What is your name and where do you live?
My name is Maike Plenzke and I live in Berlin, Germany.

How long have been drawing skateboard sketches and why?
Oh I’ve only started drawing them, when I started longboarding myself in 2017, because I wanted to share the joy I got from it.

Where do you get the inspiration from?
I followed some longboarders on instagram, like seck_aboubakry for example, who is amazing! I’m not good enough to do all those tricks myself, I should practise more.

What does skateboarding mean to you?
I’m probably not as much into it as other people, because my first passion is bouldering which I do more often. But whenever I feel down, I can just ride the board a bit in the morning and practise some easy tricks and I will be so much more relaxed. It just gives me that feeling of freedom and serenity, when I feel stuck with something during my workday.

If there is one thing you could change about skateboarding, what would it be?
It’s not about skateboarding itself because I’m not far enough into the scene, that I would know. Really more a problem with myself…. I wish I would have started earlier when i was in my teens, but I was far too intimidated by all the boys skating when I was young. So, I never even tried back then. Being a freelance illustrator and needing your hands for work is also a big factor that kept me away from it. If I break my wrist, I can’t work and won’t earn money. But one day I was like “fuck it, i’ll just try!”. That’s why I ride in full protective gear, even though it’s maybe not “cool” or whatever and is a bit of a hindrance when dancing, but it’s better than not skating at all in fear of breaking something.