I’m fortunate to live in and travel to places shaped by formidable and fickle setups, waves and weather. It seems like surfers and content creators often gravitate toward footage of heavy surf or freezing waters — and while those moments are a spectacle to behold, they may not always be the most emotionally potent. Those images captured may also set unrealistic expectations that most surfers may never experience, and which may feed the negative FOMO engine that run deep in our community. In chasing perfection, so much of the opportunity for joy can be lost. Perfection often reveals itself in the smaller days: the sessions with a touch of sideshore wind, the imperfect waves, the in‑between moments. I try to convey with my images and videos, that sometimes it’s about the people you share those moments with, the expectations you carry, and the peace that comes from recognizing and appreciating what’s right there in front of you.