Erik Abel: Artist, Surfer, Dad & Entrepreneur: Episode 047 Shifting Perceptions Podcast

Ocean and surf-inspired artist gets abstract and talks parenting, entrepreneurship, inspiration, and the hustle of the art world.

Erik Abel - surf and ocean inspired abstract artist

Oregon based artist Erik Abel is highly recognized in the surf industry. His work is bold, geometric, and inspired largely by the Pacific Northwest and South Pacific and Central America and beach culture. His latest pursuit is abstraction and fatherhood.

I’ve known Erik for about a decade now. We’ve never actually met in person, but we’ve shared a camaraderie over the phone and internet. Erik’s someone I consider a virtual colleague in a genre and industry that we both have common links to.

His original pieces have been featured in galleries across the country and abroad while his commercial work has attracted clients including Patagonia, Reef, REI and Billabong. Abel gives back to environmental and humanitarian projects through nonprofit partnerships, exhibitions, and commercial projects.

This conversation is one I’ve wanted to have for a long time now. We talked about inspiration, the hustle of the art world, navigating the business side with the artistic side and the challenges of balancing parenthood and entrepreneur-life.

No matter what your medium, if you’re creative or working from home (which really, aren’t we all right now?) you’ll have something in this conversation to relate to.

From week four or lockdown, I bring you my fellow artist friend Erik Abel.