When did you start skating?
1993 or 1994. In the late 80’s all the kids in my neighborhood were getting Powell or Vision decks, but my mom wouldn’t let me get one. She was scared I was going to get hurt.
What was your first skateboard?
First legit board was a Dead End 7″ deck with Gullwing trucks and Spitfire classics, 55mm. Prior to that I had this weird, beat, limp stick that had one indy and one thunder on it. The wheels were shredded down to nothing, and were basically bearing covers. I stole that out the back of my buddy’s Jeep.
When did you stop or slow down significantly?
Probably in 2010, pretty much right after I started surfing. I try to push around at least once a week, but surfing has replaced skateboarding in a way. Kind of. Not really. Nothing can truly replace the feeling of a frontside slappy. I will shred until I am dead.
What do you do for a living?
I am a partner in a digital creative consultancy called MSMK, and I’m working on a top secret internet startup jawn. Fundamentally, though, I’m just a professional nerd. Big shout out to Brian Nugent and Brian Winters. Skatenerd.com RIP.
When you are not skating, how often do you think about skateboarding?
At least once a day. I see mad spots all over the place that would be fun for a little shred.
How did skateboarding affect the direction of your life?
It fundamentally altered it in a way that I couldn’t have predicted. Pretty much every major professional gig that I have came from a friend that I met while skateboarding. In that way it has been incredibly beneficial. The physical damage that skateboarding has done to my body is a little bit of a negative. I’m not too psyched on having these pins in my shoulder. Permanent swellbow sucks, too. Oh yeah, and then there’s this weird noise comes out of my right foot. It kind of sort of sounds like you just cracked your knuckes, but way louder. I can do that one on command. I’m pretty sure that arthritis is already starting to set in.
Additionally, it instilled a sense of self confidence in me that didn’t exist prior to having started skating. I would visualize myself doing a certain trick, and ultimately work at it until I had it figured out. This proved to me that if I could put my mind to it, and applied myself then I could accomplish anything. Skateboarding is mad powerful.
What is the connection between skateboarding and creativity?
Skateboarding itself could be described as the physical manifestation of creativity. You come up with an idea for a trick and then you execute on that idea. The result: a new creation. Another way would be in the style you manifest through your skating. The spots you choose to skate, the shapes you ride, and the apparel you choose to wear are all extensions of a creative mind. It’s probably because you’re moving very fast and your mind needs to work quick to adapt to whatever the city is throwing at you: a bus, trolley tracks, some homeless dude lying in a puddle of pee. These are all things that you might experience while cruising through the city, and you need to be able to act in the moment. Skateboarding cultivates a fluid mind state, and discourages hesitation.
Probably the most obvious connection between skateboarding and creativity is the visual arts. Photography and videography are both essential to documenting skateboarding. Painting, drawing, and printmaking are all mediums that are elevated through skateboarding.
Neil Blender. That’s all.
More about Matt Kosoy
Matt Kosoy.com (Portfolio), Matt Kosy, Space1026 Alumn
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