Meet Hanna Baik

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Sed ut perspiciatis unde.

We were lucky to catch up with Hanna Baik recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Hanna, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Of course! In January of this year, I decided instead of trying to find another corporate job, that I would instead invest in myself to really pursue my dream to be a freelance creative. I gave myself a timeline of a year to try and figure things out and test the waters to see if this is the right career path for me. I had been working in corporate environments for so long and just found myself to be so unhappy. I always used my hobby as an escape and would often daydream of being free, to work for myself, and create beautiful artwork for clients. When the opportunity presented itself earlier this year, I took the risk to just jump in feet first and started sharing my portfolio of work to a few potential clients to see if I would be a good fit for any of their creative projects. I had been building my LLC and all things related since the winter of 2023, and the timing just happened to work out perfectly for me to take this risk in January. I was able to land a role as a designated freelance graphic artist for a local clothing and supplement company, Clifford Lenox and Arms Race Nutrition, which I am completely ecstatic about. I also started taking on a lot of commissions a short time after that as a wedding vendor, now that wedding season is almost upon us. If I didn’t fully commit to taking this risk, I don’t think I would have had so many opportunities come my way.

Hanna, 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?

I am a freelance illustrator/graphic artist. I started sharing pages of my sketchbook spreads on social media as a means to connect with other creatives and while I slowly continued to build my online presence, I started to receive commission requests regularly. My commission works range from tattoo designs, pet portraits, house portraits, proposal/wedding artwork, hand-painted signage, and live wedding paintings to name a few. Out of the majority of the commissions I have done, my favorite pieces and the ones I am most proud of are the pet portraits and anything wedding related. My husband and I have two rescue dogs and they have stolen my heart – I would say that I have a big soft spot for pet portraits, whether they are for a memorial or just for celebration. I also truly love anything related to weddings, and to be able to contribute to someone’s special day is quite an honor. Also, working with different wedding vendors and seeing everything come together so cohesively is like witnessing magic!

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

As a creative, highlighting other artists on social media is a good way to help with exposure, or even working with different creatives and collaborating on projects is a really great way to support one another. I am a Korean-American artist in the Portland area, so I like to try to highlight other small Beaverton/Portland businesses and also have recently been trying to work more with other local AAPI owned creative businesses. As a supporter, if you are not in a position to purchase anything they are selling but love their work, please at least share their work with others, whether it’s on social media, word of mouth, or by any other means. If you end up sharing their work, please don’t forget to credit them so that others can find them too! Original artwork can get expensive but if you have the means, you can always ask if they have prints available for purchase, which is a much more affordable way to add a beautiful piece of artwork to your collection while still supporting your favorite creatives.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative for me is receiving the reactions to my work, whether they are positive or constructive – I consider any and all feedback to be helpful. When it comes to my passion projects, just being able to share them with the public is a rewarding feeling, especially if it took a particularly long time to finish. For commissions, I would say seeing/hearing the reactions from the client is worth all the hard work that went into it. Everyone has a story and to be able to capture a part of their story through my art so they can hold on to a physical representation of something they cherish is always a privilege.

Contact Info:

Instagram: baiks.illustrations

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Meet Hanna Baik

Meet Hanna Baik

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Hi Hanna, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Hanna, 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?

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

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