This mural was created on commission for Surf Ground (서프그라운드), a surf school on the northeast coast of South Korea, near Songjiho Beach (송지호 해수욕장). I got in touch with the owner through a former colleague, and we exchanged board, lodging, and surf gear for the work. The brief was clear: typography with the name of the school, and surfers.

The central figure captures a classic longboarding move: “hanging ten,” where the surfer balances with all ten toes over the nose of the board. It’s a graceful maneuver that demands full-body control, despite its seemingly effortless appearance — a contrast I find endlessly beautiful. In the background, another surfer leans into a carve — something not easily done on a bulky longboard, and which calls for total commitment. Both surfers glide along a typographic wave, made of flowing, psychedelic letters — with a golden sun warming their backs.

While this piece was more constrained than much of my personal work, I actually found it refreshing to operate within such clear boundaries. With a background in client-based creativity, I know how to approach these kinds of projects with focus and intention. It called for clarity of form, but also allowed space to blend type, motion, and figure into one playful, physical image — one that, despite its limitations, still feels unmistakably mine. Even within set frames, there’s room — if you know how to find your own rhythm.