almond longboard. More on that to come…
How does [the idea of craftsmanship] play out in your brand?
We want our surfboards to be a small representation of a bigger need in humanity to have that sense of collaborative effort and accomplishment and common purpose. The ability to say, at the end of the day, this is what I made.
That’s why we do T-shirts with blue prints of boards on it. Honoring craftspeople of all types. The reality is, I know a lot of surfers that are incredibly talented in a lot of different areas. I like to think that the fact that we are surfers is not the thing that is the most interesting things about us. Professionals of all types are also surfers. In actuality, we are spending a few minutes a week riding a wave and hopefully we are spending the rest of our time doing significant or substantial things.
It’s been a hot summer. I’m ready for some Fall in my life – layers, soup & JACKETS… like this Levi’s waxed parka from their Made & Crafted Series.
Read more about the waxed parka HERE.
Last week at Krochet Kids intl. we released a limited-edition collection of beanies with the company that makes one of my favorite apps – Visual Supply Co. (VSCO). Most people know them for their digital tools that make your Instagram photos look amazing (even when you’re not a great photographer, like myself) and their ubiquitous hashtag #VSCOcam.
Over the last year, I have got to know another side of this San Francisco based start-up. This is a group of people who are truly committed to a vision that is far beyond photography or its supportive digital tools. They are about honoring artists, and they don’t take HONOR lightly. One manifestation of this is their Artist Initiative, where they have pledged $1 million to fund artists and their creative projects.
Similarly, in our VSCO x Krochet Kids intl. collaboration they did an amazing job honoring the women we work with in Peru and highlighting their stories. If there is something that I respect, it is brands (or people for that matter) who know themselves and are committed to standing for something bigger than their personal gain. I think this is why we got along so well.
Keep an eye out for more to come from this partnership and start using VSCO now if you are not already. In my opinion, this is a company worth backing.
My name is Kohl Crecelius. I am a social entrepreneur, ethical fashion advocate, and family man. I enjoy ✈️, ????????, ☕ and ????.