BY: THE PLAID ZEBRA
“Anything that is worth pursuing is going to require us to suffer, just a little bit,” declares surf photographer Chris Burkard on TED, a man who has found inner peace by surfing the world’s coldest and most isolated waters.
After working for years photographing famous surfers on the world’s most exotic beaches he found that though his original intent was to seek out adventure, he began finding himself confined to a daily routine.
“It was things like Wi-Fi, TV, fine dining, and a constant cellular connection that to me were all the trappings of places that were heavily touristic in and out of the water. It didn’t take long for me to start feeling suffocated; I began searching for places that were too cold, too remote, and too dangerous to surf. That was a challenge that intrigued me.”
He documents his travels on Instagram, which is bursting with jaw-dropping photos. While wading in the frigid Arctic waters he finds clarity and connection to the world, and he has realized that pain and discomfort could be a shortcut to mindfulness.
Burkard understands that “Any career has the danger of becoming monotonous,” and that each of us must step outside our comfort zones to begin “a personal crusade against the mundane.”
Searching for Haunted Barns in Montana with @alexstrohl @morganphillips
A photo posted by ChrisBurkard (@chrisburkard) on