Tales from the Mothership

I recently had the opportunity to catch up with a fellow Yorkshire soul: the human digital artist behind Faceless Human Designs about everything from being working class, to what it means to be faceless.

CS: What made you decide to be anonymous?

FHD: I have no desire to take fame from being a good human. I want to be able to help people and the focus be on them not on me. If the feeling you get from helping someone isn’t enough to keep going and help more people, are you really doing it for the right reasons? These days good deeds often come with a publicity stunt or some gimmick to get more views on the person “helping”.

CS. I know what you mean. You see influencers all the time doing ‘good deeds’ but it seems to be more about them saying, ‘look what I did, aren’t I a great human?’ So helping people without any ulterior motives, is that the ethos behind your faceless project?

FHD: Partly. Ultimately, I want it to be about world peace, unity, shared humanity, helping people. Especially helping to amplify unheard voices.

I hope to inspire unity and shared humanity through my art and clothing, eventually using some of the profits to help people who need it without claiming any personal fame. We will also help amplify unheard voices from all around the world, raising awareness where needed.

CS: Wow. That’s a worthwhile goal. Especially since you have to work full time like every other working class creative. Like me, you grew up on a council estate in Yorkshire. What does that mean for you?

FHD: For me it’s about being a small forgotten part of the backbone that keeps the United Kingdom running. Knowing that everyone around me is in the same boat and no matter how bad things get we will help lift each other up.

CS: Well put. There’s a lot of solidarity in the working class, something that gets overlooked by people who don’t have that experience. We all know what it’s like to be one wage away from disaster, and yet we’ll share what we have with others. Your current project is world peace, what others do see yourself doing in the future?

FHD: I wouldn’t call it my current project. It will always be a part of Faceless. World peace and unity will be two separate collections that will be added to over time. Although they are a huge part of the faceless identity, we will make designs that stand on their own. Not everyone wants to stand there with a political statement on their chest, but if they buy a design they like and indirectly help others because they bought a Faceless one, I can’t ask for more than that.

In the future I want to extend from t-shirts to hoodies, hats, prints, mugs, etc. I have more things in mind, too, but they are just ideas for now. One step at a time. This isn’t a race.

CS: I bought one of your t-shirts – the little girl holding flowers and balloons, standing on a chair and facing a tank – and as soon as I saw it I loved it and had to get it. Where did that idea come from?

FHD: I love that drawing. I had the image of Tank Man in my head: the man in China who stood defiant in front of a tank with his shopping the day after a violent government crackdown in Tiananmen square. That image always comes into my head when I think of peaceful resistance.

Once I started drawing the tank, I wasn’t sure what I was going to put in front of the tank but I decided on a child because it’s those children’s future the rich and powerful are currently endangering. The flowers and balloons are a silent nod to Banksy and his ‘Girl with Balloons ‘stencil.  I hope the drawing inspires hope and love, whilst showing everyone that we all have that strength inside of us to push for peace.  

CS: It’s a very inspiring piece of art, as are the other designs. What made you decide to go with Teemill for printing and distribution, as opposed to any other outlet?

FHD: I was looking for a way to be able start the brand on a tight budget. I work long hours and don’t have the ability to package and ship out t-shirts. I found Teemill while looking at print-on-demand companies. Most companies want you to front the cost of each sale, which I can’t afford to do, but Teemill do all the leg work of printing and shipping. They also front the cost of each sale and send me my cut 30 days later. They provide a website for free, so I can have somewhere to put my designs up for people to see. On top of all that they have sustainable clothing products like 100% organic cotton; they use green energy to manufacture, and they work heavily with charities.

It’s the perfect fit in the sense that without Teemill this would still be an idea in my head, a dream that never got acted upon because I earn minimum wage and don’t have the funds to start a business. It gives me back precious time to do the art, designs, adverts, have a social presence as a brand starting off with one person. For that I am grateful. And if it doesn’t work out It didn’t cost me anything for trying.

CS: That’s a good point. Working class people can’t just pour money into a project because we’re often living from one wage to the next. You mentioned helping people with your art, what does that look like?

FHD: That depends on how things go really. As I wrote in the Faceless mission statement (need a link to this), my first goal is to buy a better tablet for creating my designs as my current one struggles a bit. I also want to get access to more products on Teemill, software where I can make videos for reels and music/sounds for the videos, and hopefully I can eventually make enough money to do the art full time. Anything over and above that, my bills and keeping a roof over my head I would like to be able to donate to charities and help fund outreach programs. In the meantime, while I’m building the brand, I will repost articles on our socials that help raise awareness to people who need help. I’ll also share other people’s impactful art with their permission, helping them get more views and interest.

A shared humanity where we all work together is a world I want to keep living in.

CS: That sounds like a great plan. I want to live in that world too and I wish you the very best of luck with it. 

For anyone interested in finding out more about Faceless Human Designs, you can find their merchandise and mission statement on Teemill and follow them on Instagram, Bluesky  and TikTok.