Marine is our ambassador in Northern France, hailing from wild Brittany. She’s been in the water since the age of 3, and has progressed from bodyboarding to shortboards, longboards and SUPs. When she’s not competing or surfing for fun, Marine likes to draw, read and tidy, which she told us about when we asked her, “What do you do when it’s flat?”
Read about her less-watery passions below.
Drawing:
“I draw whenever I feel inspired or bored. It has the capacity to make me feel better. Sometimes I just want to throw the entire sketchbook away, but I avoid this by drawing on single sheets of paper - even if there’s something already on it!"
"I use a lot of techniques, like watercolour, pen and paint. I’m more into drawing landscapes and characters, but I like to draw abstract things sometimes too. Wild landscapes, like the ocean or mountains, are my favourite things to draw, because the illustration is made up of a lot of elements, which work harmoniously with one another. Just like in real life.”
Reading:
“Apart from surfing, reading has to be one of my favourite activities. I can read anything, anywhere. When I was younger, I remember being obsessed with my mother’s bookshelf. She often wondered where all her books had disappeared too! She’s the one who helped me to discover the fantastic worlds within books; I remember her reading Harry Potter to me when I was barely 6. Today, fantasy is still one of my favourite genres, alongside fictional history. I also like psychological and philosophical books.
I don’t buy books very often. I prefer searching for them in my family home, or in old libraries, where they sell or donate books which are about to be thrown away. For me, every book has its own history, inside and out, so I don’t mind if the book is a little torn.
One of the reasons I love reading so much is that you can escape into another world for a moment. It feels good to ignore all the pressure we have nowadays.”
Storage:
“It may seems weird, but I like to tidy. Surfing is a sport where you don’t have control of everything, much like life. For this reason I tend to clean and tidy my stuff, and it makes me feel better. It feels like I’m sorting out my head at the same time as the room I’m cleaning. During this time I think, listen to music, accept and realise what’s on my mind and make space for new things, both literally and metaphorically.
I throw away what is broken and can’t be repaired (if this is really the case), and I recycle or donate what I don’t need anymore. This way, it’s better and useful for everyone.
As an athlete, I think it’s really important to have a certain control over what you have, it’s a part of the balance. If you have too many things on your mind, you won’t be able to perform as well as you could do. For this reason, tidying things up for me is not only a hobby, but also a need.”
If you’re enjoying these insights into the lives of the Rebel Ambassadors, then make sure you check back for more entries into, “What We Do When It’s Flat”.
You can find out more about Marine by clicking here.
