60+ Books, Surfing, Art, Music & More | A Conversation with Burnout Stoke Ambassador Eric J. Cedeno

 

In this podcast-style conversation with Burnout Stoke, we dive into the many different passions, adventures, and experiences that have shaped my life. I’m Eric J. Cedeno, a Burnout Stoke Ambassador, author of more than 60 books, competitive surfer, artist, musician, surfboard builder and high-performance longboard shaper. I’ve spent 24 years working in aerospace, while also pursuing a wide range of creative and athletic interests outside of work. We talk about: Publishing more than 60 books and the creative process behind them Competitive surfing and the lessons it has taught me Art, creating artwork, and participating in art shows Building wooden surfboards and shaping high-performance longboards Playing guitar and ukulele, including ASL songs My first 32-mile Catalina Classic paddleboard race 24 years working in the aerospace industry Using Excel and data to track and analyze surf statistics The many hobbies and projects that keep life interesting Near-death experiences and how they can change your perspective Some special shoutouts to people and organizations along the way Life advice, lessons learned, and thoughts on self improvement This conversation is really about much more than surfing. It’s about creativity, curiosity, persistence, trying new things, and making the most of the time we have. Thanks to Burnout Stoke for having me on and for creating a space where we could have such a wide-ranging conversation. If you enjoy surfing, creativity, art, music, books, surfboard building, interesting life stories, or simply hearing about the different paths one person can take, I hope you enjoy the conversation. Thanks for watching! #BurnoutStoke #EricJCedeno #Surfing #Longboarding #SurfboardShaping #Art #Music #Books #CatalinaClassic #Aerospace

Read, Read, Read and then Read Some More…

It took me a long time to find enjoyment in reading books. I have always enjoyed books with lots of pictures were minimum reading was required on my part. I think I started really reading for fun soon after I started learning how to surf. You would think that I would love reading my whole life after surviving a near death experience that left me blind in the hospital for week when I was four years old. Let’s face it, having eyes that work and can see is pretty cool and being able to read words is also a privilege (not everyone knows how to read).  For me I didn’t like to read because it gave me headaches, later in life I learned that I have a stigmatism in my eye and that makes it harder for me to read for any length of time. 

Not wanting to read could also be from the way reading was crammed in my face at school when I was a kid. Then again it may be that my mom was a book-aholic, a chronic reader and being a kid sometimes means you think whatever your parents like must not be cool and should be avoided. Time has a way of changing things. I actually like to read books and blogs now. It’s a fun way to pass the time now and then. I also enjoy making art, oil paintings mostly, but I will use almost any medium to make my mark. I think I will give this book carving a try. I don’t like the idea of destroying a book, unless it’s a crappy one that’s pretty much dead to begin with. I might start with an old phonebook or something like that. Here are some cool book carvings that I found looking around the world, from my computer desk, at my house.