Rick Miskiv | Photographer | Business Owner | San Diego
Rick has always been drawn to nature, and acquires inspiration from everything he sees - something which drives his work profusely. As a child, Rick spent plenty of time surrounding himself in the wonders of the world. As an adult, he’s traveled across the world to gain insight into a variety of topics by working a number of jobs ranging from the mundane to the eccentric.
Presently, Rick’s attention is drawn to his company, 22 degrees, where his ocean-loving lifestyle meets his entrepreneur-mind. Although, he doesn’t allow his career to deter him from his true love - Mother Nature.
Where are you from? Where are you based now?
Massachusetts > San Fransisco > Japan > Malaysia > Thailand> Palau> San Diego
What is a typical day like for you?
Engaging with nature. I live right near the beach, and I spend a lot of time in and around the ocean. I've been surfing almost daily since Covid hit, and focusing on photography, whilst also working on my brand - ‘22 Degrees’.
When did you first pick up a camera and shooting underwater?
I’ve been doing photography since High School with a Canon AE1 35mm, and I first started shooting underwater photography in 2016 with a Canon 5D MK3 (I now use a Nikon D810). But before I even picked up an underwater housing I had spent years getting close to wildlife and learning about the ocean as a dive master. Especially significant was my time living and working in Palau.
What/who currently inspires you?
There have been many lessons from the hardships we have collectively faced this year, and over and over, when faced with challenges, the ocean has always been my teacher. Currently my experiences surfing and learning to relax through longer and more forceful hold downs, along with my encounters with sea lions and dolphins, have been particularly inspirational. Nature always inspires me, and my favourite moments lately consist of being alone on my board, in the water from sunset to dark, watching the wind die down, the water turn glassy, and the shift of the Rothko-esque colours of sunset to monochrome.
What path did you choose after leaving school?
A path of constant learning, change, and adventure: BFA Art school> bike messenger> social change program coordinator / youth work in Boston > art teacher > MFA > Director of Academic Computing > Design Lecturer in Japan > Dive master / Instructor > Lived in a dojo / Aikido instructor > Freelance VR production for Ocean NGOs > Systems Admin > Business owner
What are the fondest memories from your upbringing that you feel impacted your life choices and lifestyle today?
I spent my early childhood in Southern New Jersey, often wandering alone in the woods finding lizards, frogs and fireflies. My first experience of the ocean was in Atlantic City, where I begged my parents to let me go in the old diving bell ride on the Steel Pier, so that I could go underwater. As I child I fantasized about staying underwater as long as I could, and would hold the ladder in the pool and inhale the air from under each rung to try to stay under longer.
What do you value most in life?
Being alive, the feeling of truly feeling awake. My family, friends, my dog. The ocean.
What brings you the most joy?
That moment when you are alone immersed in nature and you lose your sense of humanness and are completely in the moment. When it happens it is magic. Ive experienced it looking into the eyes of a humpback whale, or quietly staying in one spot on a reef in Palau being as still as possible until the marine life accept my presence.
Are there any books/documentaries that have guided your thinking?
It would be challenging to list a life time of influences… but the visual arts, film and music have probably influenced my thinking the most. Artists that stand out include the work of Edward Burtynsky and James Turrell. Annie Dillard's short story, Teaching a Stone to Talk, comes to mind. Kurosawa's Dersu Uzala. I've practiced Aikido for 25 years and the teaching / writings of the founder Ueshiba Morihei.
What would you most like to change in the world/environment today?
Our culture. It currently feels overwhelmingly self-absorbed, materialistic, and chaotic. While living in Palau and other cultures I had an opportunity to live within a true sharing culture and a way of life that was grounded in a more human scale of time. I think it would be beneficial if our culture was more grounded in the present.
What advice would you give to anyone looking to follow their dreams as an ocean Storyteller?
The same advice my dear friend Ken in Palau once gave me. I was new and eager to learn how to read the currents. Having grown up in Palau and lived on the ocean all his life, Ken was an expert waterman and had an intrinsic knowing. As we rolled up to Blue Corner one morning he said, “it's incoming, but it's going to switch”. I asked him, “how do you know? How do you read the current so quickly?”. He paused and seemingly carefully collected his thoughts, before suddenly turning to me and snapping "You just look”.
It took me months to actually learn what he saw, but my advice would be the same to anyone else. You have to look.
What legacy do you hope to leave?
Kindness, sharing, learning and teaching, having contributed something to the greater good. Having used this opportunity to have lived a full life rich with experience.