The Level Of Online Negativity Towards The Creative Efforts Of Skateboarders Is Saddening
Over the years I’ve lost touch with many parts of skateboarding. I stopped reading magazines. I stopped caring about the industry, sponsors, and team riders. I stopped worrying about whether skateboarding is a sport. Most importantly, I stopped thinking of skateboarding as something that needed to be preserved and protected from the rest of the world. It dawned on me that as long as I could get on a skateboard and go ride, it didn’t matter what other people were saying or doing, or whether I was “good”. I love skateboarding, and that’s all that matters.
I’d love to see more carefree skateboarding on the internet. So often people get wrapped up in what’s good, and become critical of other people’s work online. Does everything new have to be superior to what we’ve already seen to be enjoyable? Is it so painful that watch a new skateboarder do a trick they just learned that we have to insult their style and belittle their accomplishments? I don’t think so. If you’ve got more skills and produce better work, then why not be helpful instead of arrogant? It’ll result in a more enjoyable environment for everyone.
If you’re a regular reader of the blog, you might be thinking “Cameron, you’re a hypocrite. You were just making fun of kids a few weeks ago”. Yes, I was, but the comedy was that those kids are trying to get sponsored with skills they don’t have. I wouldn’t make fun of someone for trying, but I would make fun of someone for lying. Huge difference. Anyway, this post isn’t about that, so back to the cause.
Introducing Heyday Projects
The Heyday Projects forum started up in late June as a place for us to share ideas and creations. The projects are themed ideas based around filming, photography, editing, graphic design, writing, and other art forms that give us a chance to explore our creativity and hopefully learn some cool tricks/techniques from others. It’s wide open to all skill levels. There’s no need to be “good”. The point is to do the best with what you’ve got! If you’re interested you can read more in the projects forum and see the projects that are currently underway such as the spot check project.
If you have any existing footage or photos that don’t fit in with the projects, you’re invited to post them in the gallery section of the forums. Need a place to upload your video? I highly recommend using Vimeo. It’s a really positive community for video sharing (unlike Youtube, etc. where you’re likely to get shit on, even if you’re “good”).
