My Life Values for SD Voyager

SD Voyager must’ve liked my dribble from the first interview, they hit me up for a follow up! New questions this time around and they got a little deep. I never know how honest I’m supposed to get with these things. I think my natural go-to is to just say anything and everything but I have a (wonderful) Wife now and the Boy to think about. My words aren’t just mine anymore, I need to rep the family with dignity and respect (I’d insert the laughing emoji face right here if I could).

I have a third interview on the way with a sister website for these guys too. Kinda wild. Ideally, I’d love these interviews to help build my career, time will tell aye.

Link to the interview over at SD Voyager.
Or if you want to read it, the transcript is below.

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Daniel Farrell shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Daniel, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
Well… I try to wake up at 6am everyday — about 20-60 minutes before my Wife and Son get up. I usually take that time to brush my teeth, go to the loo, put on a podcast, get breaky and coffee started and if I have enough time I’ll check my emails and do some work. At 7am, if the fam is still asleep I’ll go wake them up. 100% of the time our Son will have migrated to our bed so it’s a one-stop wake up call. I’ll usually find my Wife’s head barely on the bed because our son has just about pushed his way on top of her through the night – and it’s a king-sized bed.

Our son is 24 by the way.

…kidding, he’s 4 1/2.

From then on, it’s basically a mix of terror, bargaining, negotiating and jokes trying to get our Son dressed and ready for school, then we’re off to the races!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Faz — my nickname is Daniel Farrell — and I’m a creative with a photography lean based in San Diego. I love my family, friends, skateboarding, sunsets, and rainbows!

I’ve been involved in the skateboarding industry, both in Australia and the US, for more than 15 years in various capacities. Right now, I’ve got one foot in and one foot out of the industry. My “foot in” is working with Overload Skateshop in North Park on creative projects — things like shoe collaborations, board graphics, and content. My “foot out” is everything else: working with Small Batch in La Mesa, Ai Create based in Singapore, and a few other random bits and bobs. It’s all really fun stuff.

I think my Australian-ness sets me apart in San Diego — I haven’t met too many Aussie creatives out here. Plus, the way I came up and built my skills is pretty unique. I studied digital design in Australia, but I’d say I’m mostly self-taught, picking up new skills as I needed them throughout my work history and various creative projects.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
My mum, 100%. She was a single mum raising two kids in Sydney, which for starters isn’t cheap — and neither my sister nor I were angels. It (me) was an uphill battle every day, for sure.

She had to work her butt off to support us while at the same time trying to better herself by doing a psychology degree over 13 years. Thirteen years! And this was before the internet really popped off, so she did it all via correspondence — proper snail mail and study from home.

She worked incredibly hard for us, and I’ll always appreciate that example. I love working now, and it helps that I really enjoy what I do. Even in my previous life in the window furnishing business, I ended up being the best in the company just by making the most out of it.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
If I had a hot tub time machine, I’d go back and just let my younger self know that it’s going work out. It won’t be easy but it will work out… but then sometimes it won’t and then sometimes it will again. I always wished I had my 29 year old brain in my 15 year old body, just to have that confidence in my personality at such a young age would’ve made things a lot easier.

I’d also give myself one practical tip: double down on skateboarding, and throw some dollary-doos on the Panthers to win the NRL grand final from 2021—2024 (hopefully not in 2025 but we’ll see).

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
Parenting and husbanding.

I come from a broken home with parents who weren’t around much for various reasons. It’s not an experience I ever wanted my son to go through. Our poor Son will probably take off to uni or college the second he gets the chance. My Wife and I are very devoted (helicoptery) and involved (overbearing) parents.

The Boy’s an only child though, so he gets all the attention. The only competition for my attention is my Wife, work, and skateboarding — but when it comes to Mumsy, he’s got no competition at all. If the worst thing we do as parents is give him too much of our time, I can live with that.

But yeah — I’ll be a husband and father for the rest of my life — hopefully for many more years to come. Best jobs ever.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Yes, for sure.

I’ve been skateboarding for over 30 years and, at times, have given it everything. Recognition from friends has been nice, but that was never the motivation — I’d still be skating even if no one else was around.

That approach has shaped how I take on most things. I don’t really work for recognition or financial reward (at least, not until becoming a husband and parent). I tend to get completely absorbed in what I’m doing. I wouldn’t claim to be the best, but I do aim to give my best. Whether it’s cooking, writing, learning new tricks, or parenting, I’m constantly analysing and pushing myself to do things properly — regardless of whether there’s recognition or not.

What’s the point of doing anything if you’re not trying?