Southern Spotlight

country. The detached back house has an apartment and studio. The spacious property offers a welcoming reprieve for its residents to work. To date, South Porch Artists Residency has hosted several artists, writers, and musicians, mostly from the Southeast. Brad states, “the idea is not that you must go far away, you just must get away to concentrate on your art."

Brad and Brian have wholeheartedly embraced their new community with open arms and have received a warm welcome in return. When talking about their decision to move to Summerville, Brain reiterates, “Moving here and being within walking distance of the well-used town square, and looking at the beautiful oak trees with Spanish moss, was idyllic but it wasn’t until we actually moved in, and we met the warm, lovely people that we really felt comfortable with our decision.” AM

More information can be found at southporchartists.org

134 S Main St, Summerville, SC Phone: (843) 875-8985 eastwindsonline.com

by Eliza Chapman Bailey

Grand Martial Martial artist, Mark Deschenes

Martial arts are a codified system of physical transitions developed for self-defense and combat thousands of years ago. Today, self-defense, self-discipline, mental, spiritual, and physical wellbeing, military and law enforcement training are reasons people practice martial arts. Predominantly associated with Asiatic cultures, the most popular types of martial arts include Kung Fu, Judo, Aikido, Taekwondo and Karate. Brought to America in 1950, by South Korean Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee, Taekwondo is a striking art that uses punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, open handed techniques, grappling and throws to overcome an opponent. The techniques of Taekwondo and Karate are almost indistinguishable, and the terms are often interchanged. Inspired by action film icons, Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee, local professional fishing guide and Grandmaster Mark Deschenes started taking Taekwondo classes during college in West Virginia.

“Because they were capable of handling any situation, Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris were two of my childhood heroes. Their dedication to perfection and demand for the best in themselves motivated me to do the same” (Brown, p. 235).

Deschenes was fortunate to study under and eventually teach with Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee in Washington, DC. Returning home to Summerville, in 1986, he opened a Dojo on Trolley Road.

“Martial Arts taught me discipline, and perseverance giving me the confidence to replace fear with courage; it groomed and prepared me for the challenges I’d face in life; becoming a landlord, business owner and professional fisherman” (Brown, p. 234).

A gifted, passionate educator, Deschenes, a seventh-degree black belt (and former

1895 Bacon’s Bridge Road Summerville, SC 29485 (843) 875-4650

111 Central Avenue Goose Creek, SC 29445 (843) 553-2259

A Life of Discipline Continued

manager and instructor at the National Karate Institute) is articulate in his instruction. His ability to observe, tweak and refine the skills of others transcends both his vocation as a professional fisherman and martial arts Sensei. He believes most limitations in life are selfimposed. Sometimes, people are not aware of what they can achieve until it is introduced. Through discipline and hard work, he encourages his students to raise their expectations and believe in the impossible. Deschenes' martial arts instruction models Taekwondo’s foundation by paying rigorous detail to technique. By mastering the basic tenets of Taekwondo's discipline, he has found his students are intrinsically motivated to challenge themselves to be the best they can be throughout life.

Recently, Deschenes was inducted into the Black Belt Instructor’s Hall of Fame for training 49 world champions. Three of which are continuing in his footsteps by opening their own dojos and reinforcing the cultural legacy of martial arts. He is the embodiment of the Chinese proverb, “Give a man a fish he will eat for a day; Teach a man to fish he will eat for a lifetime.” AM

Brown, J. (2022). Marc Deschenes. In The American Martial Arts Alliance Foundation Changing Lives Series Biography Book (Vol. 7, pp. 234–235). Independently Published.