Fin Deedman
Title Photo:
Henry Bailey
Yes g! How’s it going my man?
It’s going well man! How are you doing?
Very well my man! Let’s start with some introductions: what’s your name and how old are you?
My name is Fin Deedman and I’m 18 years old.
You’ve just returned from a festival, right? First festival experience for you?
Yeah man first one, it was crazy haha. I was up in Bristol with my friends, and my girlfriend called me saying she had found tickets for this festival. I had no idea they were back on so I just decided then and there, I was going! I had to hustle a few more days off work, but it was on haha.
How did you find it? Any funny stories to report back? Festivals can be a bit mental from my experience haha…
Yeah man, the whole time was a crazy experience. You’re just in this little bubble away from the outside world. It took some getting used to! Saw The Chemical Brothers, which was probably one of my favourite experiences of my time there. They had these 20 foot robots coming out of the stage and all sorts. We were stood right at the front and there was this little kid right in the mosh, we were like, this kid is in the wrong place! Anyway, about an hour and a half later the kid was gone and the only trace of him was his shoe in the ground! Kinda crazy, I hope he wasn’t moshed into the mud and is okay out there!
You also just had a trip to Bristol with some of the H.A.N.D boy’s, right?
Yeah it was so good man, it was me, my friend Joey (Turnbull), Seth (Robson), Joe (Stokes) and Sam (Allison). But yeah, that trip was such a good time. A lot of skating went down! Everyone up there is so nice and they have the best accent ever haha, good people!
First time there?
I went up with my family recently just to check out some Uni campuses, but that wasn’t really a skate trip like this one.
You manage to hit many spots out there?
We spend quite a bit of time warming up in the centre, it’s just this smooth bit of flat ground with some small ledges. It looks like they’ve tried to skate stop it, but it makes it so much more fun. There’s all these bonks everywhere on the floor!
A lot of amazing DIY going on up there, I know you boys love some transition!
Yeah man, we hit up all the spots; M32, that DIY under the bridge, Daveside. The new little bowl up there is crazy. The DIY scene up there is so good man, so much going on! One thing I realised though, is that everything is so much harder to skate than you’d imagine! Especially all the little spots down Dean Lane. You go there with so many plans in your head, then you get there and struggle to even touch it haha! It makes you realise how amazing the locals are.
Sketch BookPages. Photo:
Henry Bailey
Any memorable stories? Get some Bristol partying done?
Well, the night that we got there it was right after the Euro final had ended, so that was pretty crazy. Everyone was so drunk man! Not all of us are 18 though, most of the boys are still 17, so we kept it pretty chill and skated the whole time.
You’re heading up to uni that way soon, aren’t you? What you gonna be studying?
Yeah man, I’m going to study diagnostic radiography. So basically, the person that takes all the medical scans like X-rays, MRI and CT scans.
That’s cool man! Where did the interest in this come from?
My mum works in the NHS as an occupational therapist, so I’ve always wanted to work in that sector. I’ve also had so many problems with my wrists, they’ve been fucked for the longest time. I didn’t realise until recently, but one’s been broken for like 2 years now haha. I’ve got to get a bone graft on it in a year or so, that’s why the double wrist guard has become my steez, ha! I’ve had loads and loads of X-rays on it, so I guess you could kind of call that field research for what I want to do at uni haha.
What are you hoping to do with it after uni?
Well half of the course is placement, so I’m going to be in hospitals working the job. They’re also keen for people to start NHS courses, so there’s pretty much a job guaranteed if I want it! Also, I really want to live in another country for at least part of my life, so it’s a skill that I can take all around the world with me!
I’m sure it’s gonna be a good time man, it’s a good place to be! A lot of homies out that way aswell, shout out Bristol!
Yeah man shout out Bristol!
Let’s rewind a little, are you Brighton born and bred?
Yeah man, I was born in a house just behind Lewes Road. My mum was a proper hippie, so yeah, I was born in that house and grew up just me and her. Then we moved up just around the patch (William Clarke Park), and when she met my dad we moved up to Coldean by the sea! Its mellow out there, out of the madness of the city.
When did skating come into the picture for you, how did you discover it?
It all started when my middle brother - I have 2 – was around 10. He used to do this skate club after school and it immediately grabbed my interest. It’s funny because most people get it from their older brothers, but I got the interest from my little brother. But yeah, we used to just go skate together! He was way more confident that me. For a long time I spent a lot of time on my ass, haha. But I fell in love with it. After that I spent a lot of time at BYC as I didn’t really know anyone, and yeah the rest is history. I skate everyday now!
You got good quick man! Enjoy all your boys’ skating, you got a real good crew going on!
Thanks man! Love all the people I skate with, everyone is killing it.
Any local favourites?
Ah man I love everyone, but it’s got to be Sam Allison. He’s just different man. He actually used to be mongo and do freestyle skating back in the day haha, but he can skate everything these days, he learns so quick! I think it’s the beanie, he has some magic under there haha. Also shout out his dad Mike Allison and the morning crew, gotta love the morning crew!
Drawing by Fin
You watch much skating? What gets you hyped to go get it?
Yeah man, when I first started I watched everything and anything, but I think as you get more and more into it you start to find your little niches, if you know what I mean. These days I watch a lot of Frogvideos and homies’ videos, obviously the crazy Thrasher stuff is amazing to see, but I don’t find it very relatable. It doesn’t get me excited to go and skate with my friends. I like watching videos where you can see they’re just having fun with their mates and that’s what it’s about for me.
You got any other passions/interests outside of skating?
Yeah man, I love to drawing. I also love going on walks. As much as I love being out with my mates, I find time on my own equally important. I love places like Stanmer, I like to spend some time in the woods just relaxing by myself a lot. It’s nice to just unwind and have some time away from people.
That brings me nicely onto my next topic, your artwork! It’s amazing man.
Thank you man!
Have you always been into drawing?
Yeah I’ve always been into it man. My earliest memories of drawing are from secondary school art class, I think I was the only person in that class that had a real passion for art. I don’t think I’m ‘typically’ good at art, I don’t know all the techniques and all that, but I really enjoy just fucking around with doodles. It comes in many different forms I guess. I never really understood how they graded art in school. It didn’t leave me much room to express my drawing style, which kind of turned me off it, so I stopped for a while. Then around the time the first lockdown came about I started to pick it up again. I suppose just out of boredom. I had nothing to do, so picked up a pen and some paper and got massively back into it. It kicked off from there really! I love drawing whilst I skate as well. I take my pad everywhere with me.
You have a really cool drawing style, any inspirations that come to mind?
I really like Pontus Alv, that man is a massive inspiration to me man, everything he does he does so well and with so much thought. All the polar artwork is also a big inspiration for me.
For those that don’t know, what does H.A.N.D stand for?
It stands for Have A Nice Day. I just liked the way the word looked, it was originally ‘have a good day’ but it didn’t really work in the same way, H.A.G.D., haha.
H.A.G.D. Photo:
Henry Bailey
Where did you get the idea to start H.A.N.D?
Originally it just came from me wanting a t shirt that I wanted to wear and not have to spend 40/50 quid on a brand some I just thought I would make one for myself. Then my friends started asking for them so I made one or two more and sold them for a tenner and then more and more people staring asking me. Then obviously you approached me with the journal collaboration and that was the first exciting opportunity that came my way its funny to see people walking around wearing my drawings on the back of their t shits haha I think it worked really well. Really nice experience man.
I really back it man, the designs you come up with are sick!
Thankyou Henry!
The Journal x H.A.N.D tees were such a success, thanks again man, such a lovely experience.
Oh no man thank you so much for backing it I really like what journal is doing backing the creatives out there.
Journal x H.A.N.D original drawings by Fin
Are there any brands out there that really inspire your H.A.N.D content?
I really like polar as I have said before and also frog. I just like the way their graphics don’t take themselves so seriously and have fun with it. On the other hand though I really like brands like hockey and stuff like that, there designs are always on point and the skating is always fun to see.
You got any future plans with it? Any things to look out for?
Well at the moment im learning to screenprint, I just bought I shitty little screenprinting kit from an arts and crafts shop and I have just been experimenting with my friends and seeing what works! Its really fun man hopefully at some point we can start pumping out some more stuff!
How have they been going?
At the moment its just three of us kind of just winging it and seeing what works and what doesn’t haha. Its funny man, we made one and it came out amazing and then the second wasn’t quite and good and by the time the third one came out we where ike what the fuck is that haha! We didn’t realise at the time that you have to wash the screen after each print so its all a big learning curve! Having fun with it though so once we have got it down we will have some bits coming out for sure!
I think this sounds like a good place to bring this to an end man! It’s been a pleasure to get this chat in, thanks for sitting through it!
Its been fun man! Thanks for taking the time.
Any shout outs? The stage is yours!
Ah man there is so many I don’t wanna forget anyone! They will know who there are, just everyone that backs what I do. Definaley need to shout out Joey and Johnny, they are just down for everything I do any time of day. Even at 12 o clock at night getting paint all over my house ther are H.A.N.D logos all over the wooden floors at this point so big ups those two for being there with me!
Big ups Fin, I look forward to seeing more from you and H.A.N.D in the future, keep killing it G! Peace!
Thankyou man! That was a fun time!
Lets go Skate!
Yes!
Sketch Pad Pages. Photo:
Henry Bailey