Tom – aka Thrilly – moved from England to Oslo in 2010. Since then he’s built up his career as a freelance graphic designer; working for numerous local and international clients, including recently designing the visual identity for Vaar.  

This year he moved to a new studio in Badebakken along with his fellow freelance colleagues from the former design and illustration collective Brenneriveien.

As he admits himself, his Norwegian sucks but he loves Norway and what it’s brought him. The fact that he gets to practically snowboard from his doorstep is “kind of a dream come true.”

Now a father, Tom found time to answer some questions for us amongst his pappaperm duties…

Tell us about your plans for the day.

Since I’m on pappaperm right now, my days are currently made up of waking up early and keeping my 1-year-old son happy. Which ain’t so bad.

We need a photo. Do you have a good selfie?

And we must get a bad selfie…

What is your morning routine?

Get up with my son and think about how everyone else is still asleep.

Favourite fragrance?

Memory fragrances. The ones that remind me of something or somewhere I’ve been.

What would you prefer your girlfriend to smell like?

Cucumbers.

What do you hear right now?

The voice in my head as I write this.

What can you see right now?

My laptop, a glass of wine, a baby call, my phone, and my girlfriend eating something crunchy from a bowl.

Take-away or homemade?

Homemade lunchbox. I love having a little box of snacks to nibble on.

Which 5 things should you always have in the refrigerator?

Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, milk for tea, jam for toast, some veg to put on the unhealthy stuff, and leftovers.

What is your coffee order?

Double latte, mocha or chai latte.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Laughing at my own jokes.

What makes you cry?

The emotion and cultural passion for football.

When did you last cry?

I don’t think it was so long ago.

What advice would you give to yourself as a 15-year-old?

I had big ideas when I was that age. I was always drawing, designing things and working on my own little projects. Now I sometimes remind myself to make my 15-year-old self proud.

Do you regret something in your life, and what would you do differently?

I don’t think it’s worth regretting too much, but rather learning. I just endeavour to apply my energy in the right ways, which is something I’m continuing to learn to do.

Three people, dead or alive, you would most like to have dinner with?

Beastie Boys.

What would you talk about?

Definitely not Brexit.

What would you serve?

Those 5 items in the fridge; throw it all in a pan and voila!

What do you order at the bar?

A decent gluten-free IPA or something. Yep, gluten-free.

What is your funniest party trick?

I can make a clicking noise with my ears. It’s not so much of a trick than a weird habit I’ve developed since I was a kid.

What is the last gift you gave?

Birthday presents to my son and girlfriend, and a bunch of art prints to Vaar to raise money for Stiftelsen Petter Uteligger.

Who did you get your last SMS from and what did it say?

It was from my mate Richard. It says, “Lots of fashion and hip colours!” I dunno.

What do you not get enough of?

Snowboarding. I’ve been doing physiotherapy since having surgery on my knee last year, but I finally got back on my board the other day. Felt good.

How would you describe yourself in one word?

Thrilly.

Who is your greatest role model and who are you inspired by?

There are plenty of people who I’ve looked up to or been inspired by over the years. I would say most of them are people I know personally. I definitely admire certain famous people in different genres and subcultures, but I’m not one for regarding anyone as my role model or hero.

Where is the best place you have ever visited?

I’ve been to some pretty cool places, but the places that stand out the most for me are Uganda, on a 3-week trip around the country with my family when I was 11-years-old to see where my mum grew up; and Morzine in the French Alps, where I lived for a few months, snowboarding everyday with new friends.

I also wanna say that I illegally crossed the border from Canada to the US in a canoe when I was just a few months old. My parents were paddling for a few weeks as I just laid back in my cot.

Where’s your next destination?

Somewhere cool with my girlfriend and son, so he can have stories like that too.

thrilly.com
instagram.com/thrilly

Cover photo by Thomas Refvik