I really think Chad Muska is an interesting person, and he's always involved with a lot of different projects, whether it's making music or designing clothes and shoes. I've been trying to shoot some kind of video with him for a long time, like a "day in a life" story or some kind of short skate video, but the both of us have always been busy and our paths never crossed—until this past summer, that is.
One day, I was surfing the Internet, looking at photos on Instagram, and that’s when I noticed Chad was posting pictures of some art project he'd started working on. It caught my attention right away. I started asking some of my friends about Chad and fired off a few text messages asking him what’s going on, but he wasn’t responding. Then one night I ran into Chad at the local watering hole and that’s when I put him on the spot, asking him what he’s up to. We both ordered some drinks and soon he was sharing his vision with a lot of enthusiasm and passion and he invited me to come over and check out the space. Chad started laughing and mentioned that maybe we could shoot that the video I’d been asking about after all this time.
So I finally made it over to Chad’s studio—or the "Flat 425" as he called his workspace—and Paulo Diaz, a friend of Chad’s and legendary skateboarder, was hanging out helping Chad with this project, too. At first Chad wasn’t sure if this video idea I’d been pushing for was going to work out. I guess he’s sensitive about peoples' energy, and if you kind of bug him he’ll just ask you to leave. But after the first night of the three of us hanging out, he knew I was going to work out—or at least that’s what he told me.
Originally I'd wanted to film Chad for a few days and then just edit the video and put it out, but after a few times hanging around the studio and noticing what was going on I decided to keep filming throughout the entire summer. I felt like I was capturing what I would call some really good “moments of madness”, and they happened frequently. I felt if I kept this up, I would eventually have a better video to edit.
Now that the video is finished, I’ve been looking back and thinking about the time I spent hanging with Chad over the summer. I had a lot fun and it was inspiring to see what Chad was pulling together. It caught a lot of peoples' attention, and one of the things that stoked me out during the filming was how Chad would take the time to interact with all the people who would stop by the Flat. That’s when I learned Chad truly is a people person, and he would take the time to share his vision with anyone who walked through the door. It didn’t matter who you were. Chad also brought something positive to the LA art community that not many people can achieve—or even try to achieve. He’s generous like that, and I’m just thankful I was able to document this little moment in time. I learned a few things in the process, and I can’t think of a better way to have spent my time during the summer of 2012.
