HANNAH EDDY

INTERVIEW. CAITLIN MURRAY ILLUSTRATIONS. HANNAH EDDY

Hey Hannah! Your work is rad, tell us a bit about how it all started for you.

I have drawn and painted for as long as I remember and always loved it. When I look back in old sketchbooks, I can see how at the heart of it, my style and interests haven’t really changed all that much. I used to draw cartoons and dragons and aliens and all that good stu , and I basically still do. I have obviously dialled and re ned my style, which just naturally happens over years and years of creating and nding things that really resonate with you. I love to use colourful combinations of funky characters, imaginative landscapes, bold line work, and free- owing hand lettering.

You’re a snowboarder & skater. Did this contribute to the progression of your artistic style?

I’ve been snowboarding and skating since I was super young and have always been really into the whole free-thinking and creative culture that’s included. Board graphics have always been super fun and inspiring to me, and I would even redraw the logos or graphics and make my own fake company ideas all the time. My artistic style today is greatly in uenced by my love for riding boards. I really enjoy having a balance for my creative outlets. One is outside having fun in nature, and the other is a quiet and meditative solo activity, but both are so fun and ful lling to me. My art life and snowboard/skate life are so completely intertwined that I can’t imagine one without the other.

The snowsports industry is fairly male-dominated in most areas. How was the industry towards female creators when you rst started, and where do you feel it is now?

I think it’s really valuable to see „someone like you” do the things you aspire to do, so representation absolutely matters. The whole „if they can do it, I can do it” feeling is important for con dence, motivation, and inspiration. If there can be a place for all sorts of underrepresented groups to get a bigger platform within the art world or snowboarding [or everything else for that matter], I feel like it can do nothing but good for everyone. But, compared to people of colour, transgender, and plus-size, for example, I feel that women are pretty well represented in snowboarding [and art], so it’s a hard topic to fully tackle from this angle. At the base of all of this is the importance of providing equal opportunities for young people [or anyone] to actually have access to the activities they wish to get into. This is de nitely easier in the art world because it’s not as pricy or limited to your location as it is to get into snowboarding which makes it super tricky. If more people have access and encouragement to get into the activity, di erent types of people will be involved, leading to more being represented. I think it’s this that is the problem in snowboarding.

I think inclusivity and support are the keys to encouraging more women to get involved in the creative side of sports. Do you have any advice for women of any age who are trying to do the same?

I think it’s really cool to see more and more women in skating/ snowboarding/sur ng follow a more unique and creative path within the industry. You can love these activities and base your life around them without following the typical route of being a sponsored professional athlete. There are ways to make a living as an artist, musician, lmer, editor, or many other creative positions and still get to be part of the activities you love. My advice to break into this creative world would be to keep doing what you love and what is authentic to you. Practice is huge, and patience is key. If you are authentic and doing unique stu , other people may start to catch on even if you’re from an underrepresented group [you might just have to work a bit harder to get noticed or respected]. The best part about this is that even if no one seems to notice or you’re not getting what you thought you wanted out of it, at least you are doing what you love every day and making intentional life decisions based on what makes you happy, and that sounds pretty much like a freakin’ win to me.

“YOU CAN LOVE THESE ACTIVITIES AND BASE YOUR LIFE AROUND THEM WITHOUT FOLLOWING THE TYPICAL ROUTE OF BEING A SPONSORED PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE. EVEN IF NO ONE SEEMS TO NOTICE OR YOU’RE NOT GETTING WHAT YOU THOUGHT YOU WANTED OUT OF IT, AT LEAST YOU ARE DOING WHAT YOU LOVE EVERY DAY AND MAKING INTENTIONAL LIFE DECISIONS BASED ON WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY.”

BIT.” ORDER TO HELP NICE THE PLACE UP A AND MEANINGFUL ARTWORK IN MOTIVATION IN CREATING POSITIVE GLOOM IN THE WORLD, I HAVE FOUND “THERE’S SO MUCH DOOM AND

Your work is so positive and motivating to just keep on truckin’ and doing your own thing. How do you keep your work and yourself so positive in a time where everything feels a little fucked up…

There’s so much doom and gloom in the world, I have found motivation in creating positive and meaningful artwork in order to help nice the place up a bit. If I can encourage or inspire my fellow humans to pick up a board, hop on a bike, feel the wind, start a painting, get a little weird, appreciate the funkiness in nature, or just give a shit about our planet and each other then I feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. That’s what keeps me going! It doesn’t always have to be happy rainbows and butter ies all the time because that’s not realistic, and that’s not how I always feel, but I do tend to like either making people chuckle or smile or have a little moment of re ection or contemplation with my art. Also, some people don’t realise that these phrases and quotes that I come up with in my art are helping my own mental health in addition to spreading a message that I hope might helps others as well.

You’ve done collabs with Autumn, had prints in Jérôme Tanon’s ‚Heroes’ book, painted amazing murals and also created snowboard and skate graphics. Is there anything from your career that you’re particularly stoked about more than others?

I feel so grateful to have been able to do all these things with my art so far. It’s really been so amazing. Jérôme’s book project was such a cool thing to be a part of, and it’s so amazing all the e ort he put into a project that celebrates women and will hopefully have a lasting impact on the snowboard industry. Also, when Barrett Christy hit me up the rst time to do a GNU board graphic, I couldn’t even believe it. I think that’s when it hit me that I was really doing it! I had been drawing and dreaming of designing board graphics since I was a kid, not to mention that I had Barrett’s posters all over my room, so it was really a full-circle experience. Since then, I have gotten to work with Barrett and GNU on several board designs, which are so fun! It’s super cool to see people out there on the mountain ripping around on a piece of my art. On top of the design and illustration aspect of my art, I have gotten more into murals lately, which is really amazing. Thanks to another fellow snowboarder, Pat Milbery, who has become quite the muralist. He invited me to be involved in a mural festival last fall and allowed me to paint my rst huge wall. It totally got me hooked, and I have since gotten to paint more and more murals. I love the public aspect of murals and how there is no barrier of entry for people to see the art. It’s out there for everyone to enjoy [or not]! I’m excited to paint more of them and have been trying to prioritise mural projects lately.

Any tips for keeping up with a hectic schedule?

I make sure there is always time in the day for skating, snowboarding, sur ng, mountain biking, or other fun outdoor activities. That’s where I get my inspiration and how I keep my motivation up. For me, there needs to be a nice balance of work and life, which gets tricky [in an awesome way] when you would do most of your „work” for fun. My husband, Tim, has been super supportive and helpful and has taken on some duties that help ease my workload. It’s amazing to nd a partner that you can bounce ideas o and someone that keeps you organised, keeps you on track and makes sure you’re having a damn good-ass time along the way.

What are you working on at the moment?

Right now, I am working on some fun client projects, mostly illustration/ design work, and I have a few murals coming up that I am starting to sketch out ideas for. I have also been trying to ramp up my personal products on my online store, like shirts, prints, stickers, and hats. Focusing a little more on my own products allows me full creative control in the product, the design, and how it’s marketed, which is really satisfying. I am able to ship worldwide now without it being crazy expensive, too, which has been nice. I get so psyched and humbled when I see people wearing my art. So, thank you for all the support out there and for allowing me to draw fun stu for a living. I couldn’t do it without all of you!

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GALLERY 22.3 PAGE 04 AND 05

PHOTO. LIAM GLASS

Blue Tomato Team Rider: Anna Gasser | Pic: Sani Alibabic

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