From the skatepark of La Kantera in the Basque Country to becoming one of Europe's most respected skateboarders, Javier Mendizabal has always followed his own path.

In this episode of De A to Z, Javier looks back on a life shaped by skateboarding, travel, friendship and creativity. He talks about turning pro with Cliché, spending years on the road, working with Thomas Campbell on Cuatro Sueños Pequeños, and eventually making the biggest transition of his life: leaving professional skateboarding behind to become a full-time artist and painter.

A conversation about fear, freedom, creativity and the importance of doing things your own way.

Du skatepark de La Kantera, au Pays basque, jusqu'à devenir l'un des skateboarders européens les plus respectés de sa génération, Javier Mendizabal a toujours suivi son propre chemin.

Dans cet épisode de De A à Z, Javier revient sur une vie façonnée par le skateboard, les voyages, les rencontres et la création. Il raconte ses années chez Cliché et Quiksilver, son travail avec Thomas Campbell sur Cuatro Sueños Pequeños, et surtout la plus grande transition de sa vie : laisser derrière lui sa carrière de skateur professionnel pour devenir artiste peintre à plein temps.

Une conversation sur la peur, la liberté, la créativité et l'importance de faire les choses à sa manière.

Highlights from this episode:

• Growing up around La Kantera and the Basque skate scene
• Why he discovered surfing much later in life
• Turning pro with Cliché and Quiksilver
• Calling his sponsors to say he needed freedom
• Four months alone in Hawaii
• The rise of European skateboarding
• His friendship with French Fred
• The making of Cuatro Sueños Pequeños with Thomas Campbell
• Working with Madars Apse and The Chiwoks
• The story behind the La Kantera book
• Photography, collage and discovering painting
• Why he chose not to use skateboarding to build an art career
• Becoming a full-time painter
• Living with uncertainty and fear
• Creativity, nature and the Basque influence
• Designing Ray Barbee's album cover
• What skateboarding taught him about life
• Why passion matters more than success

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Cuatro Sueños Pequeños: https://youtu.be/k1anJBSoO5c?si=yVkc3n8C41m2qenl

• The Chiwoks soundtrack: https://music.apple.com/fr/album/the-soundtrack-to-cuatro-sue%C3%B1os-peque%C3%B1os-a-film/820640953

• La Kantera book: https://www.grantlibreria.com/libro/la-kantera-1987-2015_4299

• Ray Barbee's latest album: https://open.spotify.com/intl-fr/album/7wDD4raSE1ihJsk61pGkr2

• Javier Mendizabal's artwork: https://www.instagram.com/javiermendizabal/?hl=en

Enjoy the conversation.

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