Editor’s Note: Have a question for Dibi Fletcher? She’s definitely got answers. Or at least a perspective. Don’t hold back, shoot her a DM on Instagram and ask away. Here’s this week’s dispatch from the Matriarch of Radical…
Hey Dibi.. I’ve made my living as an artist for 40 years and surfed for almost 50. Surfing is getting a bit more challenging, but my work is getting better. I’m wondering if all those years in the ocean were preparing me for what I’m creating now. Can one passion finish what another started? – Making Waves
Hey Making Waves… Of course. Surfing taught you how to “see” by watching the sublime movements of the swells, currents, tides, a tool which is the most important skill an artist has at their disposal. You may physically be slowing down a bit with age, but the lessons learned from surfing will be invaluable when completely focused on your art.
Hey Dibi… I’ve photographed surfing for 25 years. Everyone wants the perfect action shot. My favorite photograph is of an old surfer sitting alone in the parking lot after a session. Nobody wants to publish it. Do you create work that people want to see or what you need them to see? – Looking Past Now
Hey Looking Past Now… Seems to be the question all artists ask themselves when faced with the dilemma of art vs commerce. The answer is always the same, whether you want to make a living. Take the barrel shot, cash the check. Then take the shot that won’t leave you alone. Years from now, the barrel shot will most likely look like a thousand others, and that old man in the parking lot might speak to us about who we were.
Hey Dibi… I spent years making art nobody bought. Now a surf company wants to license one of my paintings for clothing. My friends say it will ruin the work. Funny thing is, none of them offered to pay my rent when nobody wanted it. Is selling your art the same as selling out? – Suddenly Commercial
Hey Suddenly Commercial… NO. Selling out isn’t about getting paid. Selling out is about surrendering control over something you sincerely care about for something that may seem at first glance like a good deal, but you wake up to find the cost was your integrity. Working as an artist is a job, that’s how you’re paying the bills. Take the money if the deal feels right. If the print of your work is successful, I’m sure they’ll be back and this could be the start of an ongoing business relationship.
Related: Hey Dibi: Why is Confidence in the Lineup Mistaken for Experience?
Hey Dibi… I’m 19. Sometimes when the waves are firing, I’d rather stand on the beach and photograph my friends than paddle out. They all tell me I’m crazy and that I’m wasting good waves. What do you think? – Behind the Lens
Hey Behind the Lens… I’ve known and worked with a lot of great surf photographers who have had successful, rewarding careers. They were there to document something so fleeting that without their contribution all the old stories would have disappeared like a figment of the imagination. I’m so grateful to them for choosing the paths they did. I’m sure if we asked them they would talk about the ups and downs but then become completely animated and go into glorious detail about everything that happened when they got their most memorable shot. I’d say stick with it time is on your side.
Hey Dibi… I’m reasonably successful in the art world. At openings, people want to talk to me. In the lineup nobody cares. I love that. Surfing feels like the one place where accomplishment doesn’t follow you. Or does it? – Anonymous Again
Hey Anonymous Again… It must be a wonderful refuge for you. I’m not so sure the professional surfer feels the same in the line up as their “name” and reputation are sitting there with them. For you the anonymity is liberating, just you and the surf. A perfect way to spend time away from your work world. There’s a tremendous sense of freedom being in the ocean, I’m sure that’s why so many creative people are drawn to it, for a couple of hours you don’t have to be interesting you just have to paddle.
Related: Hey Dibi: Do Old Guys Really Rule?
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