"I wanna feel how Otis feels when he's running," says Michael Arenal from behind a blank in his shaping bay.
Otis, of course, is his dog. Otis' spirit – the glide – that's what we're all after.
The Ventura-based shaper's surfboards certainly get us a step closer. While Arenal's surfboard building journey started with an attempt to create an alaia, like most good journeys, it's evolved. In a fortuitous twist of fate, he met Donald Brink, a shaper unlike any other. Brink shared his knowledge, taught him how to glass, and helped set him on a path to where he is now. Lately, logging water time – and sometimes time away from the water – has inspired his shapes.
"Creativity mostly comes from surfing," says Arenal. "If I'm surfing a lot, I get excited about thinking about design and working on new stuff. But I get away from thinking about it, too. Say I go backpacking or hiking for a day and get away from the surfboard thing for a bit, then I kinda get that clear state of mind when the creativity starts to come in."
Otis, of course, is his dog. Otis' spirit – the glide – that's what we're all after.
The Ventura-based shaper's surfboards certainly get us a step closer. While Arenal's surfboard building journey started with an attempt to create an alaia, like most good journeys, it's evolved. In a fortuitous twist of fate, he met Donald Brink, a shaper unlike any other. Brink shared his knowledge, taught him how to glass, and helped set him on a path to where he is now. Lately, logging water time – and sometimes time away from the water – has inspired his shapes.
"Creativity mostly comes from surfing," says Arenal. "If I'm surfing a lot, I get excited about thinking about design and working on new stuff. But I get away from thinking about it, too. Say I go backpacking or hiking for a day and get away from the surfboard thing for a bit, then I kinda get that clear state of mind when the creativity starts to come in."
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