These days it’s pretty rare to encounter true, humble talents like Corban Campbell who have achieved a level of sustainable balance with their business and their craft. A Florida Man turned Ventucky native; he’s a skilled waterman, spearfisherman, surfer with an appetite for the overhead juice, naturally gifted photographer, shaper of alternative craft, and entrepreneur with a keen eye for design and unique aesthetics — it’s hard to believe he has time for it all. Corban, his partner, Raquel and their son, Oscar have carved their own special nook out of Ventura County with their amazing coffee shop, Singing Sun (a local favorite) and cozy abode in midtown. Their home is like a cross between a mountain cabin and the cabin of a boat, it is a frequent venue for BBQs + poke parties with friends, and it’s a sweet place to park the boat in between strike missions.

How did you find your way into a career in the surf industry?

I think surfing naturally pushed me in the direction of working with different surf companies. I liked a lot of aspects of working with surf companies: being able to travel, surf, and be creative. 

What were some highlights of working for Vissla in those days?

I was brought on really early with Vissla, before they actually had a name or logo, and to me that was much more exciting being able to help create something from scratch rather than work for something that was already all set up. I was hired as the team manager, but also was part of a very small team, so we each touched everything. It was cool to be apart of the shaping phase, There we’re others making decisions so naturally I didn’t get to design the team or mission statement, but did have a bit of say. It was awesome because in a sense the company was like here’s your team, activate them. Which was sort of a dream come true. Think about it; typically I’d ask my friends if they had time off work to go chase waves deep into Baja and rarely were they able to, now all of a sudden it’s my job to this — haha get in boys! That part was fun; to do down-and-dirty, real surf trips. I liked working with creative people such as Keegan Fong, Kenny Hurtado, Brian Elliott, Edgar Obrand, and Jeremiah Klein. The videos were probably my favorite thing to work on, that, and getting good waves. Around the 6 year mark I had my fill and wanted to no longer work for someone else and didn’t want to spend time away from my family.

You are like a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to fun and creative activities (fishing, boating, photography, art, surfing, shaping, etc.). How do you balance it all with running the coffee shop and family life?

Haha, I like having fun, but I also work hard. As much as I’m working towards things down the road I’m also living day by day. What’s all the hard work for if you’re not enjoying your life. I have a lot of hobbies… In terms of the coffee shop, Raquel is the glue that holds it all together in addition to working full time as an accountant for an architect firm. We have a really good general manager, Kim Pollo. She’s a life long friend and just an awesome person. We hire really good people and just sort of leave them alone. We pay them good and keep in mind that the cost of living in California is no joke, so maybe a big part of my answer is delegating. 

What does a typical day look like for you?

I drop off my son Oscar at school then head to the shop to see what’s broken and needs to be fixed, or check the waves, or shape, or go fishing/spearfishing. We’ve also been shooting little short videos of people in the community for the coffee shop called “Following The Coffee.” The only really routine thing about my day to day is Oscar drop off and pick up, the rest is very interchangeable.

When and how did you decide to start your own business with Singing Sun?

I had plateaued with my job prior and had kind of just completely lost interest. In my early years I had worked in a lot of restaurants and cafe type situations, including being the dishwasher at Outback Steakhouse! Haha I had had a lot of exposure to good coffee in my travels and once you’ve had the good stuff you can’t go back. My friend Jason Woodside another fellow Floridian in exile was trying to open another shop in addition to his NY city shop called Happy Bones. Jason, Keegan Fong, and myself started brainstorming. Simultaneously Jason’s art was taking off and he started doing all kinds of big jobs and getting busy, so then Keegs and I were planning it, and Keegan told me, “I want to do the coffee shop, but it’s ultimately a stepping stone for me, I want to open a Chinese comfort food restaurant in LA and use my moms recipes”. I don’t know a whole lot about Chinese food aside from its really good and I didn’t want to live that far from the beach, so he went his way and opened Woon Kitchen and it’s killing it. Naturally I continued down the specialty coffee trail. The coffee shop has ultimately been a platform for me to take a-lot of my skill set and put them together in one place. 

Where do you draw inspiration from in your photography?

I don’t know. It’s always really hard for me to put this stuff into words. It’s just kind of what sticks out to me. I love shooting portraits and odds n ends. I like photographers such as Bryan Schutmatt, Kenny Hurtado, Alec Soth, David Harvey Allen, Todd Hiddo, etc. I try to stick away from what the vast majority shoots, like the stuff that’s acceptable around the the Thanksgiving dinner table when asked what you shoot.