Today we’d like to introduce you to Micky Clarke.
Hi Micky, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started surfing based off inspiration from my brothers, his friends, and the community I grew up in. Being raised in a small beach community that Ventura is (Pierpont), surfing was impossible to escape. I never thought it’d really lead anywhere, flash forward 15 years from when I started (age 8) it has completely taken over my life. My friends and I have started a website called Chapter 11 TV, a platform for surf videos and all the funny absurdities that come along with beachside communities, traveling around for surf trips/making projects, and everyone hangin’ out. We’re now pushing merchandise and just began the process of opening up a store front, but the best part about all of it is it’s always felt natural the way things started and to where they are now.
I always wanted to surf and the more I had to work odd jobs just to make money and survive, the more I wanted to keep surfing. I had a passion for traveling, capturing the moments along the way, and getting surf clips with my friends. Every time I’d finish a job I’d turn right around and blow all the earnings on a huge surf trip to make a video. At the time I was riding for Quiksilver and every so often they’d chuck me a bone on a travel reimbursement or a surf trip once a year, and that kept my enthusiasm up to keep pushing myself and make better content. Eventually, my relationship with Quiksilver reached its natural ending and at that point, I began working more and using surfing as my vacation outlet versus seeing it as my career. That removed a lot of pressure from me and somehow someway, I began a relationship with the amazing people that work at Vans. Since then, they’ve helped me tremendously in being able to support what I do.
At the end of the day, the path to get to where I’m at today seems long and somewhat confusing but it all started with surfing as a hobby for fun, it quickly grew into a passion and from there I was along for the journey and tried to put myself in situations that I felt complemented what I like doing, and that was getting surf clips, making videos, trying to be creative and hangin with everyone involved. One major point I’d like to make is if you had told me when I first started surfing that I’d eventually be working on a website/brand with some of my closest friends and childhood surf idols, plus, being sponsored by my favorite brands (Vans, Haydenshapes Surfboards, Octopus) I would’ve scoffed in heavy disbelief.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road was everything but smooth, and for the longest time (and I still struggle) I never could accept it. I expected things to happen sooner or easier. Or I always thought things would only get easier after hardships, but it was always quite the opposite. I think the biggest struggle was not having the propper funding to support myself and having to divide up time between working and surfing and then on top of that, I was watching friends succeed quicker than myself, but that manifested itself into motivation to keep up and its simply just inspiring to see friends around you succeed. As I said previously as well, once I started working and making money that took a lot of pressure off of my aspirations for a surf career to work out.
Another major struggle was working so hard in a very dying surf industry. A lot of surfers/friends that are incredibly talented had supporting sponsors leave their side and it was really tough to see that happen because then, naturally, it starts to become even harder to envision success for yourself and easy to lose motivation. The thought “oh, well if so and so lost their sponsor, what chance do I have.” It’s also just very deflating to see friends and talented people lose their support and at the moment that seems to be a virus in the surf world. The money isn’t really there anymore and just about everyone in the surf industry knows it.
Outside of those struggles, there were some injuries that came into place and those injuries were very hindering both in the moments of dealing with them and trying to get back to 100%, but also going forward, mentally, they were hindering, and it was hard to get that confidence back. I had a head injury when I was 18 in solid surf that left me a bit uncomfortable in bigger surf, I had major bodily asymmetry in my leg/hip that led to a high ankle sprain. The injuries were bad enough but the timing of them all was what really hurt. When I did my ankle, it was a midst myself being in between sponsors and being told I need to get a surf video complete in the next 4-6 months. Meanwhile, my doctor is saying I may not be able to surf for 2-4 months with 1-2 weeks of no weight on my ankle.
Lastly, once finding myself at the end of a 10-year relationship with Quiksilver, it was very difficult to imagine anyone else looking my way to support, and so to make that decision to leave and see what else is out there was incredibly anxiety-inducing.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
“Artist” is somewhat of a stretch, but I love to paint my surfboards, design some clothes and help with editing/putting together surf videos. I’d say I’m mainly known for my surfing and the kind of presence I have in surf videos with my personality. I really try to keep it real and emphasize “being myself”. I’m most proud of being able to negotiate with companies, work deals, and the relationships I’ve been able to make with other pro surfers, friends, and people in the industry. That’s something I could’ve never pictured myself doing or even being in the position to do it… Especially without having anything past a high school education, being homeschooled, and no manager/agent. I think maybe what could set me apart from others is my attraction to challenges and I’m always interested in putting myself in situations that I have little experience with. I feel that dealing with challenges and uncomfortable situations is really where you gain a lot of knowledge.
What matters most to you? Why?
My relationships. And that goes for everything; the people I work for, work with, sponsors, people I live with/travel with, friends, family, girlfriend, etc… I value healthy relationships and working on successful relationships and that also goes for myself and what goes on inside. I feel relationships are a huge nucleus to a good, successful, and healthy life. It’s tough as well. It’s not easy but it’s important to me for sure.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chapter11.tv
- Instagram: @mitchard__
- Youtube: Chapter 11
- Other: @chapter11tv
Image Credits
James Kates
