The first day was filled with excitement and energy. After much anticipation following a three-day weekend, the students arrived on time, eager to learn and begin the day's work. Many had previously thought about possible designs, which created momentum that enabled the creativity to keep flowing. When the supervisors acknowledged the absence of rules and order in the process of longboard manufacturing, the imaginations of the artists became the driving force behind day one. The initial hours after meeting others, learning various techniques and styles, and sharing ideas, it was time to get dusty in the workshop. From then on, the place was loud and one could feel the work ethic in the atmosphere. Along with the ongoing noise of saws, sanders, and a wood press was the passion and love of longboarding expressed through countless conversations. Everybody was busy doing something, and the only thing that could stop this and bring us all back together was our hunger. Luckily, fresh pizza had just arrived. The break provided a momentary period to refuel, while also allowing people to share their progress with others. The boards were beginning to take shape, literally, and the designs were each different and creative. After lunch, everybody was enthuiastic about returning to their work, and the woodshop came to life once again. Finishing cuts and freshly drilled holes would become the final steps just before the floor needed to be swept and the scrap material tossed. At the end of the day, the shop was clean and quiet, possessing only the remains of a day's hard labor: twenty or so longboard decks ready for trucks and wheels.
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