Ivy Miller Is Paving Her Own Path

Hey Ivy! What’s your surfing life look like these days?

Well, I go on trips with my family a lot, I’ve got some sponsor trips here and there, and then I go on friend trips. But I’m mainly prioritizing family and friend adventures right now. And just relaxing and having as much fun as possible. I feel like you lose that a little bit when you make work the main focus around something you love. So, I’m just trying to focus on finding the joy and the inner-child part of it again.

Speaking of all the other things you have going on, if you had to have a job title these days, what would that be? Would it be…surfer?

No, no. I wouldn’t say that surfing is my primary job. I would say that comedy, as a whole, is my main thing. I write, I create skits for brands, pitch decks for companies that they send to their influencers, and mainly writing…I create a lot of little “funnies.” That’s what I call ‘em.

As for your role as an “influencer” – what’s that like?

Initially, I used to be really embarrassed about the title “influencer.” Just because the types of people it can attract. You know, you see @InfluencersInTheWild, and it’s like, oh man. Cringe. But also, I’ve come to a new appreciation with it, that I’m so thankful that I can have that as a component of my career. I don’t necessarily do paid posts anymore. But I do like the concept of me getting to be me, and then getting paid for it. It’s evolved to a platform where I can be myself, and if a brand aligns with that and feels authentic, then I will work with them. Otherwise, I don’t need to. And I don’t need to go scraping at the bottom of the barrel.

So, I think it’s actually really cool. And I have a lot of friends who are just getting into it now. They had nine-to-five jobs, and they’re like, ‘I’m over this. I wanna do something else. I wanna follow my passion.’ Influencing is a way to get to where they wanna be. And it works! They’re doing what they love, they’re happy, and they’re getting paid for it. It’s cool that we’re living in a day and age where we can monetize upon our passions.

Talk about this new thing you’ve been doing, where you’re interviewing celebrities on rollercoasters. How’d that come about?

I was filming a show with Netflix that got canceled. But during that, me and the producers were spit-balling ideas for other things, and that one just stuck. Everybody always goes into those interviews all confident, thinking they’re going to handle it really well, and then they get terrified. No matter who they are. I will say, Vince Staples kept his cool. I give him credit.

Back to the comedy stuff, how has that been evolving?

I did stand-up for, like, five years. I liked that a lot. But the thing is, I’m so sensitive to my surroundings, and if I’m being honest with you, I think comedy clubs are pretty dark. It’s hard for me to hang out there a lot. Nowadays, it’s fun for me to perform stand-up occasionally. But the amount of time you gotta put in, you’ve gotta pretty much live at the comedy club.

There’s a bunch of different components. Making skits for me is really fun. But I don’t really do characters as hard as I used to. I’m just trying to honor how I feel, and how my personality is evolving. It is changing. I do like making people laugh – that’s one constant. And I do like being goofy. I like writing. I like using comedy as a puzzle to see a different angle than you normally would. But at the same time, I’m still really open. My entire career has been such a surprise. At this point, I have no attachments to outcomes. I’m really open to however it’s going to work out.

Do you think you’re more well-known, these days, as a comedian or a surfer?

The whole concept of “people knowing me” is so bizarre, dude. I just don’t comprehend that our little phones equal so many people. So, when people come up to me, and they recognize me from something, it’s just so crazy to me. In my head, my phone is just a little square thing. And I mostly just post for me and my friends. When I hear that other people are enjoying what I’m doing, that makes me stoked. But as far as people knowing me? I don’t know. I’m just vibing.

Was this path – with surfing, influencing, comedy, rollercoasters, all of it – was this premeditated or did it just unfold that way?

It definitely just happened. I’m really blown away by the way it’s all played out. I remember being in high school, and being like, ‘I wanna surf and snowboard and get paid!’ When I was a grom, you were either on Tour or not. That was the only way to get paid. And I wrote that down in my journal. Then, five years later, I looked at it when I had my show with Red Bull, and they were like, ‘Can you just, like, be you?’ And I was, like, ‘Yeah!’ I was able to just surf and snowboard and have fun. I didn’t know that was an option. The way that it has unfolded has been such a pleasant surprise, and I’m so thankful for it. I’m a firm believer that your future is so customized to what you put out, and how you treat people, and your motivation. And I think things come to you when they do. I’m constantly surprised and thankful for what’s come to me.

What’s next? Trips? Big projects? Or…another margarita by the pool?

My whole life is a margarita by the pool. [Laughs.]