I was recently watching some of the Pipeline Masters, the last stop on the World Surf League tour in North Shore, Oahu, where I became sort of disturbed at the lack of general creativity and uniqueness with the athletes. Of course a competition was on the line, meaning money and acclaim, so I didn't really expect much besides people like the local John John or the Frenchman Flores to surf in the way they could rack up points with the judges. Nevertheless, I believe any other casual observer while respecting the performances would of felt slightly bored watching, even if the waves weren't as bad and the conditions were epic. If you're doing the same maneuvers, with the same caution as the rest, it's a sure way to make a bore out of what is suppose to be an exciting and extreme sport.
Surfing has fully evolved from a rebellious counter-culture activity, primarily based on trying to be different and stand out from the crowd with this thing called—style, to a full fledged competitive sport trying to emulate tennis or soccer. Yes, in these sports style is also important, though in individual ones like surfing, skateboarding, or dancing, style is the fundamental feature that sets you apart and ultimately is what you're judged on. Watching how a surfer flows on a wave, leveraging what it has to offer, and creating distinct lines all reflect the element of style taken for granted for the sake of doing tricks to score better.
It's not just in physical activities; the quality of how something is done or rather its workmanship, is equally important in the arts. How many times have you read a book or some written piece with a whole lot of content, very good and useful content to be sure, but so dry you felt it required an elevated amount of effort just to comprehend the material? In the opposite spectrum, I have often listened to music which had subpar lyrics but the production was lively enough to sustain my interest even though the musicians could of made their content better. Having equally well crafted content and form is certainly the optimal combination, though the crucial aspect of an art like surfing is seen by its workmanship.
The final end of consuming and creating is for the sake of enjoyment; and there's few things more enjoyable then the cognizance you get from well done workmanship. In the fields of music, sports, and various arts people acknowledge and appreciate quality when they see it, so how come the same can't be said for writing? I have stood in amazement reading a verse from Dante or prose from Thoreau, in the same way as after listening to the melody of a Rachmaninoff Concerto or from Quik's Groove III.
Writers are suppose to only provide "good content", valuable content that helps readers with a problem, whatever that may be and that's really their sole purpose. It almost seems like style is not to be expected, or if anything, it's noted as superfluous and not to be given much attention beside what was actually said. I sometimes wonder how much civilization misses out on the joys of a sound and healthy appreciation for style in literature; perhaps the humane life wouldn't feel so inaccessible.
