Thank you, Brian. I’m happy to hear that the piece resonated with you. I feel very lucky to have found things that allow me to engage with all this stuff, and so, I’m often very curious to know how/if others have things that’s do similar things for them. I have a feeling that so much of the pull of creativity and art is engaging with these things.
That paragraph does a wonderful job of illuminating how writing (or other forms or creativity) help shift our perspective. It’s an amazing thing to be able to look at the world through this lens and I think it’s something we can really appreciate because there was a time — before writing — where we didn’t have that lens.
Thanks for the awesome comment, Brian it is much appreciated :)
Thank you, Teresa. I’m so glad the piece resonated with you.
I have a feeling people from most creative domains experience similar things.
As for skating making skaters see the world differently you are so right, once I really got into skating I just couldn’t see the world any other way. Suddenly everything became a potential spot. The whole world became this one big possibility in a way that it wasn’t before.
I imagine (but correct me if I’m wrong) you would experience something similar with photography in that everything in the world has the potential to be photographed and not just that, but there are essentially an infinite number of ways you could photograph it.
I actually really like photography, I have a DSLR that I use to film skate videos, but I have definitely taken some photos with it, I even did a photography class at university. It is something I could totally see myself getting hooked on like writing and skating, but I just find I don’t have enough time to do everything and skating and writing win out.
But lucky, I get to live vicariously through your photos when you post them.
Thanks for the awesome comment, Teresa — it is much appreciated :)
Thanks Michael, I really appreciate your kind words.
And yes, I agree I think many physical things skating, boxing (I used to box when I was younger) and sport more generally are great for tapping into a certain mental experience.
And yeah totally, the overlap between writing and many physical purists is amazing — so much so, I had to write about it.
Thanks again for the awesome comment, Michael — and by the way I didn’t know you skate, but I’m glad to hear it :)
Love this! "Which is freaking awesome as it ensures that every experience I have, and every wondering that pops into my head, can be fed back into my exploration of these pursuits in a way that helps me further unravel the mystery and wonder that is waiting behind every turn." Quoting your great lines back at you, I believe this is known on Substack as a Michael Platypus Edwardism, or MPE for short. A technique adopted by the great platypus to show a writer that they have been heard and fully appreciated by picking out favourite lines.
So great to learn more about that board thing.... wow, you can write AND apparently, looking at the picture you can levitate too. I'm so impressed. Well, I was, until your mum told me that you still use the Lion King night light.
“Quoting your great lines back at you, I believe this is known on Substack as a Michael Platypus Edwardism, or MPE for short. A technique adopted by the great platypus to show a writer that they have been heard and fully appreciated by picking out favourite lines.” —
I freaking loved this line! It made me laugh and it made me chuffed. Is it bad that I totally want this MPE thing too catch on?
Thank you, April. I really appreciate your kind words. And I’m glad I could shed a little bit more light on the board thing.
And yes, your right I can levitate, as it turns out it really helps with the skating.
Would you believe me if I told you I don’t use the night light anymore? I stopped 2 and half weeks ago — it was my news years resolution and so far so good 🙃
Michael, MPE, IS A THING on Substack but we have been keeping it from you until you were grown up enough to handle the pressure. But now you have managed 2 and a half weeks without the night light I think it's only fair that we share that with you now. Also, we didn't want you to start thinking you were God or anything since you can already do that levitating shit and that great writing shit etc. Okay lets clarify the points:
1. MPE - well known thing on Substack
2. You are not God
3. If you fail with the night light thing you will be ridiculed in many articles.
April, your comments and our little back and forth’s is one of my favourite things about Substack.
You never fail to make me laugh and smile.
I am particularly concerned about point number 3... but at the same time, I imagine an article by you, about my failure to go without a night light, would be freaking hilarious.
I totally agree on how writing improves us. I feel that the discipline of writing, polishing a phrase and our ideas in order to fully and most clearly express our thoughts makes us better in terms of not just being writers, but fundamentally as thinkers and also then by extension readers of the ideas and thoughts of others. I also have become much more discerning in my reading after I started writing, I want deeply felt thoughts and ideas from people who have spent time developing them to share xx
p.s. hate skateboarding tho...just a bunch of anarchist grunge rockers (but its all because I was never allowed as a child) :)
Thank you, Simon. Obviously, given the piece I just shared, I totally agree with you. I think anything that pushes us to delve deeper into what we think or how to refine and articulate what we think has an untold number of benefits. I also noticed the same thing about becoming a more attentive reader once I started writing — when the writing is good I actually find myself enjoying reading even more than I used to now that I write.
If you had to use three words to sum up us woodpushers: Anarchist grunge rockers does a pretty good job. But in all seriousness, my heart goes out to you for not being allowed a board as a kid. But... there’s still time 😉
Thanks again for the kind words, Simon. It is much appreciated :)
Ohh wow, I didn’t realise it was illegal that makes it quite a bit harder.
“Subversive” is so interesting to me. I’ve been skating long enough that when I started, skatings cultural perception was way different, I was looked at as a up-to-no-good-delinquent for skating, which makes it feel kinda weird that now skating is in the Olympics and much more accepted and mainstream.
I’m curious, what is the perception to of skating like in Norway these days?
What a brilliant dive! I’ve always appreciated the untamed artistry of skateboarding, it seems it both breeds and nurtures original thinking, original being. And your exploration of “endlessness” is so aligned with the unfixed paradigm too: 👏☺️
“Things that cannot be completed are special. Beyond the fact that there’s always something new to explore, which feeds curiosity. Beyond the fact that there’s always room to improve, which fosters growth. And beyond the fact that progressing within a pursuit that has no end teaches you to draw satisfaction from the process not the result. There is also this wonderful little nugget: Endless pursuits mirror us.”
Thank you, Kimberly. I so appreciate you saying that. And I’m so happy to hear you appreciate the “untamed artistry of skateboarding” as a life long skater it’s always nice to hear when someone outside the sport appreciates it. And yes, skating definitely breeds originality, it is somewhat baked into the ethos of the culture.
And I must say when I first came across your substack and the name and unfixed and what your paradigm is all about, I was, at least in part, drawn to it because to skate and manage the injuries that come with it — is to carry on unfixed.
Thanks again for the kind words, Kimberly — I am grinning with a appreciation over here :)
I may've been influenced a bit by the Dogtown documentary. My husband was scraping around on clay wheels and reading Skateboarder magazine in his youth. ;) And while I can't claim the same, I've always shied away from herd mentality and preferred the lone misfits!
Yes, skateboarding has always been a haven for misfits. I think that’s another thing writers and skaters share, we are lone misfits — that’s why we’re so awesome :)
I’ve never skateboarded, but it sounds like it too, like writing, is an alchemical process. Or maybe they are both mirroring your own alchemy. What a fantastic article, Michael!
This was incredible, an uplifting look at the process of writing and skateboarding that becomes an incredible, uplifting look at living and creating. Section after section spread warmth in me. Thank you for crafting all of this. I’ve got screenshots of four or five quotes to keep thinking on!
Thank you, Michael. It really means a lot to me that you not only took some screenshots of various quotes, but also that you read deeply enough into the piece to see how it is also a “look at living and creating”. I’m so glad you enjoyed the piece. And I’m very appreciative of your kind words.
Hi Michael, I especially love this: "...progressing within a pursuit that has no end teaches you to draw satisfaction from the process not the result." As you may know, this is timeless wisdom that the ancient Hindu sacred text, The Bhagavad Gita, teaches too. ♥️🙏🕊
Hey Camilla, thank you for pointing out a bit you liked and for being here more generally, I’m always glad to hear from you.
And as it turns out, I did know that was in the Bhagavad Gita as my lawyers have informed me that that text has been plagiarising my work a bunch lately... hehe rascality. 🙃
But in all seriousness, I didn’t know that was mentioned in there, but I’m very appreciative of you for letting me know :)
"In skateboarding it’s called style. In writing it’s called voice. Both speak to the same thing: no two people do it the same way. There is an essence that shines through in the way that someone rides their skateboard or crafts their writing. Through the distinct way a person does their thing we get a glimpse at a deeper part of who they are. And since writing and skating are self-expressive pursuits, they have this special way of helping people find, explore, and express that unique part of themselves. In other words, these pursuits are incubators for individuality.”
Loved this comparison. It reminds me of the musicians whose style is so unique you know it’s their song before they sing the first word.
You have to upload a video of you doing the hardest tricks you know. This is a must for 2024.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this comparison. And I’m so psyched to hear that you notice the same thing in music. There is something so cool about how a part of ourselves shines through in our creative pursuits.
As for uploading a video of my skating, I’m not sure if I’ll do it on substack.. maybe. But if you want to see me skating there are more than 60 videos on my YouTube channel, which I’ve filmed either solo or with my friends.
Ive been skating since 9. Cant do any tricks - never could. But was always good at what I called Fast travel skating in the city :) Thats truly my style - as a writer and a skater. No tricks just travel.
Always happy to meet another writer and a skater — to do both seems to be pretty rare.
And I like the sound of that “fast travel skating”. Even though I do trick, I’ve always enjoyed the feeling of just cruising through the streets, not stopping, not looking back, just flowing forward.
You were 100% right, my friend. My trifecta of writing, dance & martial arts is absolutely this way! I love seeing this put through your lens, delivered through your voice. Standing on the curb, whooping & hollering because yup--to see a homie land their trick is just as awesome!!
I’m so glad you related to it, Alexx. I feel so lucky to have found these things and it’s always so nice to meet (and relate to and laugh with) others who share this feeling.
Thanks for the kind words about the piece and for hollering on the curb — it is much appreciated, homie :)
They really are some of the best things in life. Another of my Hashtag FavoriteThings: introducing my favorite things and favorite people to the rest of my people. My pleasure!
Yes, this! "Because if there is no way I can skate all the spots, write all the ideas, or capture everything I want to say in this piece, then that releases me from being weighed down by such unreasonable expectations and it allows me to just have a go anyway." And: "It’s about the joy of being lost in the creative process." That's that flow you talk about, same as "the Muse" - we've all had it at some point, and it's what keeps us coming back. Also: "But writing has given me a way to see more deeply into these random occurrences." Never thought about it that way, but it's so true - when we write, we're taking a closer look at all of our experiences, trying to fit them into a new pattern.
Lots of great insights, Michael - I was always more of a roller disco kinda gal, but definitely all transferable... 🛼💃🪩
I so appreciate all the lines you pointed out. And I’m glad you related to some of my thoughts about writing, especially about it helping us look more deeply into our experiences — it’s an amazing thing we get to do. And it’s amazing how it helps us notice how other writers do it.
Rolling disco is still a very respectable form of rolling in my book — and I have no doubt you tore it up 😊
Thank you, Brian. I’m happy to hear that the piece resonated with you. I feel very lucky to have found things that allow me to engage with all this stuff, and so, I’m often very curious to know how/if others have things that’s do similar things for them. I have a feeling that so much of the pull of creativity and art is engaging with these things.
That paragraph does a wonderful job of illuminating how writing (or other forms or creativity) help shift our perspective. It’s an amazing thing to be able to look at the world through this lens and I think it’s something we can really appreciate because there was a time — before writing — where we didn’t have that lens.
Thanks for the awesome comment, Brian it is much appreciated :)
Thank you, Teresa. I’m so glad the piece resonated with you.
I have a feeling people from most creative domains experience similar things.
As for skating making skaters see the world differently you are so right, once I really got into skating I just couldn’t see the world any other way. Suddenly everything became a potential spot. The whole world became this one big possibility in a way that it wasn’t before.
I imagine (but correct me if I’m wrong) you would experience something similar with photography in that everything in the world has the potential to be photographed and not just that, but there are essentially an infinite number of ways you could photograph it.
I actually really like photography, I have a DSLR that I use to film skate videos, but I have definitely taken some photos with it, I even did a photography class at university. It is something I could totally see myself getting hooked on like writing and skating, but I just find I don’t have enough time to do everything and skating and writing win out.
But lucky, I get to live vicariously through your photos when you post them.
Thanks for the awesome comment, Teresa — it is much appreciated :)
Praise to ‘The Muse’ and praise to ‘the plank’ (the deck? the skateboard? Oh, I’m so ignorant, but this is not about me).
It seems that the “big scaredy cat” turned into a skating platypus who happens to write as only a curious platypus can - wonderfully.
Awww thank you, Fotini, this curious platypus is blushing with appreciation at your kind words.
Also, ‘the plank’ ‘the deck’ ‘the skateboard’ ‘ the shred sled’ ‘the skate gods’ and anything else we can come up with are all appropriate options :)
Thanks again, Fotini
Sport is great. Both for action and for thinking. And there is a deep connection with writing, which is both discipline and pleasure.
You are absolutely right.
I use skateboarding to balance thought and action.
And I use boxing to get back in balance with myself.
Great article Michael, I really enjoyed it.
Thanks Michael, I really appreciate your kind words.
And yes, I agree I think many physical things skating, boxing (I used to box when I was younger) and sport more generally are great for tapping into a certain mental experience.
And yeah totally, the overlap between writing and many physical purists is amazing — so much so, I had to write about it.
Thanks again for the awesome comment, Michael — and by the way I didn’t know you skate, but I’m glad to hear it :)
Thank ya for writing it. I enjoyed it a lot. I'm not that good at skate. Quite a poser ;-)
Doesn’t matter how good you are, as long as you enjoy it :)
Love this! "Which is freaking awesome as it ensures that every experience I have, and every wondering that pops into my head, can be fed back into my exploration of these pursuits in a way that helps me further unravel the mystery and wonder that is waiting behind every turn." Quoting your great lines back at you, I believe this is known on Substack as a Michael Platypus Edwardism, or MPE for short. A technique adopted by the great platypus to show a writer that they have been heard and fully appreciated by picking out favourite lines.
So great to learn more about that board thing.... wow, you can write AND apparently, looking at the picture you can levitate too. I'm so impressed. Well, I was, until your mum told me that you still use the Lion King night light.
Too keep up the trend...
“Quoting your great lines back at you, I believe this is known on Substack as a Michael Platypus Edwardism, or MPE for short. A technique adopted by the great platypus to show a writer that they have been heard and fully appreciated by picking out favourite lines.” —
I freaking loved this line! It made me laugh and it made me chuffed. Is it bad that I totally want this MPE thing too catch on?
Thank you, April. I really appreciate your kind words. And I’m glad I could shed a little bit more light on the board thing.
And yes, your right I can levitate, as it turns out it really helps with the skating.
Would you believe me if I told you I don’t use the night light anymore? I stopped 2 and half weeks ago — it was my news years resolution and so far so good 🙃
Michael, MPE, IS A THING on Substack but we have been keeping it from you until you were grown up enough to handle the pressure. But now you have managed 2 and a half weeks without the night light I think it's only fair that we share that with you now. Also, we didn't want you to start thinking you were God or anything since you can already do that levitating shit and that great writing shit etc. Okay lets clarify the points:
1. MPE - well known thing on Substack
2. You are not God
3. If you fail with the night light thing you will be ridiculed in many articles.
Good luck homie
April, your comments and our little back and forth’s is one of my favourite things about Substack.
You never fail to make me laugh and smile.
I am particularly concerned about point number 3... but at the same time, I imagine an article by you, about my failure to go without a night light, would be freaking hilarious.
Same for me Michael! It's rare for me to find someone who shares my weirdness. Keep writing your great stuff 👍
Right back at you :)
I totally agree on how writing improves us. I feel that the discipline of writing, polishing a phrase and our ideas in order to fully and most clearly express our thoughts makes us better in terms of not just being writers, but fundamentally as thinkers and also then by extension readers of the ideas and thoughts of others. I also have become much more discerning in my reading after I started writing, I want deeply felt thoughts and ideas from people who have spent time developing them to share xx
p.s. hate skateboarding tho...just a bunch of anarchist grunge rockers (but its all because I was never allowed as a child) :)
Thank you, Simon. Obviously, given the piece I just shared, I totally agree with you. I think anything that pushes us to delve deeper into what we think or how to refine and articulate what we think has an untold number of benefits. I also noticed the same thing about becoming a more attentive reader once I started writing — when the writing is good I actually find myself enjoying reading even more than I used to now that I write.
If you had to use three words to sum up us woodpushers: Anarchist grunge rockers does a pretty good job. But in all seriousness, my heart goes out to you for not being allowed a board as a kid. But... there’s still time 😉
Thanks again for the kind words, Simon. It is much appreciated :)
Its not just that i wasnt allowed tho…skateboarding was ILLEGAL in Norway in the 80s…and it was considered subversive
I was too good a boy to do anything but follow the rules
Well we have to follow the rules. Otherwise things fall into disarray. So you did the right thing ;)
I was a good little boy all those years ago...i wish I could go back in time and have a serious word with myself :)
😂😂
Ohh wow, I didn’t realise it was illegal that makes it quite a bit harder.
“Subversive” is so interesting to me. I’ve been skating long enough that when I started, skatings cultural perception was way different, I was looked at as a up-to-no-good-delinquent for skating, which makes it feel kinda weird that now skating is in the Olympics and much more accepted and mainstream.
I’m curious, what is the perception to of skating like in Norway these days?
-- Your insightful perspective adds truth to the act of writing and makes a valuable contribution to the conversation, Michael. xo.
Thank you, Thaissa. I really appreciate that, it means a lot :)
What a brilliant dive! I’ve always appreciated the untamed artistry of skateboarding, it seems it both breeds and nurtures original thinking, original being. And your exploration of “endlessness” is so aligned with the unfixed paradigm too: 👏☺️
“Things that cannot be completed are special. Beyond the fact that there’s always something new to explore, which feeds curiosity. Beyond the fact that there’s always room to improve, which fosters growth. And beyond the fact that progressing within a pursuit that has no end teaches you to draw satisfaction from the process not the result. There is also this wonderful little nugget: Endless pursuits mirror us.”
Thank you, Kimberly. I so appreciate you saying that. And I’m so happy to hear you appreciate the “untamed artistry of skateboarding” as a life long skater it’s always nice to hear when someone outside the sport appreciates it. And yes, skating definitely breeds originality, it is somewhat baked into the ethos of the culture.
And I must say when I first came across your substack and the name and unfixed and what your paradigm is all about, I was, at least in part, drawn to it because to skate and manage the injuries that come with it — is to carry on unfixed.
Thanks again for the kind words, Kimberly — I am grinning with a appreciation over here :)
I may've been influenced a bit by the Dogtown documentary. My husband was scraping around on clay wheels and reading Skateboarder magazine in his youth. ;) And while I can't claim the same, I've always shied away from herd mentality and preferred the lone misfits!
That’s awesome! I never would’ve guessed.
Yes, skateboarding has always been a haven for misfits. I think that’s another thing writers and skaters share, we are lone misfits — that’s why we’re so awesome :)
I’ve never skateboarded, but it sounds like it too, like writing, is an alchemical process. Or maybe they are both mirroring your own alchemy. What a fantastic article, Michael!
Thank you, Priya! That is so lovely of you too say.
Yes, I love that, they are both alchemical processes. As for me... I’m just happy to be a part of them.
Thanks again for such an awesome comment, Priya. It is much appreciated :)
The two things you do best! Maybe your the best thing they have in common?
Your my best thing either way.
Another wonderful piece of thoughtful writing.
Awww you’re so freaking cute chicken. Your my best thing. ❤️
This was incredible, an uplifting look at the process of writing and skateboarding that becomes an incredible, uplifting look at living and creating. Section after section spread warmth in me. Thank you for crafting all of this. I’ve got screenshots of four or five quotes to keep thinking on!
Thank you, Michael. It really means a lot to me that you not only took some screenshots of various quotes, but also that you read deeply enough into the piece to see how it is also a “look at living and creating”. I’m so glad you enjoyed the piece. And I’m very appreciative of your kind words.
Thanks again :)
Hi Michael, I especially love this: "...progressing within a pursuit that has no end teaches you to draw satisfaction from the process not the result." As you may know, this is timeless wisdom that the ancient Hindu sacred text, The Bhagavad Gita, teaches too. ♥️🙏🕊
Hey Camilla, thank you for pointing out a bit you liked and for being here more generally, I’m always glad to hear from you.
And as it turns out, I did know that was in the Bhagavad Gita as my lawyers have informed me that that text has been plagiarising my work a bunch lately... hehe rascality. 🙃
But in all seriousness, I didn’t know that was mentioned in there, but I’m very appreciative of you for letting me know :)
lol, thanks for the chuckle monsieur rascality 🤭
Omg, I love it! If I ever make a fake name for the internet, it will definitely be: “Monsieur Rascality” :)
"In skateboarding it’s called style. In writing it’s called voice. Both speak to the same thing: no two people do it the same way. There is an essence that shines through in the way that someone rides their skateboard or crafts their writing. Through the distinct way a person does their thing we get a glimpse at a deeper part of who they are. And since writing and skating are self-expressive pursuits, they have this special way of helping people find, explore, and express that unique part of themselves. In other words, these pursuits are incubators for individuality.”
Loved this comparison. It reminds me of the musicians whose style is so unique you know it’s their song before they sing the first word.
You have to upload a video of you doing the hardest tricks you know. This is a must for 2024.
Thank you, Factorial Zero!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this comparison. And I’m so psyched to hear that you notice the same thing in music. There is something so cool about how a part of ourselves shines through in our creative pursuits.
As for uploading a video of my skating, I’m not sure if I’ll do it on substack.. maybe. But if you want to see me skating there are more than 60 videos on my YouTube channel, which I’ve filmed either solo or with my friends.
Here’s the link to my channel if your keen.
https://youtube.com/@WheelMarks?si=dwbuAXwliIIRRv92
Be sure to like and subscribe and all that jazz hahaha 🙃
And thanks again for the awesome comment, it is much appreciated.
Woah, awesome!! I’ll check out your YouTube channel 🙂
Sounds good, let me know what ya think 😊
Im a writer and a skater too!
Ive been skating since 9. Cant do any tricks - never could. But was always good at what I called Fast travel skating in the city :) Thats truly my style - as a writer and a skater. No tricks just travel.
Thanks Obsidian Blackbird!
Always happy to meet another writer and a skater — to do both seems to be pretty rare.
And I like the sound of that “fast travel skating”. Even though I do trick, I’ve always enjoyed the feeling of just cruising through the streets, not stopping, not looking back, just flowing forward.
Thanks again for you comment :)
You were 100% right, my friend. My trifecta of writing, dance & martial arts is absolutely this way! I love seeing this put through your lens, delivered through your voice. Standing on the curb, whooping & hollering because yup--to see a homie land their trick is just as awesome!!
I’m so glad you related to it, Alexx. I feel so lucky to have found these things and it’s always so nice to meet (and relate to and laugh with) others who share this feeling.
Thanks for the kind words about the piece and for hollering on the curb — it is much appreciated, homie :)
They really are some of the best things in life. Another of my Hashtag FavoriteThings: introducing my favorite things and favorite people to the rest of my people. My pleasure!
That’s definitely another good thing. :)
Yes, this! "Because if there is no way I can skate all the spots, write all the ideas, or capture everything I want to say in this piece, then that releases me from being weighed down by such unreasonable expectations and it allows me to just have a go anyway." And: "It’s about the joy of being lost in the creative process." That's that flow you talk about, same as "the Muse" - we've all had it at some point, and it's what keeps us coming back. Also: "But writing has given me a way to see more deeply into these random occurrences." Never thought about it that way, but it's so true - when we write, we're taking a closer look at all of our experiences, trying to fit them into a new pattern.
Lots of great insights, Michael - I was always more of a roller disco kinda gal, but definitely all transferable... 🛼💃🪩
Thank you, Troy.
I so appreciate all the lines you pointed out. And I’m glad you related to some of my thoughts about writing, especially about it helping us look more deeply into our experiences — it’s an amazing thing we get to do. And it’s amazing how it helps us notice how other writers do it.
Rolling disco is still a very respectable form of rolling in my book — and I have no doubt you tore it up 😊
I put the "hot" in pants... 🔥🔥🔥
😂😂😂 I have no doubt you did.