Skateboarding becomes Screenprinting?

[dirkdiggler]

How does this happen so much?  So many printers around the globe that I have met, including myself come from skateboarding.  I just watched an interview with Rodney Mullen (the godfather of skateboarding) on Larry King and he mentions how in almost all creative industries in the world, they are full of past or present skateboarders.  The culture, the music, its almost one in the same.  Some people that I am friends with on this very board, don't know what brought us together, but after being friends we realized that our early life in skateboarding are exactly the same, and now we are in screenprinting!  Coincidence?  I doubt it.

[BrazosDesigns]

Grew up skateboarding.... even made my own decks.  Never thought about the coincidence until you mentioned it.

[Frog]

I think that when you fine tune the connection, the results are a little more obvious. Not just skateboarding, but skateboarding without helmets! LOL!

[3Deep]

Funny, music and skateboarding brought me in the industry., a friend of mine's  step brother was editor of a skate mag and we were going to do some printing for them.  Transworld or something like that it's been what 15 + years ago

[blue moon]

Got my first skateboard in 1978!
Pierre

[dirkdiggler]

I was sponsored in the late 80's by Kryptonics and Co-sponsored by Vision through a skateshop that had a team I was on.  Had my name in Thrasher Magazine a couple times for ESA events I placed in.  I thought I was the SH*T!  Good times!

[mk162]

I played Skate or Die on the original NES

[Prince Art]

I played Skate or Die on the original NES

If there was a like button...

[Shanarchy]

Started skating in the mid 80's. Skated hard until the late 90's until I was taken out by a serious ankle injury (severe fracture, bone chipping, torn ligament). Rolled lightly on occasion for the next decade then just kinda fizzled out. No time, etc. Bought a new setup at the end of March and have been pushing myself as hard as possible the past few months. I'm as obsessed as I was when I was a teenager.

I got into screen printing through the punk/hardcore band route. Wanted to print shirts for my band. Got a cheap setup. Had tons of friends in bands at the time, etc etc. Which I think is a very common theme in this industry.

@dirkdiggler, my first board was a Vision Gator with Kryptonics wheels.

@Frog, never wore a helmet (except on a few occasions I tried skating vert). This probably explains a lot!

[ericheartsu]

I got into screen printing through the punk/hardcore band route. Wanted to print shirts for my band. Got a cheap setup. Had tons of friends in bands at the time, etc etc. Which I think is a very common theme in this industry.

This is how i know alot of printers.

[T Shirt Farmer]

Picked a lot of gravel out of my elbows and knees skateboarding, we had a lot of steep fresh pavement close by. Catamaraning was our obsession, our moms made us tattoo our health acre number inside out lips;-) weekly trips to the hospital for one of the group

[dirkdiggler]

I played Skate or Die on the original NES

Loved this myself!

[Maff]

I was skating, surfing and snowboarding as a kid.  I still do a little bit now, but not nearly as much, but I'm starting to get my kids into it so hopefully I get some more myself!
 
My friend and I started filming our friends skateboarding and snowboarding around the northeast in the early 2000s.  We were producing full length skate movies and snowboard movies for years. We were having a blast in life, skating, snowboarding, traveling, making movies, it was an awesome time. At the same time we started printing our own clothing line. We got a crappy ebay press and just a flash dryer.  We never made enough  money though.  Ultimately we started printing for other brands.  Eventually the fun times gave way to getting serious with printing and we rebrand ourselves just to do screen printing.

I always loved getting out to a spot and just getting a fresh look at it. You see the world differently through skating. It's so creative. We printed our own clothing the same way. Just slapping prints on shirts in all different locations and all over different colors. Nothing like the standard straight forward work we do now everyday. I miss that freedom. But now I can actually pay my bills hahha

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[DCSP John]

All the Powell and Santa Cruz tee shirts had me at day one.
I worked at a skateboard shop in the late 80's., early 90's.
The owner bought a manual set up and we printed shop tees in the back room.
Have never looked back.

In his words ' if you print it well, and deliver a quality product at a fair price,
they will best a path to your door'.

Everything about DC Shirt & Print has been skateboard influenced.
Cool thing is now we print for some of the biggest and most established business'
in Washington, DC.    I love skateboarding!   - John

[Shanarchy]

We printed our own clothing the same way. Just slapping prints on shirts in all different locations and all over different colors. Nothing like the standard straight forward work we do now everyday. I miss that freedom. But now I can actually pay my bills hahha

Do you remember how awesome the old New Deal shirts were?