We recently connected with Hana Eid and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Hana thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

My work as an artist and musician is to satisfy the dreams of my five-year-old self, listening to my dad play guitar and croon “Uncle John’s Band” by the Grateful Dead. From the moment I heard this performance, I was enamored by music. I first picked up the electric guitar when I was eight years old and spent my adolescence honing my skills, inspired by artists from the likes of Led Zeppelin, to Metallica, to Bob Dylan. This segued into an exploration of songwriting, as I loved writing novellas from a young age. In conjoining these two passions, I began crafting an emotive indie-rock sound combining the heroes of my grade-school years with the influences of modern acts such as Pinegrove and Big Thief. To me, music is all about connection. I want to leave the world better than I found it; sincerely, I believe creating art that makes any person feel less alone is the most honest way I can do that.

Hana, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hi! My name is Hana. I grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. and have been playing electric guitar and writing for almost my entire life. I began devoting myself to my artist project my freshman year of college, when I moved to Nashville, TN to study Songwriting & Music Business at Belmont University. During my freshman year, I started to explore indie-rock/alternative soundscapes, combining the rock influences from my childhood with the poeticism I found so attractive in folk music and novel-writing. This eventually segued into the writing, recording, and releasing of my debut EP, “I Exist Because You Say So.” Not only do I find it to be indicative of coming into adulthood, but I think it also indicates the sound I’ve leaned into and am hoping to explore further. I’m really proud of this project and am excited that it’s out in the world!

How did you build your audience on social media?

While I don’t have a massive social media presence, I’ve struggled to navigate the duality of being an artist and having to self-promote. In the modern age, it’s hardly short of essential to post online about your art. I don’t think I know anyone that particularly enjoys it. It’s easy to become self-critical or doubtful when content underperforms; even creating the content itself can breed insecurity. For me, personally, I’ve found compartmentalization extremely helpful. I try to treat social media work as more “task-based” and less a reflection of myself or my personhood. I create this narrative for myself, like: “I post what I need to post to achieve an end goal.” It can still be fun! But removing any sense of self-worth or personal value from the content creation process makes it a lot less weighty. I also think being very intentional about how much other content you consume, and what you consume, is crucial. Having a wall of a separation between yourself and “it” makes everything a bit easier.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Yes! “The Wisdom of Insecurity” by Alan Watts is a personal favorite. Alan Watts in a philosopher from the 1950s & 60s who coined “the eternal present.” It’s essentially the belief that the “past” and the “future” are both hypothetical, and that the only surety we have is the present moment. The idea is that, in order to be truly happy we must be happy in the present moment. If we are always pining after a future goal, or a promised land, or anything like that, we rob ourselves of the satisfaction of now. I’ve internalized this philosophy heavily in my life. Being where my feet are is so important to me. When I find myself feeling anxious, career or otherwise, I try to grant myself the gift of just being in the moment that I have, and savoring and enjoying it. Being an artist can be so emotionally heavy; it requires so much vulnerability, with oftentimes, little tangible reward. I want to allow myself to be content as much as possible. I think the present moment offers that so earnestly!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hanaeeid/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHAjx5dM-R_WsVIfmSdz5fw
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@hanaeeid

Image Credits
Personal Photo – Mariam Said All others – Elizabeth Marsh