First Love

Way-finding Identity, Mindset Shifts, and Rediscovering Your Talent

Joseph Baldwin

Aug 12, 2024

Do Remember Your First Love?

As I progressed through the phases of The Carty Method.

I reached Phase 2: The Packaging, where my mindset began to shift significantly.

Carty's questions—"What is your personal style?" and "Are you blending in or standing out?"—prompted deep reflection.

The Packaging phase of the Carty Method is about more than just appearance; it encompasses your personal style, website, and portfolio.

These crucial mindset shifts helped me find my identity in photography and gave me a voice in my personal style and creativity.

I realized that packaging goes far beyond clothing or making photos—it's about the presence you bring to yourself and your business.

I took a few days to reflect on my style, thinking back to my first love: skateboarding.

From that moment, I decided to write about who I was and where my personal style and inspiration started.

Here’s a short article about my journey with my first love.

I hope it inspires you to rediscover yours.

First Love

Do you have a first love?

I mean something that brings you happiness no matter how noisy life gets.

Something that allows you to escape your reality for a few moments or even a few hours?

Do your passions run deep when you are with your first love?

Where you can be vulnerable and be your authentic self?

My first love is skateboarding; it has truly had the greatest impact on my life and even now at the age of 26, skateboarding remains the first love of my life.

I was first introduced to skateboarding when I was six years old.

I can remember the first time I received my first skateboard as a Christmas gift, which was a Spiderman-themed skateboard.

The griptape had red spiderwebs to represent Spiderman’s webs, and the bottom side of the skateboard had a Spiderman graphic.

As excitement rushed through me, I quickly ran to put on my shoes, almost forgetting to put on a jacket before going outside.

But as a kid, when Santa brought you what you wished for on your Christmas list, who cares about being cold.

As I began to try to ride my skateboard, I instantly fell, scraping my elbow.

My grandfather rushed over to helped me get up and try again.

Ever since that day, my life completely changed.

B.A.I.T. Skate Team July 3rd, 2014 - Backside Boardslide

At the age of fifteen, I finally reached my goal of getting noticed by my first clothing sponsorship called B.A.I.T. Clothing, which stood for (Believing In All Teens).

Here’s where the conflicts began.

As I was being discovered and gaining notoriety through my skateboarding talents, my feelings toward my first love started to change.

Even friends I met through skateboarding started viewing me in a different light. But as a teenager, I did not quite understand their judgment or envy towards my success.

Also, I was not much of a competitive skater, as I would have to compete in skateboarding competitions under contract from my sponsorship.

I was never big in skating contests because I always felt it was based on popularity rather than the actual skills and style of skateboarding.

Nevertheless, I was torn between these two conflicts of grief and anxiety. I began to have resentment towards skateboarding.

I missed all the fun and great times I used to have with my friends bonding and progressing in our skateboarding journeys together.

I did not understand the complexity of growth within skateboarding. This meant I had to take my skateboarding skills and mindset to the next level.

Unfortunately, I allowed the fear of the unknown to hold me back from actually achieving to become a professional skateboarder.

But as I reflect on not pursue this as a full-time career, my first love never left.

Reflecting on all the high times, low times, and moments of questioning my first love, skateboarding has taught me some valuable life lessons.

The first lesson is having patience.

Skateboarding is one of the most challenging sports to master, as learning how to land flip tricks and grinds are very complex and dangerous but fun to learn.

The idea of jumping down a 10 stair does not sound like fun, especially if you have to do it over and over again or forbid you get hurt and have to go back and try it again.

Skateboarding, like any other sport, has its own set of challenges and obstacles. No matter how many challenges I faced, I still continue to learn.

Investing hours, days, and even months into learning new tricks.

Secondly, skateboarding taught me to never give up.

Throughout the mental frustrations, body sores, bruises, and scares from falling, I always took my time to recover and heal and get back on my skateboard.

Lastly, skateboarding has taught me is how to tap into my creativity.

I always come up with my best ideas when I am on my skateboard.

It provides me clear thinking and allows me to unload stress.

Skateboarding is my safe place, and I feel free as I cruise on my skateboard.

My first love is skateboarding, and it has changed my perspective on the world. The sweet taste of freedom and creativity through every kick and push.

Skating rails, stairs, and flat ground.

Skateboarding has shaped me into the person I am today. Skateboarding saved my life; it gave me a way out of being ordinary.

I was laughed at and joked about, but my first love never turned on me.

I was called trying to be a “White Boy”, but in skateboarding I did not see color nor race, only culture and art.

Culture you could only understand if you were into skateboarding. Skateboarding used to be an “outcast” thing to do.

If you liked skateboarding, you were considered a “weirdo,” but I believe it comes from being misunderstood.

My first love got me through all life challenges and has always provided me a safe space to disconnect from reality and just be.

Do you have a first love?

I mean something that brings you happiness no matter how noisy life gets.

Something that allows you to escape your reality for a few moments or even a few hours.

Do your passions and creativity flow deeply when you are with your first love?

A space where you can be vulnerable and be your authentic self?

My first love is skateboarding; it has had the greatest impact on my life.

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