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 caught a few images of the restoration project you and your husband are doing, and I’d like to know how you create the designs for all the different mediums you work in? – HorticultureDesign
My husband, Herb, loves to draw his ideas and has pretty good drafting skills, so we start with a decent sketch. I have my own ideas about rhythm and flow that get included after some interesting back and forth. We’ve been in business so long together that what some might consider “arguing” we figure it’s just friendly dialog getting to the right decision. As ideas are added and erased, we have a semi agreed upon plan. We’re both good at allowing the project to take on a life of its own and feel more like facilitators in bringing the project into existence, then making things stick strictly to a preconceived plan. It’s always fun to look back at the original sketches and see how far we’ve come from the initial drawings to physical reality, and I think the most important thing we both understand that however it turns out, it’s FANTISTIC…
Hey Dibi… Our oldest son is a straight A student and got accepted into an elite East Coast college, we’ve got two more kids at home, a mortgage, and my company just announced another round of layoffs. How do I explain to him that I can’t afford his dream and sustain the family? – Nodreamweaver
Congratulations on your son’s achievement, he’s obviously quite bright, and you’re rightfully proud. I think he’s smart enough to understand rudimentary math. You need to sit down with him and discuss the family finances, Math Doesn’t Lie, it’s not personal or emotional. It just SUCKS when financial reality stands in the way of our dreams. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve personally experienced this slap in the face, I believe it’s part of being an adult and I’m sure your smart son can appreciate where the family finances are. Maybe staying home and going to community college for a couple of years and getting the basic credits while working part time before taking on any debt that will be a burden on him for years is something that he needs to understand clearly from you, who has come face to face with the financial responsibilities of raising, loving and caring for a family….
Related: Hey Dibi: Shoud I Encourage My Kid to Chase the Pro Surfing Dream?
Hey Dibi… You and your family have been involved in surf and surf culture for generations, what do you think is the greatest era… – Surfhistorian
What surf culture is considered today is so much different than the early beginnings I grew up in. I remember my dad, Walter Hoffman, surfboards he put in the back of the Chevy station wagon to cruise up and down Coast Hwy looking for waves weighing a ton. Gordon “Grubby” Clark , a demented genius with a degree in math and physics, moved into Wayne Schafer’s house next door to recuperate from back surgery and Hobie would come to visit daily to get him to work on the formula for foam production, that completely revolutionized surfboard building and took the board weight down to a manageable 35lbs and made surfing a global phenomenon. My sister, Joyce, had the first women’s signature model a couple years later. I married Herb, a crazy, free-thinking innovator who took it to the next level with his standup Jet Ski charging second reef Pipe and creating the traction pad for fin and rail control. He documented the greatest tube riders with the Wave Warriors films that would then push aerial surfing, we got so much blow back, we were canceled before cancel was a thing. I see surfing through the lens of my own life experience, how could it be otherwise? I don’t think there’s a greatest era, it’s like my explanation of ballroom dancing when people ask me which dance I like best “the one I’m doing at the time”…..
Hey Dibi… I’m 25, a collage graduate and want to move to Oahu for a couple of years to work and surf. My girlfriend of the last four years wants to stay in Arizona, where we were both raised, to stay close to her family. I understand, but I want to get out and create a new life before we settle down to backyard BBQs with the folks. The surf season is coming, should I bail or wait till she’s ready? – LandLocked
What is the sign you’ll get to let you know “she’s ready”? Some people are more adventurous than others who are happy to spend their lives within a few miles of where they were raised. It’s time for you to figure out which of those people you both are before both of you think that a pressure campaign to change the others’ mind will make either of you happy. You’re moving from the comfortable relationship you enjoyed while dating to another level and you’re experiencing the differences in your nature that weren’t apparent when after a few fun filled hours together you both went your separate ways. You’re lucky to have this opportunity to set goals and see if you’re both traveling is the same direction or if those backyard BBQs are something you feel should be put on hold while you chase some waves…
Related: Hey Dibi: Is Surfing a Path to Sobriety?
Hey Dibi… I used to sleep in my van chasing swells. Now I write taglines for wetsuits made overseas. Am I selling the dream for the next young person waking up at sunrise in a van, or am I selling out? – 4miltagline
Facts: eating, living and surfing are expensive, whether in a van, apartment, studio or home. I guess it’s safe to assume that your employment pays you so you can afford the basics. So, it seems to me you’re not selling out but “buying in” so you can still enjoy the things that keep you stoked. Does it make a difference working for a wetsuit company or tire store? I think with your stated interest in surfing, you’d find it more rewarding working with a company that’s devoted to making the surfing experience better and more comfortable. With your expertise, your input would be a bonus and help you carve out a position that you’ll find rewarding. Don’t waste your time thinking all the BS about loving everything about a job. Eating is good, most of life is tough, and lots of it is tediously boring, so what, you’re lucky to have a job in an industry you find interesting. Make the most of it, do your best and you’ll be amazed at the difference in the way you feel…now go get wet!