Your Custom Skateboard x Doric Design Challenge

First of all - huge thanks to all who got into the spirit of this challenge/competition.

Although there was an actual physical prize up for grabs I hope that the posting, tagging, sharing and the engagement across all the social media pages has brought some new followers to your page, some inspiration, more friends and contacts, perhaps some future collaborations and ultimately maybe even a commission or project.

I wanted to get something here on the blog - social media comes and goes so quickly - at least this is here forever.!

Big shout out to Adam and the team at Your Custom Skateboard for collaborating on this and offering discount codes should anyone want their design printed. Get in touch if you want to do that.

The winning design by Alex aka mokoyo.robo definitely caught some eyes early on in the challenge! Congratulations to Alex - can’t wait to see the deck printed.!

But because there were so many entries YCS wanted to give special mention to two others.

Steve Stark design aka stevestarkdesign on Insta was pretty much the first to submit so it was nice to see that his Croc design didn’t get lost in the pile!

And Hello Radical on Instagram with their Fish Food design. Definitely a favourite of mine.!

For these two they will be offered a special discount if they want to print their designs and to everyone else who entered they will also get a discount should they wish to do the same.

From my point of view i wanted to give something away too. So a blank deck each will be making their way to Corey and Reuben to design their own in any way they like.! Well done guys!

That’s it for this year. Lets do this again next year.!

Cheers

Gary

Why the Sad Face?

Growing up as I did I became very familiar with Catalogue books. You know the ones - Kays, Freemans, etc

They sold everything - like an analogue Amazon.

And it had the option to pay it up. So as a kid I’d always pester my mum that i could use my pocket money to buy the latest Action Force playset over 20 weeks. I obviously had no idea how long 20 weeks was!

Obviously these books were full of models. And the tropes looking back were pretty hilarious. A LOT of smiling and laughing, flying kites, having picnics, eating around a dinner table - basically the exact opposite of life for a lot of people using this kind of service.!

And so rolling on a few decades I find myself needing product photographs for Doric Skateboards and think back to these.

Product photos with models isn’t something that I particularly paid much attention to over the years. And so I started to look at Skate/Street wear/Fashion pics.

Something was wrong. They all look aloof, miserable, too cool for school. Looking into the distance, hunched over squatting on a manky side street - its said “fuck you, you aren’t cool enough to wear this shit”.

Of course that assumption is very much coloured by my own low self worth…

But it did plant something in my mind. Why do some models smile and some don’t?

Seems the answer is depressingly simple.

Smiling is associated with being an idiot. Lower class.

Frowning or looking dismissive is associated with power. Higher class.

These conclusions came from some googling - i would add references but this isn’t a dissertation.

So where is the room to express what the brand is? Apparently you shouldn’t? The product should do the talking and the model should do just that - model.

I’ve been lucky enough to have some mega talented photographers do stuff for me. Dean Gray and Pirate Photography spring to mind. Both locals who were kind enough to reach out. Thankfully they displayed flexibility so that the work they did for us wasn’t one or the other in its entirety. Way back in the beginning I was also lucky enough to be contacted by a couple of local chaps - Ryan of Westburn & Granite and a lad called Dominic who i’ve lost track of. Below is a selection and looking back I think they reflect Doric Skateboards pretty damn well.

A bit of fun and a lot of colour.

Check the links above to those talented folk - each picture is also linked to who took it. Thanks again to them all.! : )

Also below that - some classis catalogue modelling!

Back in time.

I took this picture in 2013.

Way back in the late 80’s and early 90’s when I was at school I would draw skate stuff all the time.

Logos and ramps.!

I turned those drawings of ramps into something more formal and sent it to the council asking if they would build something.

To my surprise I got a letter back and was asked if I would come in to speak to them. I went with my mum and we were shown the plans for this ramp at Westburn. Obviously I had no real impact but I was grateful that they entertained me. I walked out of there with the blue prints for these under my arm.

I think by that time the exhibition centre that briefly housed facilities was long gone so there was no purpose built stuff at that time.

And so despite any design issues this ramp might have had I was excited. I remember going there when it was opened, can almost still smell the soft bark that was put down around it.

I was sad to see it had been taken down a few years ago. This ramp had a twin nearer my childhood home in Northfield. The one at Heatheryfold was opened a little later if I remember right. It’s also gone. Heatheryfold I believe may have been home to an early concrete skate park. It certainly had a BMX track that’s ghost can still be seen I think.

Northfield now has a skatepark near Byron shops. It’s a bit of a mess but if I had that as a kid? Wow.

I have strange dreams about the skatepark at Byron. I’m a kid again and I suddenly discover this amazing place and it’s empty. But as much as I try to get there I can’t ever quite get in or I don’t have a board with me. Wonder what that’s all about?

Memories.

2012 ish

I’m 35 and have just graduated from RGU and have found myself working for an engineering consultancy - Optimus. 

I’ve never worked in an office. Strictly small business retail. So its a learning curve - and still is (although I’m now working from home!).

I overheard someone talking about getting their kid a skateboard. I gave up when I was about 17. But it stayed with me. I often dreamt about it, I always looked at curbs, obstacles etc and thought “good spot”. And so my mind went wondering and I started to look on the internet.

A week later I bought a set up (Ray Barber Element). Then headed to TX with my pal Tom. 

Strangely I could still just about Ollie, kick turn and pump on the ramps. It was pretty exhilarating.! 

It wasn’t really until I started Doric Skateboards until I met people I could skate with again. Even then I still felt incredibly self conscious. There was definitely a point where I felt good within myself and was enjoying it. However, that came to an abrupt end a couple of years ago and I’ve struggled to really get back on my board with any regularity since.

I’m hoping that post-COVID I’ll find some confidence to go out and just have fun again. That’s what it’s all about is it?

Fund Raiser C-Fine Aberdeen Food Bank

CFINE

Fundrasier.!

I’m sure you’ve all seen the photos doing the rounds of the free school meals parcels that are being sent out. If you haven’t then go see for yourself. Not good enough.

Firstly let me say I hate the fact that we live in a world where food parcels and food banks exist. But at the moment they do.

Secondly - I’m as cynical as the next when a business pops up with something like this - is it all just marketing? We know the companies that do it. But if the end goal of money and more support for a cause is raised then all good.

We had a successful Christmas period and feel very lucky about how we are supported - so we’ve set up a just giving page and donated £500 from that takings. All proceeds will go to CFine here in Aberdeen - they have provided a valuable service here for many years.

And so I’m asking you guys to donate what you can. The target is £1000 and we’re half way there already.

If you can’t donate - please consider sharing this to your network.

Much appreciated. Stay safe.

https://www.cfine.org/Fundraisers/doric-skateboards-cfine-fund-raiser

What I've Learned Part 6 of 6

Part 6 - Be Nice.

The last for now of what I’m learning.!

It seems like a ridiculous thing to say. Be nice.

Being nice is often seen as a negative. And being nice isn’t exactly an adjective that goes with any business - particularly skateboarding.

Edgy, aloof, cynical - those are probably more closely associated! And you’ll see it in the words some businesses use (or lack of - words are for losers), the product pictures (standard miserable pose with a gritty backdrop - don’t smile), don’t follow anyone on social media, use the word kook. Essentially imagine how you looked and communicated when you were 14. That’s about it.

But obviously I’m a good bit older and about as edgy as a blob of custard (with the body consistency to match!).

So all I can do is be myself. I’ll probably smile in most photos. I’ll create long wordy social media posts. I’ll genuinely say thank you. And I’m about as far from cool as you get. Kinda like David Brent x Ned Flanders.

None of this means that edgy can’t be nice. But you get the idea.

Be yourself. I just don’t believe that every skate and street wear brand is run by someone who looks and sounds like they canna be arsed.!

Go on. Crack a wee smile.! This is supposed to be fun.

What I've Learned Part 5 of 6

Part 5 - No Better Time.

Continuing what I’ve learned/what I’m learning. Here’s some of how I’m learning.

I regularly listen to a fantastic podcast called Creative Rebels. A pair of talented chaps talk to each other and a guest each episode about their creative endeavours and their speciality. I highly recommend it - it’s pulled me out of the doldrums on occasion but also full of inspiration and good ideas.

One thing they have often said is this:

There’s no better time than right now to launch a business.

And I totally agree. If you have an idea or more importantly a passion - then with WiFi, a phone with a camera and some creativity you can get that idea/passion seen. You can attract attention. That doesn’t mean to say that it has to be a “business” per se. But it can be something that you do that feeds your soul while your day job feeds your belly.!

Maybe eventually it would be a main source of income - I’m sure that comes with its negatives. I’m not sure I ever want to pay my mortgage with how many tees I sell a month!

But setting aside the money. When I was in my teens and twenties it never really occurred to me that I could explore anything creative. You went to work, went out with yer pals and that was that. But after going to Uni in my 30’s it awoke something in me that took a while to manifest. Once that did I realised that we are in an age just now where we have access to so much information - much of it free (setting aside laptop/phone/WiFi).

I listen to podcast and audiobooks across a wide range of subjects but try to take something from each.

As mentioned in a previous post - creativity goes hand in hand with problem solving. With resources like YouTube at our disposal we have so much out there to take from.

But I think it’s also important to give something back. I’ve done videos on screen printing decks, plenty of social media content about that sort of stuff and posts like this. I hope someone finds it useful.

So what’s actually stopping you from doing that thing you wanted to do? Obviously there are some things that would be financially challenging! But whatever the subject you can get involved and get going. Start a FB page - jump on Tik Tok. Tell people what you are about. For better or worse you no longer have to quit your job, cash in yer savings (does anyone actually have savings?) and chase your dream. You can do it from the comfort of your bed, living room or even on the toilet....

Go for it, definitely no better time. And as long as you manage your own expectations then you’ll look back and wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.’

What I've Learned Part 4 of 6

Part 4. Despondency and Perspective..!

Carrying on with what I’ve learned, what I’m learning and what I’ve observed.

I think it doesn’t matter who you are or how successful you are, you will feel despondent at some point.

Sales slowed down?

Lost a bit of fire in your belly?

Believing everything that everyone else is posting on social media?

Wandering what in gods name you are actually doing?

And on and on.

Generally I just ride it out. Let it take its course because somewhere deep down I know I’ll come out the other end and be ok.

Sometimes I feel like quitting but then I feel like I’m in too deep. Easier to swim on and take a rest at the next stop than turn and go back.

Gotta keep perspective. It’s easy to do nothing, take no risks, snipe from the sidelines - God knows I’ve done a lot of that in previous years.!

But If you’ve got up and put yourself out there then you’ve done something that a lot of people want to do but don’t quite get there.

So if that’s you? Give yerself a break. It’s easier if you are doing things for the right reasons. Not so easy if you see yerself as the next “insert famous rich person here”.

So go have a pie and look at what you’ve done.