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| photo : Hendrik Herzman |
Hey Sebo, what have you been up to lately?
I have honestly just been traveling non-stop. It's been a little crazy lately. Jumping from trip to trip, with sometimes less than 12 hours to settle down and repack, but I love it. I am really busy filming, getting photos, and working on all sorts of projects in skateboarding, and also with my art, and photography.
Busy is good.
You recently dropped a part for GraciasLA was it pre-planned or had you just been skating and travelling, storing footage on the way?
That part was just a bunch of footage I had filmed with Ben Fordham, and some other friends. I'm happy it ended up being a full part, but I was working on so many other things at the time, that my part consists of mostly throwaway footage in my opinion. But I'm happy about how it turned out, and I hope that people enjoy it.
Barcelona is a skateboarders paradise, what personally attracts you to travel there?
I love Barcelona because I absolutely can't get enough of the Spanish culture. To explain it in one sentence, I love the way that they live. It is also such a paradise, like you said, for skateboarders. Great skateboarding community, spots, lifestyle, etc. I hope to get back there asap.
Skateboarding has definitely increased in popularity in recent times, as a sponsored skater do you feel obliged to always act accordingly?
No matter how popular it gets, I am just going to continue to act as I always have, having fun, staying productive, and promoting skateboarding as a positive outlet and good exercise to kids.
If Lakai were to make another full length video do you feel that there would be huge expectations following the continued success of Fully Flared?
We are making a new Lakai video, which is very exciting. I imagine that there will be solid expectations for the new video, and I believe that we will work so hard to live up to all of them.
Keep your eyes posted.. Lakai video in the works.
What’s your view on all the current sponsorship changes in skating at the moment it seems loyalty is kind of taking a back seat?
I understand that now there is a lot more money in skateboarding, so big corporate companies throw large amounts of money at guys to bring them on board. I think it's unfortunate for sure, because now it just seems to be taking a completely different route than what it was originated on. Instead of all of us being a part of a small company built by skateboarders, consisting of close friends that all do it for the love, it's training for SL or big contests, being a full on advertisement for your corporate sponsor, promoting energy drinks (which we all know aren't good for you) etc. I don't mean to bash any of those things by saying that, but it just seems a little too much like all the other sports now. The reason I started skating was because nobody would tell me what to do, it was my creative freedom. To me, staying loyal to your sponsors is huge, so I do my best to stick with the companies I have been riding for, no matter what.
You do a lot of griptape art, is the artwork inspired from anything or anyone?
I was inspired by artists like M.C. Escher, Picasso & and some other big artists I learned about in school. I took a lot of classes in high school, and kept it up when I got out. I discovered paint pens and just started getting creative on my grip. A couple years ago, I started @seboart on Instagram, and linked an email in my bio so kids can email me for specific grip. It's been really fun, and kept me so busy. It also has expanded my skills, painting all sorts of different stuff. Kids seem to be happy when they get their grip as well, so it's gratifying and fun.
It’s pretty natural to think about whether you might turn pro one day, is it something you’re working towards or..?
It's absolutely something I'm working towards, and have been since I got on. I am doing my best to be as productive as I can, filming for video parts and getting coverage in magazines. Being on Krooked is already a dream come true, and the thought of turning pro would be the accomplishment of a lifetime.
Any last mentions?
Thanks to all my family, friends, and sponsors.
