Daniel George | Episode 685

Daniel George was born in Gainesville Florida and  attended UF in Gainesville and graduated with degrees in anthropology and Spanish in 2003. In the middle of college Daniel fell in love with clay when he took a ceramics for non-art-majors class and got his foot in the door of the clay department. Daniel spend 6 months in Central America and then moved to California. Daniel studied at Cal State North Ridge and graduated with an MA. Been a working artist since then. Daniel started an apparel company with Lino blocks printed on pieces of recycled t shirts and hand sewn them to hats and pockets on shirts. Daniel has also been learning to build surfboards in which builds each board from the foam of an old trashed board. Daniel had a show in Mar Vista called “Sticks and Mud” where he showed recycled surfboards and pots.

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In order to have that chill lifestyle how important is it to take breaks from all the crazy news that is out there?

I think that’s a big part of it. I don’t have TV other than what pops up on my Instagram-that’s how I hear about stuff. Yeah, I operate best from the bubble that I have sort of manifested and I have realized that my purpose in life, no matter what’s going on our there, I’m going to do the same thing because I am not locked in. I have found this way of life and it’s good and I feel really lucky. I drop the paper off for the woman that I caretake and she reads it and she’ll throw a little news at me here and there. I don’t think that ignorance is bliss is the whole trip but I feel like that’s part of it. I think it’s important to have some awareness of what’s going on in the world but to not be distracted and hit over the head by it all the time. I think a lot of people with TV and other news sources, sort of not the most uplifting and it sort of creates these wires and patterns in our brain. SO I don’t feel the need to plug in to too much of what’s going on.

Are you a person who does say no more often?

No, I don’t think so. I have defined boundaries and there are definitely things that define how I like to live my life. I think in general I am pretty open and open to new experiences but I  wouldn’t say I am shutting things down left and right. But I have boundaries and I think that’s pretty important to have those defined. But I don’t feel like I’m saying no all the time.

I think it’s a misunderstanding that if someone is chill and laid back that they are basically couch potatoes. But it seems like the opposite is true. If you want to be really chill in life it’s important to be active and be living life to its fullest. Do you agree with that?

100 percent. Case in point, this morning I woke up early, we had a gnarly wind swell event come through and it blew hard for 2 days and fall just flipped the switch. And the temperature of the water went from 65 last week to 55 or 54 this week. And I woke up this morning and charged up to Ventura for four hours in my 5-4 with a hood and got out of a couple of barrels. So I think that exercise and engaging in nature especially, like that combination, is crucial. Whether you are taking a walk in the woods or doing a bike ride. I rarely wear shoes unless I have to. Nature, the connection, the negative ions, all those things that nature imbues us with, those connections are really important for me.

Would you say in order the maintain the chill vibe it’s more important to spend money on experiences than on stuff?

Yes! Surf trips. Case in point. Absolutely, investing in yourself as far as an experience is way better. I have an old 96 Ford F250 Diesel. Even when I make a bunch a money I’m not going to buy a new truck. I’m just going to drive that thing. Yeah, to able to treat yourself to an experience….I guess surf trip just comes to mind for me. No trip will be anything but a surf trip from now on. Pretty much, for me. Yeah, I think it’s all about experiences and I love to shop at thrift stores. I am wearing my grandfather’s corduroys an his cashmere so yeah, objects and things and Range Rovers and all these things I see all over the place…I don’t see a lot of contentment in a lot of the lifestyles that are revolving around the accumulation of money, cars, etc. There is a balance there. I do want to buy a piece of land and I do want to plant my fruit trees so I do want to get that going but I just want the land, I don’t want anything extra. The other trappings of success are of no interest to me.

Do you have a saying, like a mantra, that helps you stay rooted and grounded?

Nothing that comes to mind really. I think it’s a daily practice of being able to work with my hands and be in the ocean. I think that’s the biggest thing for me I’ve been really fortunate to be able to do that.

What does pottery add to your life?

Well, I think pottery has been a vehicle for me to understand who I am. To be grounded. I look at this duality of relaly, my existence, of the ocean, and the clay. It’s that water/earth archetypal deal. So I think it’s been very grounding and it’s been a way for me to learn to use my hands. I’ve got a pretty serious are family. My grandmother was a welder and bronze caster. My mom’s a glass blower and was cruising with Chihuly and others and in Penland. And my dad is a poet and a songwriter and my brother is a landscape architect. My grandfather is an architect/painter, so there was always this encouragement art wise, creatively. Not having to be in public school until I was 14 also gave me a lot of experiential time, so yeah, clay is just kind of the gateway drug for me into a whole other world that I didn’t know.

Book

The Swiss Family Robinson by JD Wyss

Contact

Instagram: @danielgeorgedesigns