photo: Jimmy Wilson

It’s been almost a week since I left the gorgeous island of Oahu, where I was shooting for the swimsuit issue of Surfing Magazine.  The North Shore of Oahu is a surfing mecca and one of the most beautiful places in the world.  This was not my first swimsuit shoot in a tropical paradise, or my first time to Oahu, but this shoot was definitely unlike any job I have ever done before. It was special because I was working with an extremely talented group of people that also happen to be my friends.

Normally, when I go on a shoot I am lucky if I know one other person.  This time I was surrounded by some of my dearest friends, one of them being Ms. Jeannie Jeffries! For those of you that don’t know, she is my “soul guider” and was the one that introduced me to Zach. She one of my closest friends and is an extremely talented hair and make-up artist that founded  Couture Beauty Team.  She is an inspiration with her hard work ethic and beautiful spirit. Her assistant Star, whom I have had the pleasure of working with before, is like sunshine on a cloudy day and working with her is delightful.  Another friend of mine on the shoot was the gorgeous model Sydney Wheeler.  She and I have modeled together quite a few times over the years.  Sydney is one of the sweetest people I know and it was great to catch up with her throughout the trip on where our lives have taken us.  The photographer on the shoot was Michael Sterling Eaton, whom I have known for almost eight years.  He is one of the most creative, ambitious, talented, and hilarious people I have ever met.  Shooting with him was wonderful because there was a great level of ease and comfort having known him for so long. It was also great to see his beautiful wife, actress Sanoe Lake, and their two kids.  He brought them along on this shoot and his family is precious.  Sanoe is also an old friend; we worked together for Roxy a long time ago.  This was the first time that Michael and I have ever shot together, but hopefully not the last!  Conor Graham was the stylist for the shoot, and she and I have worked together for the Billabong runway show Design for Humanity for many years now.  She has a great eye and impeccable taste.  Conor is great at what she does and it was so wonderful to work with her again.

The rest of the crew quickly became new friends and are some of the kindest, most genuine people I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with.  Tristin Akahoshi, the producer, is a sweetheart.  Brin Morris, Michael’s assistant, is authentic and considerate.  Jimmy Wilson, Associate Photo Editor for Surfing magazine and the behind the scenes photographer, is funny and thoughtful. Beau Flemister, the Managing Editor, was helpful and friendly. And lastly the behind the scenes videographers, Eric Ippel and Kyle Burnett… Both were very professional and good-hearted. Overall, it was an amazing and unforgettable trip!

It was truly an honor being chosen for the magazine this year and I can’t wait to see how the issue turns out.  The magazine will be on the shelves in April, but in the meantime here are a few teaser behind the scenes shots:

Sydney and I at Pipe on the morning of the first day of shooting. photo: Jimmy Wilson

Sydney, Jeannie, Tristin, and Michael. photo: Jimmy Wilson

Michael, Brin, Beau, and I doing whatever it takes to get the shot! photo: Jimmy Wilson

The Crew! Kyle, Jimmy, Sydney, Brin, Sarah, Beau, Me, Michael, and Eric

photo: Jimmy Wilson

photo: Jimmy Wilson

Mahalo!

An iphone snapshot behind the scenes in Hawaii- photo by Jimmy Wilson

Natazha was planning on writing today about her shoot with Surfing magazine in Hawaii (that she just returned from), but she is in bed recuperating from a cold she got on the trip. I know everyone would rather hear about her seemingly glamourous adventure in Hawaii than the comparatively boring week at the computer in the cold grey of winter that I had! Don’t worry, she will be posting photos and a story next week.

While Natazha was posing for the camera on the beaches of the North Shore, I was chained to the computer indoors laying the groundwork for the launch of Learning Vacation Network- writing business plans, securing URLs, locking down trademarks and so on. Not glamourous at all. Rather than put you to sleep with the details, I’ll pass along an article that Conde Naste Traveler recently posted about learning vacations: Sun, Sea, and Socrates

Our learning vacation school of the week is Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine. They have been around since 1950, offering studio-based workshops in clay, glass, metals, paper, blacksmithing, weaving, woodworking, and more. The campus is in a beautiful natural setting and the buildings were designed by award-winning architect Edward Larrabee Barnes. Click on the link and check out their website for more details!

“Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world.” -John Muir

One of the best views of the world must be that of a toddler sitting on top of their parent’s shoulders. I imagine that it must be, because it combines the roots of adult agility and stability with the fresh innocent eyes of a child filled with wonderment and curiosity. Treehouses are manifestations of this view; whimsical creative nests perched upon the shoulders of trees. Kids, being unfettered by the roots of practicality, are the primary clientele for backyard arboreal architects (a.k.a. Home Depot dads), but treehouses are not just for kids. Whether you are building for your actual child or your inner child, there is a learning vacation you can attend where you learn how to build serious tree houses. Treehouse Workshop offers four day workshops in Virginia and Oregon that teach guests about tree selection, design, construction, and climbing safety. These workshops include accommodations and food (options vary depending on location).

Our ceremony ended with an interesting new tradition at the end. After the officiant spoke about marriage, read a Apache wedding blessing, and we repeated our vows, we asked each of our guests to participate in a “blessing stones” ceremony. Everyone brought a trinket (small stone/ shell/ etc) that was meaningful to them to add to our wedding “treasure bowl”. One by one they stepped forward, added their symbolic gift to the bowl, and said a few words. Some told stories, some gave advice, and some gave blessings. It was as if each person was giving a little piece of themselves, which made it a very personal and special moment that we all shared. It was one of the happiest days of my life.

Now everyone is asking where the traveling duo is planning to go for the honeymoon! Flights are booked for a week in Hawaii, but unfortunately not for me! I’m proud to say that my beautiful bride Natazha was picked to be one of the models in the 2012 swimsuit issue of Surfing magazine, and she will be spending a week in Oahu shooting (while I stay behind here in California to work on getting Learning Vacation Network started). I keep teasing her about going on a honeymoon without me, but the truth is that we have just had to delay any honeymoon plans for a bit while we get some other things taken care of. With the impending launch of our own learning vacation association and travel show there will be plenty of fun travel plans for 2012.

Hello Everyone!

Natazha and I are back in California now and enjoying the holidays… 2011 was a truly amazing year for us and the Learning Experience project. A year ago I started down a path to take my passion for learning vacations global, with the goal of making a travel show about them. There have certainly been bumps in the road along the way and the journey isn’t over, but I found my true love and best friend by following my dream and there isn’t any bigger reward than that. We want to take a moment to thank all of the people that have helped the project in 2011 including my sister Katie, my good friend Josh, mi hermano Carlos, Milan, Bre, Geoff and the crew from Dolphin Expeditions, Gillian and Duncan, Ivan, Jeannie, and all of our friends, family and supporters out there around the world. We love you all and have some really big surprises in store for 2012 so stay tuned!

La Villa Bonita Culinary Vacations in Mexico

Chef Ana Garcia is a well known Mexican chef that started her own culinary vacation school at La Villa Bonita back in 2001. It has been named as “one of the best five cooking vacations worldwide” by the Food Network and Chef Ana regularly appears as a guest on television programs. She has even signed a development deal to be the focus of the first reality cooking program featuring a Mexican born chef.

La Villa Bonita is located amidst the breath-taking scenery of the Tepozteco mountains, about twenty minutes from Cuernavaca. Guests can either stay in the beautiful on-site 6 bedroom guesthouse or in the Tubohotel, which is a unique hotel created from converted sections of concrete tubing scattered throughout an orchard of limes, avocados, plums, and guava trees. As a personal guest of Chef Ana’s, you will pick out fresh ingredients from the local Tepoztlan market, pick fruits and vegetables from the on-site orchard and garden, take corn to the mill with local women to make fresh tortillas, and learn to make mouth-watering dishes under the guidance of Mexico’s best known culinary personality.

There are special deals for Christmas and New Year’s weeks, so if you are trying to decide on a great last minute learning vacation getaway during the holidays take a look:

www.lavillabonita.com

Graffiti started out as an expression outside the world of art and the law.  Slowly these initial pioneers transformed this illegal expression into an acceptable form of art.  The Museum of Contemporary Art presented Art in the Streets earlier this year in Los Angeles, which was the first major U.S. museum exhibition of the history of graffiti and street art.  The exhibition traced the development of graffiti and street art from the 1970s to the global movement it has become today.  It showcased installations by 50 of the most dynamic artists from the graffiti and street art community, including Fab 5 Freddy (New York), Lee Quiñones (New York), Futura (New York), Margaret Kilgallen (San Francisco), Swoon (New York), Shepard Fairey (Los Angeles), Os Gemeos (São Paulo), and JR(Paris).  It also featured projects by influential local artists such as Craig R. Stecyk III, Chaz Bojórquez, Mister Cartoon, RETNA, SABER, REVOK,and RISK.  According to museum spokeswoman Lyn Winter, the attendance was among the highest ever in MOCA’s history- closely tracking the record attendance for the Andy Warhol retrospective at MOCA Grand Avenue in 2002.

I think that this statistic alone proves that graffiti and street art have claimed there rightful place in the world of art and culture. Tours and workshops are popping up from New York to the UK for kids and adults to learn how to paint and express themselves through this new and exciting art form.

Top Dog Workshops

Top Dog Workshops offers a wide range of creative visual and performing arts workshops for young people.  Options include Graffiti, Photography, Fashion and Design,  DJ-ing, Rock School, Guitar, Circus skills, and Breakdancing. If I were still a kid I would be begging my parents to send me to this place!

Hire a Graffiti Artist

This is another great option if you live in the UK. You can hire a graffiti artist to teach one day workshops one on one, for a school group, at a party, or for a place of business.

Graffiti Tours

Graffiti tours takes you on a tour of famous street artists’ work around New York City and at the end for the low price 0f $10 you can paint your own graffiti. They also offer workshops if you want to learn how to paint.

I think most creative people dream of a place where all of their favorite passions could be nurtured under one roof. This week I wanted to share a link to a place that is a true temple of enthusiasm, creativity, and inspiration. Über-cool Australian motorcycle builders Deus Ex Machina has a compound in Bali that oozes so much style that makes you want to stow away there like a lost boy and never grow old. Watch the video and you will see why- on one piece of property they have managed to squeeze a custom motorcycle shop, a clothing store, an art gallery, art and photography studios, bike shop, music stage, restaurant, offices, crash pads, and surfboard shaping and glassing rooms. Rumor has it that they are teaching art and photography workshops… if that is so (and actually even if it isn’t) it is now high on our Learning Experience must see travel list.

Natazha and I are back and getting settled in at School of the World, our home base in Costa Rica. Once we are settled we will be revising this Learning Experience blog site to reflect the new direction that we are going. We’ve come up with a more sustainable long term plan for Learning Experience than the original idea of a  TV pilot. It is a little too early to reveal the whole plan, but basically Natazha and I will be creating content (video, stories, photos) that will initially be used as shorter webisodes for an online network to promote the learning vacation travel genre. We’ll also be accumulating content to use for magazine articles, a documentary film, and downloads (TV length programming available for download). The rest of this year will be more focused on the business side and solidifying some important partnerships, and then if all goes well we’ll begin traveling and shooting more adventures at learning vacation schools around the world in early 2012.

We’ll have more news to report next week, but in the meantime check out this school for bicycle lovers. With locations in Asheville, NC and Portland, Oregon, you can learn how to professional bicycle repair to titanium frame welding in classes that range in duration from 1 day to 2 weeks. United Bicycle Institute 

One of Natazha's photos from the Instagram show

Natazha and I are on the road yet again… this time to Florida, where we will be attending a wedding and visiting some family for about a week before heading down to Costa Rica to spend some time at School of the World. We had a hectic but fun time here in California, and even managed to participate in an Instagram photo exhibit with our friend Jon Foster. It was a fun night, and we sold all 14 of our photos in the first hour. A big thanks to all of our family and friends for coming out, to Jon for inviting us to participate, and the the Zenbu Lounge of La Jolla for hosting the event.

I just finished editing a trailer for Learning Experience, using clips from our Bahamas trip and other footage from our recent travels. Editing is a time-sucking energy draining job (especially since I am still a rookie at it) but it was exciting and encouraging to go through all the old footage. It reminds me that despite the challenges we are still facing we have come a long way with this dream. I hope you all enjoy it…