Chris is a skater and Editor of nyskateboarding.com

I’ve been the editor of NYskateboarding.com for 3 years. I’m also NY ambassador for boardsforbros and a high school art teacher.

 

It’s because of skating I picked up a camera. In high school I made stick figure sequences in my notebooks.

 

My friends and I found out you could use Microsoft Powerpoint to animate stick figures. Over time my interest in art evolved and I learned more

 

I wasn’t naturally gifted. I just had to be stubbornly persistent and push myself for every little bit of progress.

 

Skateboarding laid the foundation for me to be like “well, I fucking suck at this but I’m still having fun so I’m gonna keep doing it anyway.” I skate and make art because it makes me happy, you know what I mean?

 

It’s strange because people watch you skate and people view your artwork but it all starts as something that is inherently for you. Without skating or art, I’d be a total psycho wreck of a person, they keep me sane and grounded.

 

Ed Templeton was the first pro I was exposed to. His Smith grinds and Ompossibles became my favourite thing ever. When I found out he made the drawings for Toy Machine it blew my mind, I was like whoa you can do that?!

 

I had no idea about Natas Kaupas or Gonz at the time, I just looked up to Ed so much. It was like here’s a dude who shreds and gets to create these cool little characters. I got turtleboy tattooed on my left arm. I met the Templeton’s at KCDC this month and I had to consciously remind myself not to fan out!

 

I’m inspired by women and the LGBTQ movement in skateboarding That shit is inspiring as hell. Legends like Ray Barbee, Chuck Treece, and Josh Stewart 

 

Not to mention Yoon Hyup , Max Mueller, Lucas Beaufort, Cory Scroggins, Mike Long, Dylan Goldberger, Dillon Collins and Monika Benkovich who does Punk Rock Yoga.

 

The No Comply Network is such a great thing. We need more of it.