I came from hard times. I was born in hard times, and grew up in hard times. I had dreams of becoming a philanthropist and changing the world someday, because I understood true need and real suffering from a very early age due to abuse and neglect. Art was my escape as a child, and I never dreamed of doing it for a living, for two reasons. First, I was an 80's kid, and as much as we were singin "dooooon't stop be-leeeeee-vin", the internet was non-existent, and the only hope you had of becoming an artist by profession was by going to an expensive art school and then praying you got “picked up” by an animation studio or a big name art gallery, which was pipe dream type stuff. Second, I was naturally smart, had really great grades, and had a heart to do something that could potentially impact the world, because all in all, I'm actually a pretty serious, deep thinker. I thought if I had been given these gifts, they must be so I can use them to give back in some way, and I wanted to do something “important”. I almost went into the medical field, but then I thought, nah. Then I thought I would go into teaching, and then into administration, and then into curriculum development to see if I could reform our public education system. I had been in management at a very early age and knew I had what it took to do whatever it was I set my mind to, period.
A year and a half into my business degree program, I started drawing again as a hobby, and listing things on eBay. I finished my business degree while doing this "hobby" on the side (and raising a family), and started wondering if I should pursue art as a career, because it was starting to show some pretty serious promise. I thought to myself, I don't know, art is pretty "fun", and doesn't make quite the same "impact" as I was imagining I wanted to make... is this really what I want to do? But, I enjoyed it, and I was making some good “extra” income to help pay for my degree for the time being, so I just kept following the yellow brick road.....
As I continued shipping my art all over the world, booking small time craft fairs, and making connections with people, I began getting emails and letters from fans telling me how much my art had helped them through some really tough times: how my coloring books were used as therapy for hand surgeries, or how mothers were using it to connect with their daughters, or how a mom mentioned it helped her through some really dark times following a divorce. One letter I got changed my life, and my entire outlook on being a professional artist. A woman contacted me and said that she just loved my artwork so much and it was really helping her mental state as she was recently diagnosed with brain cancer, and said that looking at my art just made her so happy which was impacting her health in a positive way. She told me that she brought my art with her into the actual operating room, so she could look at it before she went under for brain surgery!!! I was just, blown away, and in tears. I couldn’t believe what I was reading; it seemed surreal and completely undeserved. It was the answer to my confusion about doing something that impacted people. Since then, I have questioned my path during times where I really wanted to quit (because, this path is extremely challenging and I wanted to quit, like 3 times a day or more). Each time I thought I was at my wit’s end and couldn't continue on this crazy journey for another tortured second, I would get an email or a letter from a fan, telling me how much my artwork meant to them, which would be an amazing blessing to me and a way for God to let me know I was still on the right path.
There are times at shows or through social media that I get to witness the impact that my artwork sometimes makes, and I am humbled by it every time, because I am just doing what I feel I have been called to do, and mostly doing boring stuff like paperwork and shipping orders haha!! I am often uncomfortable with the praise and/or status of being a “well known” artist (because I’m not really, lol, there are real famous artists out there, I’m just a regular person who can draw with zero art education, but some people think I am, especially kids). Still, I can't tell you how amazing it is to make a small difference in someone's life that actually matters through my artwork. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to see a child smile at me like I have made their whole year by signing their favorite Hannah Lynn print, when, in reality, they have just made mine and they have no idea. It is always an unexpected blessing to me, as I am mostly disconnected from my fans and don’t get to experience these moments, so I had no idea they had been happening the whole time, behind the scenes, existing in secret, until they started to come out into the light. I’m so glad that I continued on my path. The challenges, the struggle, the agony of wanting to give up…worth it, every time I get to see that moment of impact. I get so much more than I give. Thank you, for giving me your support and connecting with me. Just, thank you.
A year and a half into my business degree program, I started drawing again as a hobby, and listing things on eBay. I finished my business degree while doing this "hobby" on the side (and raising a family), and started wondering if I should pursue art as a career, because it was starting to show some pretty serious promise. I thought to myself, I don't know, art is pretty "fun", and doesn't make quite the same "impact" as I was imagining I wanted to make... is this really what I want to do? But, I enjoyed it, and I was making some good “extra” income to help pay for my degree for the time being, so I just kept following the yellow brick road.....
As I continued shipping my art all over the world, booking small time craft fairs, and making connections with people, I began getting emails and letters from fans telling me how much my art had helped them through some really tough times: how my coloring books were used as therapy for hand surgeries, or how mothers were using it to connect with their daughters, or how a mom mentioned it helped her through some really dark times following a divorce. One letter I got changed my life, and my entire outlook on being a professional artist. A woman contacted me and said that she just loved my artwork so much and it was really helping her mental state as she was recently diagnosed with brain cancer, and said that looking at my art just made her so happy which was impacting her health in a positive way. She told me that she brought my art with her into the actual operating room, so she could look at it before she went under for brain surgery!!! I was just, blown away, and in tears. I couldn’t believe what I was reading; it seemed surreal and completely undeserved. It was the answer to my confusion about doing something that impacted people. Since then, I have questioned my path during times where I really wanted to quit (because, this path is extremely challenging and I wanted to quit, like 3 times a day or more). Each time I thought I was at my wit’s end and couldn't continue on this crazy journey for another tortured second, I would get an email or a letter from a fan, telling me how much my artwork meant to them, which would be an amazing blessing to me and a way for God to let me know I was still on the right path.
There are times at shows or through social media that I get to witness the impact that my artwork sometimes makes, and I am humbled by it every time, because I am just doing what I feel I have been called to do, and mostly doing boring stuff like paperwork and shipping orders haha!! I am often uncomfortable with the praise and/or status of being a “well known” artist (because I’m not really, lol, there are real famous artists out there, I’m just a regular person who can draw with zero art education, but some people think I am, especially kids). Still, I can't tell you how amazing it is to make a small difference in someone's life that actually matters through my artwork. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to see a child smile at me like I have made their whole year by signing their favorite Hannah Lynn print, when, in reality, they have just made mine and they have no idea. It is always an unexpected blessing to me, as I am mostly disconnected from my fans and don’t get to experience these moments, so I had no idea they had been happening the whole time, behind the scenes, existing in secret, until they started to come out into the light. I’m so glad that I continued on my path. The challenges, the struggle, the agony of wanting to give up…worth it, every time I get to see that moment of impact. I get so much more than I give. Thank you, for giving me your support and connecting with me. Just, thank you.
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