New Team Member - Gus.!

A Blog post with a difference. Just wanted to welcome Gus to the team again and point you in the direction of our YouTube Page with a Playlist of each of our team and some other bits and pieces.! Plus on this very website we have a page dedicated to them which just links to the YouTube stuff. Enjoy and say Fit Like?! : )

A very warm Fit Like and welcome to the Doric Team for Augustas Buozius aka Gus.!

We did a wee Q&A to share a little more about him. Read it below.

But also take a moment to marvel at these photographs. The subject matter and quality of pic is 👌🙂

𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞: Augustas

𝐀𝐧𝐲 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬: Gus, guist, augis, augucio, gloop hahaha.

𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: I started in 2007 so 14 years? Wow it‘s been a minute!

𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐟𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐠: Reg

𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤: Definitely 360 flip. After the kickflip, the next barrier to break was to learn how to tre. I recall landing the 1st ones and I don’t think anything has felt as rewarding since haha. Then when you get them more consistent and can throw it randomly in a line it’s the best feeling I swear haha.

𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞/𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫: Andrew Reynolds hands down. I‘ve been a big fan of him since I started skating. Before you could view every single skate video on youtube, I managed to download Baker 3 and would watch it on repeat before I went to school. Then Emerica Stay Gold came out and we all know his part blew everybody’s mind. He’s still shredding to this day and working hard to make sure he can still skate and spread the love, so much respect for this guy!

𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Norwich, UK. Sadly had to depart from Aberdeen :((

𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: I wouldn’t say talents but more like hobbies: I like to play music, bit of guitar, bass, drums, piano. It would be good to start jamming with some people again haha. I also got into film photography over a year ago and I’ve been really enjoying it. You can really get into trying different films and getting different textures and colours.

𝐀𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐝/𝐬𝐚𝐲: I wanna thank skateboarding for bringing good vibes, good friends and good memories over the years. Looking back, I have absolutely no regrets but only feel joy for spending everyday of secondary school on the board and having a laugh with the boys. It‘s sad to hear stories of people having had bad experiences during their school years and I feel I was blessed to have avoided that by skating.
I‘m also very chuffed to see the women’s skateboarding scene being so progressive over the last few years. Keep pushing the boundaries ladies and thankyou all for inspiring us!

𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬. 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐲.

𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 Vilius Bareikis

#printlife #handmade #brand #branding #tees #hoodies #clothingline #style #shirts #illustration #screenprinted #love #digitalprinting #customtees #clothes #ink #tshirtshop #hoodie #screenprinting #skatewear #streetwear #skate #skateboard #skater #skateboarder #streetstyle #streetfashion #thrasher #skateboarding

Whats New?

I broke my own promise to myself that I would write regularly on here. As I’ve said before - its as much for myself as it is for anyone else. I like being able to look back and see what’s changed, what’s remained and what I didn’t see coming.! So here goes!

We’ve been really busy trying to pull together a variety of new designs over the last few months. Its been a challenge. I’m not at my best just now - see the last blog post from July here - and with working from home my line between day job and Doric has merged to an extent I’m not comfortable with. Although I’m very fortunate to be working I still have that part of me the resents the intrusion into my “life”. And so I’ve found myself spending less time up in Doric HQ because of this. But I still have to get stuff done so all that happens is I end up with tighter deadlines! Lesson Learned there. And I’ve had a shot of enthusiasm from some screen printed designs that I can do myself - that’s helped me a lot.

So what’s new?

• Restock of the Jaws Tees and some new kids ones in grey with more of a restock to follow (blue hopefully end of October).

• The latest design from local creative Mimi Hammill will be launched at Curated Aberdeen on 9th October with them going online that night. There are Tees in Mango and Blue plus Mango Hoodies. All screen printed by us in house. : )

• After that we will be launching another design with a Halloween vibe - on or around 31st Oct but possibly at the November Curated Aberdeen. Not a scary one - just a fun one! This will come in Burgundy Tees/Hoodies for adults and kids. Again - all screen printed in house by us.

• Then we’ll be looking ahead to the collaboration with Big Up the Deen! This will be in the form of Decks, Tees and some other merch. We hope to share some news on that one very soon including how/when we will launch it.

• We will also be back at Curated Aberdeen in Oct as above and November too - 5th to the 7th.

• December will see us somewhere too - more news on that soon though.

• We are also going to be adding someone to the team this week. We’ll announce that at the weekend/start of next week. And after that we’ll be on the hunt for a local star to be number 5 on the team - I’m not keen on even numbers! : )

So until then - shout if you have any questions about our stuff and thank you very much for supporting. I’m hoping that after the last 18 months or so we can make 2022 a massive year for us as we celebrate our 5th Bday in March.

Mental Health

I posted the below on social media the other day. It was great to see some discussions/comments going on and greatly appreciated.

Hopefully it helps trigger something in someone to either reach out for help or to reach out with an offer of help. What I find frustrating is knowing exactly what would help - exercise, eating well, reading, relaxation etc but having absolutely no concentration or drive to achieve it. But I’ll keep chipping away and hopefully feel a lot better soon. But also aware that quite often these things never fully go away - only becoming manageable peaks and troughs.!

Also hope to god no one thinks this is for “likes” or “content”.

Thanks again.

I’ve not been myself lately.

I’m sure it’s not just me, the world has been turned on it’s head this last year and I’m more confident that I’ll kick flip than the current UK Govt leading us anywhere positive.

I’ve given up a few responsibilities in my day job including being a Mental Health First Aider. It wouldn’t do someone any good to have called me lately. And I’ve missed some of the rare social occasions that have popped up too. Just not in the right frame of mind.

My mental health is poor at the moment - that’s the truth. I’m not just miserable - I’ve always been like that….ask anyone that knows me.

It’s something deeper but I know I’m going to be ok. I think saying this out loud is healthy. And if yer reading this and perhaps feeling similar then I hope your ok and I hope you’re getting help and or surrounded by good people. I’m lucky.

If yer pals or family members have gone quiet or seem out of sorts have some patience and reach out. And then reach out again.

#mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #mha #mentalhealthaberdeen #wellbeing #wellness #aberdeen #aberdeenshire #mentalhealthsupport

Your Custom Skateboard x Doric Design Challenge

First of all - huge thanks to all who got into the spirit of this challenge/competition.

Although there was an actual physical prize up for grabs I hope that the posting, tagging, sharing and the engagement across all the social media pages has brought some new followers to your page, some inspiration, more friends and contacts, perhaps some future collaborations and ultimately maybe even a commission or project.

I wanted to get something here on the blog - social media comes and goes so quickly - at least this is here forever.!

Big shout out to Adam and the team at Your Custom Skateboard for collaborating on this and offering discount codes should anyone want their design printed. Get in touch if you want to do that.

The winning design by Alex aka mokoyo.robo definitely caught some eyes early on in the challenge! Congratulations to Alex - can’t wait to see the deck printed.!

But because there were so many entries YCS wanted to give special mention to two others.

Steve Stark design aka stevestarkdesign on Insta was pretty much the first to submit so it was nice to see that his Croc design didn’t get lost in the pile!

And Hello Radical on Instagram with their Fish Food design. Definitely a favourite of mine.!

For these two they will be offered a special discount if they want to print their designs and to everyone else who entered they will also get a discount should they wish to do the same.

From my point of view i wanted to give something away too. So a blank deck each will be making their way to Corey and Reuben to design their own in any way they like.! Well done guys!

That’s it for this year. Lets do this again next year.!

Cheers

Gary

Memories.

2012 ish

I’m 35 and have just graduated from RGU and have found myself working for an engineering consultancy - Optimus. 

I’ve never worked in an office. Strictly small business retail. So its a learning curve - and still is (although I’m now working from home!).

I overheard someone talking about getting their kid a skateboard. I gave up when I was about 17. But it stayed with me. I often dreamt about it, I always looked at curbs, obstacles etc and thought “good spot”. And so my mind went wondering and I started to look on the internet.

A week later I bought a set up (Ray Barber Element). Then headed to TX with my pal Tom. 

Strangely I could still just about Ollie, kick turn and pump on the ramps. It was pretty exhilarating.! 

It wasn’t really until I started Doric Skateboards until I met people I could skate with again. Even then I still felt incredibly self conscious. There was definitely a point where I felt good within myself and was enjoying it. However, that came to an abrupt end a couple of years ago and I’ve struggled to really get back on my board with any regularity since.

I’m hoping that post-COVID I’ll find some confidence to go out and just have fun again. That’s what it’s all about is it?

What I've Learned Part 5 of 6

Part 5 - No Better Time.

Continuing what I’ve learned/what I’m learning. Here’s some of how I’m learning.

I regularly listen to a fantastic podcast called Creative Rebels. A pair of talented chaps talk to each other and a guest each episode about their creative endeavours and their speciality. I highly recommend it - it’s pulled me out of the doldrums on occasion but also full of inspiration and good ideas.

One thing they have often said is this:

There’s no better time than right now to launch a business.

And I totally agree. If you have an idea or more importantly a passion - then with WiFi, a phone with a camera and some creativity you can get that idea/passion seen. You can attract attention. That doesn’t mean to say that it has to be a “business” per se. But it can be something that you do that feeds your soul while your day job feeds your belly.!

Maybe eventually it would be a main source of income - I’m sure that comes with its negatives. I’m not sure I ever want to pay my mortgage with how many tees I sell a month!

But setting aside the money. When I was in my teens and twenties it never really occurred to me that I could explore anything creative. You went to work, went out with yer pals and that was that. But after going to Uni in my 30’s it awoke something in me that took a while to manifest. Once that did I realised that we are in an age just now where we have access to so much information - much of it free (setting aside laptop/phone/WiFi).

I listen to podcast and audiobooks across a wide range of subjects but try to take something from each.

As mentioned in a previous post - creativity goes hand in hand with problem solving. With resources like YouTube at our disposal we have so much out there to take from.

But I think it’s also important to give something back. I’ve done videos on screen printing decks, plenty of social media content about that sort of stuff and posts like this. I hope someone finds it useful.

So what’s actually stopping you from doing that thing you wanted to do? Obviously there are some things that would be financially challenging! But whatever the subject you can get involved and get going. Start a FB page - jump on Tik Tok. Tell people what you are about. For better or worse you no longer have to quit your job, cash in yer savings (does anyone actually have savings?) and chase your dream. You can do it from the comfort of your bed, living room or even on the toilet....

Go for it, definitely no better time. And as long as you manage your own expectations then you’ll look back and wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.’

What I've Learned Part 3 of 6

Part 3.

Social Media.

Before I set up Doric Skateboards i set up a Movie related page on Facebook so that I could learn the very basics on how to post, how you respond as the page, how to build an audience etc. If you’re setting up a business page I’d highly recommend doing this.

I also set up my social media pages way before i launched. This gave me the chance to build up some content so that when we went live there was actually things for people to look at straight away.!

Again - I’d recommend that.

Something that people talk a lot about is the “algorithm”. How each app decides what it’s going to show your followers.

Personally I couldn’t give two sh*ts about the algorithm.

Here’s my take:

Not getting the usual “likes” you used to get?

Don’t worry - you can try again tomorrow!

Not getting any/much engagement on your posts - i.e. no comments/shares?

Really take a look at what you are posting. Have folk seen it before? Is it informative? Is it even mildly interesting? Be honest with yourself.

Go back to the drawing board and see what you can come up with. Be creative.

Obviously I sell stuff. But I know that when I put a post up about something for sale it generally won’t do very well. That’s not necessarily the algorithm - it’s just human nature. We don’t like the hard sell.!

So we tend to scroll past them. They aren’t that interesting unless it’s something new for sale perhaps.

Giveaways. Seen as the saviour for all social media accounts everywhere! Share. Like. Comment. I’ve done it. We’ve all done it. But what does it actually get you? People genuinely interested in what you do? I don’t think so.

My advice for what it’s worth.

Be happy with the followers and engagement you get. And make sure you engage back!

Don’t worry about having tens of thousands of followers. Hopefully that can come with some hard work, creating interesting stuff for people to read and share, and with some time and patience.!

Also - be generous to others. If you are hoping for likes, shares, comments - then remember to reciprocate.

What I've Learned Part 1 of 6

As promised.

Over the next wee while I’ll share some of what I’ve learned in the last 4 years and some of what I’ve been doing to keep the brain active over the last 9 or so months.

Problem Solving.

To create anything you need to solve problems.

From my point of view there were loads:

• How do I screen print?

• Where will I get blank decks from?

• What will my logo be?

• How do I do a website/social media?

And a 100 other.

Most of which NEVER GET FULLY ANSWERED.

And that’s ok. Doing anything that involves setting up a business and doing something creative is a constant challenge - even if you don’t take into account the current circumstances.

But the answers are out there.

My one piece of advice that I would give is this.

Use the vast amount of content on the internet, in books, in podcasts etc to help you solve your problem and get over those hurdles. If this leads to mistakes then so be it.! That’s a really important part of learning.

I get asked a lot of questions about various things. And for the most part I’m happy to answer (apologies if I’ve not answered some yet though!).

But for me the process is as satisfying and important as the outcome. Probably more so. It’s where you learn what works and what doesn’t. It’s where you really understand how things go together.

So get your hands dirty. Be curious. Solve problems by doing, not just asking.

And make mistakes! It’s all part of the fun.