About Me
HI, I'M ZO. I FOUNDED GHETTOSLIDER CLOTHING IN 1997. IT WAS FORMED AFTER TRAVELING FOR 2 YEARS WITH FRIENDS SNOWBOARDING ALL OVER THE WEST COAST, WORKING ODD JOBS AND LIVING IN CARS. WINTERS IN PARK CITY, SUMMERS IN MT.HOOOD. THE ADVENTURE DIDN'T START THERE OR STOP THERE, BUT IT IS WERE THE GHETTOSLIDER CREW WAS FORMED....THESE DAYS I'M A PROUD FATHER AND THE CREATOR/OWNER OF 3 COMPANIES, GD LAB, GHETTOSLIDER CLOTHING AND GREENTEEZ.ORG. EVERYDAY I LIVE AN INSPIRED AND CRAZY LIFE. BY TRADE IM AN ARTIST/ GRAPHIC DESIGNER AND NOT TOO BAD OF A SCREENPRINTER. LUCKY FOR ME I HAVE AN ABUNDANCE OF STUFF MONEY CAN'T BUY. I'M ALIVE FOR STARTERS, HEALTHY AND HAPPY SOME HOW. I'M SURROUNDED BY TALENTED AWESOME PEOPLE THAT I LOVE. THESE BALANCE OUT THE FACT THAT I'M HOMELESS HAVE NO CAR, AND MY COMPANIES HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING SINCE THEIR INCEPTION. LIFES A TRIP, TAKE IT.
LOVES: MY SON ZEHN, GHETTOSLIDER, SNOWBOARDING, AND A COUPLE OF GIRLS, YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE ;).
LIKES: ART! FOOD! SNOWBOARDING! DANCIN. THE GYM. THE STEAMROOM. SLEEP. HANGIN OUT. FAITH IN THE UNIVERSE. PEACE. PARTYING FROM TIME TO TIME.
DIS-LIKES: LYING TO OTHERS, JUDGING OTHERS, TALKIN SHIT ABOUT OTHERS, FEAR.
PHILOSOPHY: POOR MINDS SPEAK OF PEOPLE, AVERAGE MINDS SPEAK OF EVENTS, GREAT MINDS SPEAK OF IDEAS. ITS JUST LIFE, DON'T TAKE IT, OR YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY. THE ANSWER TO SUCCESS ISN'T FEAR, ITS FAITH. THERE IS NO GOOD, THERE IS NO BAD, THERE IS ONLY CHALLENGE. I TRULY BELIEVE THAT EVERYONE YOU MEET IN LIFE IS PUT INTO YOUR PATH FOR A REASON.
SALT LAKE CITY
MANY COMPLAIN BUT... I have traveled a lot, lived in 19 states, 3 countries so why Utah?. Salt Lake City may not be New York or LA but it has its perks. Sure it's ruled by the Mormons, but really, all the Mormons I know are pretty nice. As far as the Snowboarding scene goes, it is the Mecca. I'm from Canada, pretty F*ckin cold, always. Here, mild. Nice pow days alllll the time, good snow, never bad weather, hella sunny, laid back people, don't have to worry about getting shot. The club scene is okay, but I'm over clubbing so don't ask me. Frankly if you want to party, hang out with us. Ghettoslider throws phat shows, ironically at clubs (can't fit all of the supporters just in houses with kegs anymore). Most of all I decided that if Salt Lake had a better cultural mix and music scene it would be the perfect place, since it doesn't I have made Ghettoslider my mission to help make that change instead of sitting around and complaing about it. The Hip Hop scene is growing fast, Park City is close by (best town on earth).... So Salt lake isn't cool enough for you? Help out or move out suckas!!! I love it. Holler.
BUSINESS
STARTING YOUR OWN COMPANY IS EASY, YOU JUST NEED TO: work long hours, be patient, learn quickly, adapt to different situations, understand others, communicate well, come up with strings of hairbrained schemes that add up to a master plan, create art, do accounting, understand law, understand marketing, understand trends, set trends, help others, protect your assets, manage ridiculous amounts of stress, pain, money, not lose your soul in the process and have fun doing it all.
SNOWBOARDING
For some it's a sport. For me it is salvation. Simply put, it is a law of physics that you cannot create or destroy energy. Kids are full of energy, it cannot be destroyed, it must be expelled or must manifest somehow. The nature of that energy, however, can be altered by its environment. Example - When a young poor brown kid grows up in a world of violence, it's quite possible that he may carry with him loads of negative energy. How that energy manifests is ultimately up to him. As soon as he grows older he can direct that energy to crime and destructive behavior, or he can learn convert it, into positive actions, like riding, learning new things, self improvement and business. I was in a bad place growing up. The day I learned to snowboard I knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I dropped out of school, grabbed my shit and went on a trek to find everlasting snow. I found it by going to Park City Utah in the winter, and Mt.Hood in the summer. The day I learned to snowboard, was the day I decided I wouldn't end up in jail, or steal another car, or burn down another tool shed purely out of sport. Snowboarding made me a better man, because it allowed me to channel my negative energy into something good, and it gave me something to value, and hope and the belief that life isn't totally fucked. Please...try it. And if you happen to make it your lifestyle do me 1 favor. Always remember its about fun and having a healthy lifestyle, cause if you start taking it so seriously that you pass me on the hill and you mean mug me cause you think your cool, or hard, or that you snowboarding is the equivalent to curing cancer, i'll hit you.
