Final Thoughts: Week 8 and 9

The theme of yearning for surf, and everything that surrounds it, is evident in both Warshaw's article and in art and music.  The reason art and music became associated with surfing is because surfers needed an outlet to express their creativity which is usually filled out in the ocean.  Similar to the invention of the surfboard, the constant need to surf in apparent in all surfers. The skateboard was a way to surf on land while art and music is a way to express how they feel about the water.  The energy built up from not surfing is then expressed though other artistic outlets, such as art and music. In week 8 we read an article from Warshaw.  In Warshaw's article he remembers a day where he surfed with a man named Vince. This experience opened his eyes to a whole new level of the desire for surf. He explains how Vince is obsessed with surfing and does so every single day.  He says you need a "pleasure principle" in order to keep going and maintain that passion.  He then compares surfing to that of sex or art.  Surfers take great pleasure in surfing and are constantly looking for more. This desire is what thrives surf culture and all the artistic aspects of it.  I talk a lot about this in my final write up but Warshaw does touch on some good points regarding the desire for surf.

In week 9 we looked at a lot of surf music and the invention of tarp surfing. With the help of skateboards and an extra person surfers can learn how to surf on land, in a parking lot.  Tarp surfing could be part of the future of surfing.  Water parks were also just built to allow people to surf in a pool as opposed to the ocean. This desire for surf has escalated and now people are figuring out a way to profit off of it.  The ocean is free therefore no one can financially benefit from the act of surfing. But the action of moving surfing on land is a profitable plan.

Another aspect of surf culture we looked at this week is music. I have been fortunate enough to meet some of these musicians and people like Jack Johnson told me they love surfing as well as making music. They do not stick to their surf music genre for profit but do so because they are fans of surf music as well.  This week's music embodied surf culture by providing us with many different musicians and different sounds.  This love of music and surf has transferred over to every entertainment platform and allowed surfers to experience surf outside of the ocean.  The future of surfing lies in the surfers ability to replicate their experiences from the waves onto a larger crowd. They do so mainly in the form of art and music.