Geoff Gibson, otherwise known as Samurai in Street Clothes has been a long time friend and collaborator of Slaysh. So it was a natural choice to team up with him, once again, when we were creating our 5th-Year Anniversary Collection.
FOR ANYONE OUT THERE WHO MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH YOUR WORK, PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF:
I like to draw on stuff. That about sums it up for me, really. I don’t take it too seriously, I just like to create, and work on new projects of all types and sizes. Lots of trial and error, and doodles.
WHY OTTAWA?
By day, I work as a web designer, and I had a great opportunity here in Ottawa, and I went for it. Ottawa has really been great to me, but that being said, I’m from the east coast and definitely miss the ocean. I always have to make the trek to the coast a few times a year to get my fix.
WE KNOW YOU HAVE A DEEP-ROOTED LOVE FOR SURFING, HOW DID THAT GET STARTED AND WHERE DO YOU LIKE TO SURF?
Growing up near the ocean, I probably took it for granted, but surfing has become a huge influence for me. I have a long way to go before I would call myself a surfer though…ha. I love to read about the history of it, and the traditions it holds. I always look forward to the next time I can get back in the water, and living in a land-locked city, its not all that often, so it makes those long trips to find waves extra special.
YOU ARE ALWAYS LISTENING TO SOMETHING NEW OR SOMETHING WE’VE NEVER HEARD OF. WHAT ARE SOME SONGS ON YOUR CURRENT ROTATION?
Music is another big deal for me. I love to listen to new music. I often find myself looking back, to get a little education, and find out who influenced who, and follow those leads to find new music to listen to. As for what I am listening to lately… its always all over the place… my playlist from today includes the MC5, Les Jaguars, Warren Zevon, the Detroit Cobras, and Seth Pettersen.
WHAT KEEPS YOU GOING? WHERE DO YOU FIND YOUR INSPIRATION?
Friends and family for sure, always lots of support there. Like I mentioned before, I draw because I love to do it. I will always be drawing on something, somewhere I suppose. I get inspired by being around other creative people who are doing what they love to do.
THIS ISN’T YOUR FIRST COLLABORATION WITH SLAYSH. WHAT ELSE HAVE YOU DONE IN THE PAST?
I have been fortunate to be involved on a few different projects with Slaysh, over the past 5 years. I think my first Slaysh project was a shop skateboard deck a few years ago. That type of project was new to me and super fun to work on. Another memorable piece was the shop window display I did last summer. Two large wooden canvas pieces that they custom made for me. Those are the biggest pieces I have worked on so far, which was a great experience. Slaysh has been great to me over the past 5 years, by letting me hang artwork in their shop, as well as giving me multiple other opportunities to get my work out there.
WHAT DRAWS YOU TO WORK WITH A SHOP LIKE SLAYSH?
The folks at Slaysh are very community oriented and have always been open to my ideas. They are very approachable and like to support the local scene. There are a lot of talented people doing some great stuff around here, and it’s people and places like Slaysh and their staff who “get it,” and want to showcase it. To say the least, I am very appreciative of them showing an interest in me, and my work. Hard to believe it has been five years already. Looking forward to seeing what they have up their sleeve for the next five. Congratulations!
WEB: http://samuraiinstreetclothes.blogspot.ca/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/#!/sisc_daily
