Pain isn’t the goal in skateboarding — but it becomes part of the loop that keeps you going anyway.

Arto Saari reflects on the blurred line between pain, repetition, addiction and obsession in skateboarding. From repeated injuries to the mindset required to keep pushing through them, he breaks down why skaters often return to the same impact over and over again.

It’s not framed as toughness or recklessness, but as something more complicated — a cycle where progression, adrenaline, and identity all overlap. Pain becomes part of the language of skating, even when no one is actively chasing it.

In this clip, Arto unpacks how that experience sits somewhere between necessity and instinct, and why walking away is never as simple as it sounds when skateboarding has shaped your entire way of moving through the world.

Listen to the full conversation here: https://youtu.be/9zl9VsrUAvg

→https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNH5UGRKI5E1AUBWAk-OkrA?sub_confirmation=1

About The Plug
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The Plug w/ Justin Jay is an arts and culture podcast featuring unfiltered, long-form interviews with the artists, entertainers, and innovators shaping today’s world. Each episode explores career challenges, inspirations, and the stories behind music, sports, design, and politics.

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Follow the audio podcast of The Plug w/ Justin Jay every → https://www.theplugwithjustinjay.com

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Topics: music production, New York City history, hip-hop history, creative process, professional surfing, comedy, photography, arts & entertainment

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