……After my first handful of boards i got asked to build a board for a friend, then another friend, then a friend of friend, then friends of friends of friends of friends, and so on it went. It was never my intention to make a business out of my passion, things just grew naturally over time…people kept coming and I kept saying yes because I got such a buzz out of making boards, but also because I loved making people happy with my creations.

The pressure of the first handful of customs was totally overwhelming! I was sabotaging myself with my own need for perfectionism and my feelings of ‘imposter syndrome’ were through the roof.

But at the same time I enjoyed pushing myself into achieving more with each one I made, and i discovered that the pure stoke I got from getting back the positive ride reports, was a totally new high. I was getting experienced surfers come back to me and say the board they just tried was one of the best they had ever ridden, and it eventually gave me the confidence I needed in my shaping to put myself out there and believe in my own abilities.

I continued making customs in and out of different workshops and sheds until 2016 when I finally got my own decent space in Swimbridge at the old tannery where I am still shaping now. In 2019 Just before covid hit, I had decided to take a break and study nutrition for a year, and other than producing boards for myself I put Miller surfboards on the back burner while I pursued other projects. Plus I felt like I really needed a break after 7 years of continuously producing customs! As any shaper will tell you, what we do is hard work…there’s lots of dust, lots of chemicals, lots of spending every day in a dust or vapour mask, and it can take its tol.

Fast forward to 2024 and after my wayward detour, I decided it was finally time to start saying yes again to the requests from my followers to get back in the shaping bay. I was getting the ‘itch’ once more!

For me it actually came at the right time as 2025 turned out to be the toughest and craziest year of my life after splitting from my wife and partner of 26 years. As anyone who has gone through divorce knows, your whole world explodes. Amongst all the chaos though, building boards has kept me grounded and getting out of bed in the morning. It has provided a focus on days when my mind has been spinning, and it’s given me respite on the days when the noise in my head has felt overwhelming. Its helped get me through, given me purpose.

…..and It’s amongst all that chaos that I decided it was time to pursue the idea of teaching others how to shape their own boards and pass on the stoke!

So 2026 is here, and I'm excited to be moving forward, evolving Miller surfboards, meeting more amazing people, sharing the stoke, surfing more, and most importantly having more fun!

Ellie