It's Feature Friday here at Do Good HQ and we couldn't be more stoked on this next feature. Today's feature is on artist, surfer, model, advocate, and one of the most graceful, stylish and kind humans we know, Danielle Black Lyons! (Instagram: @salty.sol) 

Where are you from?

DBL: "I'm from the San Francisco Bay Area. I currently live in the coastal town of Oceanside, California with my husband and our nine year old son."

How did you start surfing? 

DBL: "I grew up bodyboarding in northern California. Surfing was a late, but natural progression and I picked up my first board on a trip to the big island of Hawai'i in college. Being a water woman my whole life, it was the one sport I hadn't attempted but always wanted to try. One day, the timing was right; I was in a low pressure environment, playfully trying out a friends board. I already knew how to catch waves from my body boarding past so I stood up on my first or second attempt. It was an immediate obsession after that!"

How has surfing affected you/ your life? 

DBL: "Surfing affects every aspect of my life. I live and exist by the changing tides, I bend my work schedule around the incoming swell. 
I rely on the ocean heavily, for exercise, leisure, socialization, isolation, mental health. It may sound consuming but it feels incredibly natural and my family understands and holds that space for me."

Super relatable! How did you get into making art? (For those that are new here, Danielle is also a great artist.)

DBL: "I've always been creative and played around with different mediums. From Play Doh and tempera paints as a child to acrylics and resins as an adult. I went on to study art in college, and reignited my passion seven years ago when we moved to San Diego. 

The Ocean is a huge source of my inspiration. I love drawing and painting waves and the people who ride them. It's my favorite thing to do besides surf."

Any advice/tips for young or aspiring surfers? (*Note to reader: This is one of the best responses we have heard. Let this one marinate!)

DBL: "Be brave and don't be afraid to take up space or ask for help. Surf culture is beautiful but it is also a melting pot of nepotism, localism, and systemic inequity that can be hard for newcomers to navigate. If this is a sport you love and want to excel at, you must be passionate, self motivated, and persistent in your practice. Get the proper gear (used boards are great when you're learning), take lessons or seek out advice from more experienced surfers in the lineup, be humble, share waves, and get to know your fellow surfers. Most importantly, have fun and smile! You are riding waves in the ocean, how cool is that?"

 

And finally... the long awaited question. Favorite post-surf snack? 

DBL: "Avocado toast with spike seasoning!"

 

Delicious! Thank you so much again, Danielle, for participating in our feature Fridays and for being YOU! That last response was a good reminder that we need to make some breakfast, so we will end it here. Thanks for tuning in! Check out her personal page/work on Instagram @salty.sol, her artwork on prints/ clothing at @herwaves, and her advocacy to diversify the lineup on @texturedwaves.