Twelve | Skateboard Deck Design

PROJECT BACKGROUND: ONGOING SKATEBOARD COLLECTION

In 2013, I designed a pair of skateboard decks to celebrate my partner and my sixth anniversary. Rob used to skate, and due to a knee injury, he now collects decks instead. Today, we have more than 40 hanging on one of the walls in our home.



Many moons have passed since that sixth anniversary, and over the years I’ve developed the habit of designing a new pair of decks to mark each one. Each pair reflects the emotions and evolving state of our relationship. You can explore past designs here.

14 | design concept: Low-resOLUTION Lifestyle

On July 4th, my partner and I celebrated our 12th anniversary together.

Last year, he chose to take a nine-month sabbatical to nurture himself and recover from professional burnout. Having experienced the profound benefits of time away during my own sabbatical in 2009, I totally supported his decision. Was it easy on our relationship? Not at all.

Illustrated on the green deck is a portrait of us living apart for most of 2019, staying connected primarily through a phone screen.

In contrast, the wood deck reflects our relationship during COVID-19—a complete inversion: living together twenty-four seven, quite literally on top of each other, and experiencing the world mostly in low resolution through another screen.

A few months ago, I listened to Esther Perel speak about long-term relationships during the pandemic. She described a simple truth: every couple will either see the cracks in their relationship, or the light that shines through them.

After nearly five months in lockdown together, I find myself seeing only the light—and feeling deeply grateful to have him by my side.

Colour palette: RGB