What is Stoofus?
I have never known who I am, but I have always been a skateboarder.
From 25 years ago until right now, skateboarding has always shown me glimpses of my identity. But it does not happen automatically or because I have been doing it for so long. I have had to prove it. Skateboarding demands that you prove to yourself who you are. Especially when you are so far gone from knowing yourself that such a conclusion seems like a remote, idealized possibility.
And, the proof is only as good as one trick. Once you land the trick, you know who you are for that day and maybe a few days after, but then you start to forget. The knowing slips away or fades. And as a skater, all you can do is prove it again, by fighting for that glimpse of your identity as if your life depended on it.
And that process is predicated on a profound understanding of, and relationship with, pain and failure. You have to approach it by knowing you will fail, but believing you will not. And you just have to land one. You just have to thread the needle of the universe once.
Skateboarding is a spiritual vehicle that I use to discover myself and find meaning in my environment.
Meaning of Stoofus Logo:
I wanted to represent Jewish religious symbology because that is lacking in skateboard culture.
To my understanding, before the Star of David was adopted as the modern-day universal identifying marker for the Jewish people in general, it was used in reference to Kabbalah. As a skater, I aim to invoke magic and that is in line with the history of the symbol.
The six rings around the star reflect the same number of points on the star and are a nod to eternalism, or, the theory that all events in history exist at the same time. I believe the spirit of skateboarders has been around in many forms before, but in skateboarding, it has found its most effective vehicle.
The eye is aligned with the classic Eye of Providence definition, and is meant to invoke spirituality, creativity, and the history of American fraternities.