PROFILE
Founder of the lifestyle brand "cloval," which proposes a style of living that is unique to oneself rather than what is trendy. He is also an artist who creates works using various techniques such as pen, silk screen, oil painting, and collage. He also enjoys skating and snowboarding, and loves nature as a surfer.
Instagram : @cloveru_japan
Surfing is essential to the creation of the work.
How were the waves today?
Sho:I guess it wasn't very good. But you don't know that until you come. Some major points have wave information, but this place is unknown, because it is an important spot for us.
What kind of people do you have here?
Sho:. the people who were connected to me by one of my friends who introduced me to this place. We are all from different walks of life. Some of them became friends through surfing, some through seeing each other here every weekend, and some from the beginning.
I see that surfing has brought you together.
Sho:It's not uncommon for surfers to be people who only meet offshore, but that's not the case with my friends here. Also, there are cats around here, and I bring them cat food and give the homeowners what I can give them with my brand. . that's also a connection, and I want to give back to this place as much as I can.
Sho calls his friends ashore. The signal is given by hand whistle and gesture.
I hear that people who love surfing want to go in the ocean every day, but what is it about surfing that makes it so interesting?
Sho:Some people like to ride waves as a sport, but many people also like the communication and the feeling of "getting out of the water" that is unique to surfing. By "getting out of the water," I mean, for example, that feeling of being cleansed after not getting much sleep, even if you are sleepy and have aches and pains all over, when you get in the water, it discharges and purifies you.
Sho hands out the collaborative T-shirts to his friends after they come out of the water.
Once ashore, the usual rule is to have a chat with one's companions.
. Indeed, everyone looks so happy after surfing.
Sho:. it's cleansing and I think it's good for the body. If you try to discern the waves, you develop insight, and I have bad eyesight, but I look far away, so I feel like I get rid of eyestrain.
I see. But you also enjoy riding the waves?
Sho:I skate and snowboard, but surfing is different. For example, skating is done on concrete, and snowboarding is done on pipes and other immobile objects, but surfing is done on waves, which are moving natural objects. I have been surfing for about 30 years in total, and no two waves are the same. You have to be in tune with nature to be able to ride it. No two waves are the same, so even if it's not a good wave like today, I try to ride it like an idiot. There are good times and bad times, and I think that's what surfing is all about.
I have heard a lot about surfing culture, that "there are good times and bad times," because you are dealing with nature.
Sho:. we are allowed to play in nature, and we also appreciate it. There are trash cans here, and it is an unspoken rule that when you come up from the ocean, you bring one piece of trash with you.
Do you feel that surfing has a positive impact on your work and your artistic practice?
Sho:In the extreme, you could even say that I do this kind of work for the sake of surfing, and I chose a job that I can do at my own rhythm so that I can be in the ocean at any time. When I am surfing, I only think about surfing, which is refreshing, and when I am in the car on the way, talking about brands with friends, ideas often come to me. Inspiration often comes to me when I am relaxing after a night of surfing and having a drink. . In that sense, it's essential for both my work and my artwork. . I think it's like a life lesson to be swept away by the waves and struggle on your own.
