We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hanna Waters. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hanna below.

Hanna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you ever had an amazing boss, mentor or leader leading you? Can you us a story or anecdote that helps illustrate why this person was such a great leader and the impact they had on you or their team?

I currently have what I’d consider to be the Best Boss Ever.

I’m an artist, which means I work a full-time job outside of my creative practice. I’m just under a year into a totally new kind of 9-5 – corporate B2B sales – a position wherein I would have crashed and burned were it not for my mentor and Sales Manager, Jon. I never wanted to be in sales, when sales often and immediately conjures up visions of used car salesmen working carlots like sharks; however, financial insecurity and curiosity will thrust even the most unlikely souls into the proverbial ring. I somehow got the job and was immediately swept into the fold by Jon, a whip-smart, highly seasoned, and motivated sales leader. I didn’t know anything about anything: digital marketing, business acumen, marketing in general, B2B, sales – nothing. He was tasked with molding me in his image, and he believed in my potential.

It wasn’t a joyous movie montage. It was raw and terrifying, and nonetheless, Jon remained steadfast and poured into me, adding to his already busy days more training, more 1×1’s, more development. I messed up, had terribly awkward calls, ran into questions and words I had never heard of, and hit the drawing board repeatedly. I wanted to give up a lot.

Somehow, Jon walked the precipice of pushing me and supporting me like an acrobat. Even at my darkest hour, when I would literally sob in front of him, something about his unwavering belief in me didn’t allow me to give up. I was even given an out, and I said no, let me keep trying. Jon is the epitome of a boss who both walks the walk and talks the talk. He has always had my back, fought for me (and all of his reps), and continues to challenge me. He took time to understand my learning style and then capitalized on it for good.

Do I love sales? Well, weirdly enough, I don’t hate it anymore, and sales is so much more than the used car horrors. Ultimately, this role, facilitated by the Best Boss Ever, has totally changed my life and armed me with real skills that have directly improved my creative practice. It wouldn’t have happened any other way, and I owe that all to Jon.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Hanna, and I’m a tender cowboy poet. I’ll explain.

I’ve been an artist since I was a kid, and it was a no-brainer for me to go to college and be an art major, even if hindsight sometimes makes me wince (read: you definitely don’t need to go to art school to become an artist). I dreamed of being an old master, which sounds like a contradiction, but it’s true – I wanted to draw, paint, and sculpt in the style of the old masters: Leonardo, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, and the rest. I also happened to be a gifted writer – but writing was always just the tool that allowed me to access most experiences: get into a great school, get a full-ride scholarship, study abroad, etc. – so I focused on my 2-D work. Study I did: I earned my degree from Colorado College and spent one of my undergrad years practicing classical drawing in an atelier in Florence, Italy. After I graduated from college, I sought similar instruction and attended another drawing atelier stateside in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Things were great for a short period before I succumbed to persistent and debilitating symptoms of traumatic brain injuries, rendering my abilities to make art almost obsolete. My life became about survival – I still had to support myself while trying to tackle TBI – and my creative practice took a backseat that I’d visit as often as I could. Again, my writing carried me – telling my story gave me access to funding for brain treatment in 2021. After going through a long and challenging six months of treatment, I felt my soul start to re-enter my body – my creativity with it. My relationship with my 2-D work was inconsistent and disheartening, but I could always turn to writing to garner insight, so I listened and leaned in.

In 2021, I began a Substack publication called Feelings, Inc. as a place to corral all of my writing finally. I’d long been a poet – writing songs and sonnets since I was a kid – but I also enjoy writing insightful short essays – most centered around a few key pillars: nature, time, and our place among things as humans. I grew up in a very rural part of Colorado at almost 10k feet in elevation – the natural world is my church, greatest teacher, and beloved subject. After a year of weekly writing on Feelings, Inc, I cracked my knuckles and set about learning how to self-publish a book of poetry. In 2022, Tenderness was born – my first chapbook. I wrote, edited, learned InDesign, struggled, Youtubed, and finally, found a printer and brought my project to life. Tenderness has sold over 40 copies and is available on my website and Amazon.

Writing a poetry publication or book of poetry is all well and fine; however, you can bring a horse to the poetry book, but you can’t make it read. Poetry isn’t terribly popular. Heck, writing isn’t that popular, and videos longer than 15 seconds are becoming moot! My goal has always been to make poetry great again (it is great, to a very tiny subset of people) and this is my current quest. Besides writing for Feelings, Inc, I leverage other art forms to elevate my poetry. I have a collection of t-shirts, stickers, screenprints, and hand-embroidered canvas totes – but I’m always scheming on the next project. I also do freelance writing + editing for other artists, helping craft their bios and statements.

Right now, I’m noodling around with double-pen calligraphy for various use cases – tattoo stencils, templates to project onto large canvases – and I’m looking for a local Texas company to partner with on a line of tee’s that have really taken off. I have a few more books waiting to be written. The world is really my oyster. Even when I despair that my brain injury stuff really hindered my creative career and practice, I know it gave me something precious – perspective (and humility, and grace, and grit). I’m just listening and tugging on threads that feel generative, which is our main charge as creatives.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

To support artists and creatives, society at large needs to recognize how little there would be without artists and creatives. I like to ask this question to non-creative friends: when you leave your job, what do you do? Most people answer: I relax, listen to music. I watch TV. I play video games. I cook. I read. I work out.

Everything people do outside of their jobs is born or driven by an artistic component. Music? Movies? Shows? Video Games? Recipes? Books? The machines at the gym? They wouldn’t exist without the artist. Our shared respite is art. Our lighthouse in the storm is art. Our great motivators are art.

I like to say over at Feelings, Inc that a poem is a candle. A poem is a sword. A poem is prayer. But all of this could be extrapolated out to the greater descriptor of Art. It is necessary for living. Society would do well to remember this and acknowledge that the same career path deemed laughable or a loser’s path is the one everyone returns to when seeking comfort, connection, and clarity. In other words – invest in art, and as often as you can, do it from the source. From the artists themselves.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

As a writer, I am, of course, a big reader, but I’ve also gleaned valuable insights from other mediums. Here are some non-negotiables that are more career-focused.

Two books from my current job in sales:

The Purple Cow by Seth Godin. He’s the father of marketing, but this little book is so much bigger than marketing. This book is about what makes a truly remarkable idea – a purple cow. How does something become a household name? Seth will tell you. This book is a superior text for anyone selling anything. Anyone with a business.

Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss. Now, we aren’t all going to be negotiating with terrorists and the like, but you do need to learn how to have a sales conversation, regardless of what you’re selling. This book is every rep’s library for a good reason. Talking to people and knowing how to navigate their objections is a game-changer.

Videos:

Art21 from PBS. This show changed my life as a kid from a town of 500 people. I had no idea what contemporary art, i.e., art being made “now,” was, what it looked like, what it could look like! Hearing artists speak intimately about their practices stokes a very real fire in the belly and whispers, “It’s possible.”

Gen Z:

What’s that, a movie? No! I’m talking about the current Gen Z, the Zoomers. Love them or hate them, they’ve pioneered digital tactics to their advantage and it’s totally inspiring. They’re constantly cresting the technological wave and innovating on their digital presence in really exciting ways. I like to study the way they make videos and posts, and how they craft narratives and communities. Kids are building creative businesses by leveraging simple tools and a lot of creativity – it is always a good idea to study those younger than you. They might make you sweat, but man, are they funny and creative!

Contact Info:

• Website: feelingsinc.co
• Instagram: figuresbathedinlight
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hanna-waters
• Other: My poetry Substack: hannawaters.substack.com

Image Credits
They’re all mine!