Hannah Eddy surfs the earth on bike, board, wheels, making art for activism from all the elements, in the environments she lives. She lives to the beat of her own drum, literally. She plays the drums, and she channels the rhythm and flow of the snow, skate, surf, and art that inspires her in all that she does. Hannah doesn’t live in excess. She and Tim pretty much pioneered the tiny home thing, and they made it look fun. And then, they moved out of that and embarked on a bike ride across the country on a tandem bike. With everything they needed in a couple of saddle bags. Hannah does radical, and she does it with style, sustainably, and in a conscious, minimalistic way. We at Mervin share the radical consciousness with Hannah, and we are stoked to partner with her and feature her artwork on the new Gnu Velvet and BMBW upshot bindings. Learn a little about what inspires Hannah below and follow her on the socials, you know she is going to do something radical!
The Velvet Graphic and BMBW Upshot feature your artwork and they are both a team favorite! What was the inspiration behind the space theme, and the surf the earth dude?
We are all floating around in space and don’t even know why we are on this planet, which I think is pretty cool. I’ve always loved drawing fun space illustrations and the Earth shredding represents our planet ripping through space and how we are all just along for the ride.
Your art reflects your love of the ocean, mountains, earth and air. What was your first love… snow? Concrete? Waves? Dirt? Were they always weaved together in your life or did one lead you to the next?
I grew up on the coast of Maine so I always connected with the ocean, but when I discovered snowboarding I really fell in love with the mountains and snow. I’m lucky to have grown up in a place where I had the balance of both the mountains and ocean, but as soon as I graduated high school I moved out west for bigger mountains, and really fell in love with Splitboarding out here. Later in life I got way more into skating, and surfing is something I wish I got to do more…but I love them all!
You seem like you are constantly on the move, pursuing your passions, and creating along the way. Have you always been an explorer or did you go through years of school and structure to make it to this point?
I’ve always been on the hunt for adventure. I try to pursue my passions alongside whatever schooling or work I find myself doing, it’s what keeps me motivated. I majored in Studio Art in college but took classes two days a week in the winter so I could snowboard as much as possible, it kept me sane. In the summers I worked at High Cascade Snowboard Camp, so really I based my life around snowboarding. After college I started working as a baker because it was a creative job and allowed for free afternoons to skate, snowboard, or paint. Now I’m able to balance freelance art, creative projects, and baking/catering as a way to keep exploring my passions.
You’ve spent a lot of time on a bike, what is your most memorable bike riding experience?
I definitely prefer to be standing sideways on a board, but bikes have always been a cool way to explore and travel. My husband Tim and I rode a tandem bike across the country from Washington to New Hampshire with our skateboards on the back stopping at skateparks (and a couple of weddings) along the way. That was by far one of the biggest adventures of our life!
Any rituals before riding? Any rituals while riding?
Before riding…always eat a fat breakfast, usually oatmeal with fruit and nut butter. While riding…stay in the moment.
What makes someone a good riding buddy? —They laugh when you slam…and they bring extra snacks.
Please tell us about Do Radical, and the effort to inspire people to live outside of the box.
Tim and I wanted to create a platform to share ideas and adventures to help encourage ourselves and others to live outside of the box and not fall into the monotony of everyday life. We have been enjoying doing fun little creative book projects that help raise money and awareness for Protect Our Winters.
Pow and Chow cookbook? What is it and where can we find it?
Pow and Chow is Do Radical’s newest project. It’s a plant-based cookbook that has simple and delicious recipes to cook at home or out on adventures. The recipes are all based around ingredients that are good for you and the planet. This book will also raise money for POW, help encourage people to incorporate plant-based meals into their rotation, and be a tool to cook good food anywhere. You can find the book on our website: doradical.com
A few questions from your fans (and my family):
Kickflips or back flips?
Both are equal because if I do one a year I’m feeling pretty good
Bunnies or puppies or kitties?
Kitties always and forever, I’m a cat lady with no cats
Tiny homes or mobile homes?
Mobile homes cause you don’t have to deal with permits and you can have beach front or mountain front property
Bongos or banjos?
Banging on bongos
Sweet or Savory?
Sweet tooth, if I’ve got dark chocolate and peanut butter I’m good
Also I’d like to mention that since I was about 11 years old I drew snowboard graphics in my sketchbooks and would dream of one day having my art on an actual snowboard… so thank you Mervin for literally making my dream come true! I even remember a specific drawing that was space themed!
Follow Hannah Eddy:
@hannaheddyart
@doradical
Heddyart.etsy.com
#ArtForActivism