My Pipedream – by Michael Bishop
In an attempt to inspire those who are struggling with substance abuse to find sobriety and pursue their dreams, I have decided to use Kickstarter to raise funds to write and publish a memoir about my ongoing addiction recovery – and how my sobriety has given rise to a fulfilling life of adventure. The project will be about my journey to find out what it takes for a novice surfer to surf the deadliest wave in the world: the Banzai Pipeline. My Pipedream will be the story of what it means to dare to dream an impossible dream, of what it means to use fear to motivate a life of courageous resolve, of what it means to stand in awe before the forces of nature, and ultimately of what it means to flourish in one’s humanity. Writing this story will represent the culmination of my recovery, my education, and my goal to inspire the recovery community.
Rather than diving into the specifics of the project (which can be found at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/749806455/my-pipedream-a-memoir-about-chasing-the-impossible), I’d like to talk about why I’m doing what I’m doing – both in terms committing to such a crazy journey, and in terms of using Kickstarter to launch the project.
I’ve been sober for a year and a half, largely thanks to the lifestyle I’ve cultivated since moving back to Hawaii almost three years ago. The cornerstone of that lifestyle was rock climbing; it provided me with an intrinsically rewarding pursuit that motivated me to get as healthy, strong, and flexible as possible – every day lost to a hangover became anathema. It also provided me with endless mental challenges by directly forcing me to confront anxiety, insecurity, and self-doubt. All that is to say nothing of the pulse-pounding surges of epinephrine that climbing consistently delivered, and which became the perfect fix for a sober addict who’s always been seeking out new experiences at the fringes of human experience.
Perhaps more importantly than all of the individual, subjective benefits rock climbing had on my life, it made me part of a vibrant and adventurous community. Shortly after moving back to Oahu, I happened to meet the owner of Hawaii’s only climbing shop and guide service. As fortune would have it, he hired me to be one of his guides, installing me in a position that would allow me to become a very engaged member of the climbing community and mentor to new initiates. I thoroughly enjoyed the work and found it to be very fulfilling – life was good. But rock climbing was still very much an esoteric mystery in the water-sport-dominated consciousness of Hawaii – and this lack of understanding would be brought to light by a terrible accident.
To spare you the injudicious details of the State’s actions (which I will not do in my book) , I will simply say that out of concern for liability the State of Hawaii enacted a triad of area closures that not only brought my vocation as a guide to a grinding halt, but also completely disenfranchised the climbing community as a whole. Battling this injustice, month after month, with nothing to show for it led to an unparalleled level of frustration. However, that frustration is precisely what motivated me to chart my present course.
Needing something physically, mentally, and spiritually engaging, I turned to surfing to maintain my well-being. But I still needed something to do – with myself, with my life – to live meaningfully. Having a strong desire to use my experiences and background to help others, in addition to a deep wellspring of creativity and boundless passion for adventure, I decided that I wanted to write the story of my recovery while pursuing the nearly impossible dream of surfing Pipeline. I had this vague ambition in mind for months before a chance encounter reminded me of a discussion I’d had about Kickstarter.
I have always seen myself as a writer – having excelled at it throughout my academic career (which resulted in a psychology degree with a philosophy minor), and having kept detailed travel and personal journals for many years – but I now dream of making that perception into a reality by using my creativity and storytelling ability to make a living as an author. Kickstarter is the perfect platform for this, as it allows me to generate the funds to self-publish my first book while in pursuit of the inspiring journey that will be it’s subject matter. It is an altogether revolutionary way for artists of all types to stake their claim as professionals in their field, entirely obviating the usual roads through galleries, publishers, producers, etc. and allowing talent that might otherwise remain undiscovered to emerge. It allows our dreams to come true with the help of the greater community we hope to share our works with. Please take this opportunity to support my emergence as a new creative force in the literary world.
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