“It should be play, there’s no reason to take that label away just because you’re not a child. It’s a moment that I get to just experience being a human being I think.”
In the first of 3 short films, we follow escapologist Nate Duffy on a weekend escape from city to coast in his ‘80s Toyota rolling home, Clifford.
Nate lives and works in Portland, Oregon. Weekends are a time to hit pause, finding a mental escape in the process of fixing up the truck, then heading out west to the coast to recharge in search of a little connection with nature.
“My pursuit of happiness is really finding the means to an end. And to be outside as much as possible.
I grew up in Washington on a peninsula, so I was surrounded by water. I got to Portland in 2012/13, it didn’t really matter what I was cutting my teeth doing Monday through Friday as long as I was able to become this like, embodiment of my childhood and grow that inner child in me.
Clifford, the big red dog, is a 1984 (and a half) Toyota pickup trick. Repairing my truck and learning new skills is also something that I’ve adapted to bringing me more, you know, more of a mental escape.”
“The entire experience starts for me the moment I wake up. The coffee's going and breakfast is being made and the truck is being loaded. It’s not about the speed of the process for me, it’s more about… I’m enjoying tying the boards down, going through the checklist, making sure all the stuff’s in the truck.
Then I’m really just released from the harness of the nine-to-five, and the work week. It’s running fine, I’m running fine, there’s food and beer in the back of the truck. Whether we get there and there’s nothing to surf, or there is, we’re gonna have a good weekend no matter what.
“Everything is special about here, and I think that revolves seasonally as well. You get this full four season experience here.
Oregon specifically has things that remind me of home, but it always has like this new frontier sense to it when I’m experiencing it. And more so than even just getting a good wave is, I like to just sit there and appreciate that I’m just sharing this moment in nature that’s timeless.
It’s like, the waves don’t care that you’re sitting there, the walls of the cove have been there for thousands of years, dissolving, the rocks are there and you’re in your haven so all's right with the world.
Escapism to me, is finding the moments between all of life’s hecticness and demands. It should be considered play, there’s no reason to take that label away just because you’re not a child anymore. It’s a moment that I get to just experience being a human being I think. Make play happen… yeah.”
Credits
Featuring: Nate DuffyFilm: Dorian Warneck, Person People
Production: Battenhall & All Conditions Media
Executive Producer: Samuel Westley
Photography: Boone Rodriguez
