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

Alright, Hannah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Growing up, I was always finding new hobbies to try – I was the first one to make up a random song on the piano, draw portraits of my American Girl dolls, post homemade music videos on YouTube, write short stories and trade them for pencil erasers at my elementary school…you get the picture. While some of these stuck around for a while (like writing), others faded pretty quickly (like music videos, although that’s probably for the best).

The one hobby that I’ve stayed consistent with, though, is photography. Unlike my other creative passions that I would only pick up when I had a specific idea, my relationship with photography was different. It felt like something I *had* to do, as easy as breathing. I couldn’t go outside without taking my camera and always had fun photo shoot ideas planned with my friends.

Like many other young artists, I decided to turn this lifelong passion into a business in my 20s. But something interesting happened when I started making money from my work: I stopped valuing the creativity of it. Long gone were the days of finding dresses at the thrift store and making antlers out of twigs for a photo shoot. Once I started doing it for other people, I unconsciously stopped myself from adding my own creativity to it, assuming that people would only want to hire me if my photos looked like every other photographer’s. If other businesses found success with a certain style of photos, shouldn’t I try and look as much like theirs as possible if I wanted to be hired, too? While this approach still helped my business grow, I felt like something was missing.

Then, a few years ago, I attended a photography workshop that was just like the photo shoots I would plan while growing up. We had props, colorful outfits, makeup & hair stylists, concepts for each model, and I was surrounded by other creative minds making it happen. Even though there were 20 other photographers at this workshop, I spent the entire weekend trying to find different angles and posing directions so my photos would look different than everyone else’s. And just like that, it clicked: *this* is what I love most about photography. It’s not about fitting into a mold based on what you think someone else wants to see – it’s about finding your own perspective that no one else can replicate, even when given the exact same subject.

Ever since then, I’ve pivoted my business to work with entrepreneurs, artists, and other creative souls to celebrate what sets them apart from the crowd. How do you see the world? What’s unique about your personal journey that we can honor with a photo shoot? How do we capture it in a way that you haven’t seen before? I love working with people who want to creatively showcase themselves, whether it’s an author promoting their book, a painter working on a new masterpiece, or an artist for out-of-the-box grad photos. If working together can help my clients see themselves and their lives as art, then my job is accomplished.

Looking back, I realize how common it is to stop fostering creativity as we grow older. I believe that creativity is so crucial in a world that often stifles our individualism and personal expression, and my goal is to help others nurture the creative soul within them through photo sessions. After seeing how much my own creative passions have helped me reconnect with myself and my individuality, it’s a privilege to connect with other artists at heart and highlight their spark, too. I think it’s the most beautiful thing in the world.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Hannah, a creative portrait photographer based in New York City! I work with entrepreneurs, artists, businesses, and other creative souls to celebrate themselves through photo experiences.

I call my sessions “photo experiences” because my goal is to make the act of being photographed worth it in itself, even before you get your photos back. Whether you’ve had professional photos taken before or not, I want you to walk away from a session with me feeling inspired to be your boldest and most confident self.

My services include portraits, personal branding, and event photography—with a twist. In addition to your usual headshots, grad photos, and studio brand sessions, I also offer a few out-of-the-box photo experiences for creative souls:

Apartment Tours – A new experience where I capture creative apartments throughout New York City. I’ll capture you, your apartment, and everything in it (down to the tiniest details).

“Play Dates” – A couple’s session where you and your partner are immersed in a creative activity (that we plan together!) while I snap photos of you having fun together.

Creative Process Sessions – An *unposed* brand session that captures you in your creative flow. You make your art – whether it’s sketching, painting, photographing, writing, crocheting, etc – and I take photos of you doing your thing. (Plus, I’ll include some behind-the-scenes footage for social media, because I know that’s the last thing you’re thinking about doing when you’re working!)

Of all the things that I want my clients to take away from a session with me is that you deserve to be seen. Your work deserves to be seen. Your creative idea deserves to be brought to life. Expressing ourselves fully and unapologetically is such a powerful way to connect with ourselves and others. After all, the world deserves to see you, too!

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

First of all, I don’t think there’s such thing as a “non-creative”! I think everyone has creativity within us if we choose to nurture it. Maybe a better term would be “non-practicing” creatives!

I think one misconception about artists is that creating our work comes easily to us – if we have an idea, we’ll immediately act on it and finish it with ease. While this is true in some cases, I’ve always struggled with creative blocks like perfectionism, procrastination, and comparison. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that most times, the obstacles we face when finishing a project come from within our deepest insecurities and beliefs about ourselves and our work. We often need to reconnect with ourselves to push through creative blocks and continue the process until the project is finished.

Once I started addressing my own wounds in therapy, a whole different creative world opened up. I could see a future where I finished projects that weren’t perfect, where I looked forward to the process of making it more than the final product, and stood firm in myself without thinking so much about what others are doing. This hasn’t been a linear process either – just like the creative process, I still often find myself falling into my old patterns. But, with each time, I’m constantly finding new ways to deal with them and address the core belief that’s causing the block.

This has also made me fall in love with the creative process itself. Each project is a journey that leads you towards new discoveries, both in your work and also in yourself. Sometimes the creative blocks we face reveal so much truth about what we need to address personally, and overcoming them is a way of honoring both our creative ideas and also our inner worlds.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

The most difficult time for myself, my business, and my creativity was in fall 2022 when it felt like my entire life fell apart. I was grieving the end of a tumultuous long-term relationship and the loss of my grandmother, all while gearing up to move from Michigan to NYC where I had no clients. Essentially, I was going to leave the thriving business I’d built in Michigan behind and start over from scratch.

For months before the move, I barely left my apartment, thinking that I just needed more time alone to reconnect with myself and heal. But the more I isolated myself, the worse I felt. I had a lot of time to reflect: why was I choosing loneliness over connection? Why was it so hard to reach out to other people? And how could I make sure I wouldn’t fall into the same habits when I moved to NYC?

When the time came to pack up my stuff (& my cat!) and move into a tiny NYC apartment in spring 2023, I felt my energy shift. *This* was the do-over I was waiting for. Instead of locking myself into my apartment, life in NYC was so much more conducive to interacting with people on a daily basis (thanks public transit!). Using the energy of the city as momentum, I started finding any way to meet people and rebuild my life, from business retreats to art workshops and improv singing circles. I was constantly meeting up with other photographers I’d met through social media or following up with people I met at creative events. Slowly but surely, I started fostering what I’d always dreamt of but never thought I could have: a creative community.

My spark also came back tenfold as a result. I launched a podcast the week after I moved called Creative Juice Box, which explores how connecting with yourself can help you overcome creative blocks (something that I was figuring out how to do in real time). I brought my film camera everywhere to capture my life as art. I even picked up some other creative hobbies like collaging and crocheting.

After a while, I looked around and realized the answer was so simple all along. I always used to think that isolation was the key to creativity, that the more you can avoid outside influences and opinions the better. But actually, the opposite is true: we need inspiration around us from other people. Creativity doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s a constant exchange of energy between each other.

In December 2024, almost exactly two years after my life fell apart, I saw all of these efforts come to fruition. I had the opportunity to hold an art exhibition at the World Trade Center called “apARTments” based on my work photographing artists’ apartments around NYC. More than 100 people attended the exhibition, many of which were new friends I had made around the city. This was such a beautiful culmination of the past two years of creating, connecting with myself, and fostering community in NYC.

Now, I can look back at my life in fall 2022 and see how all that I’d lost had given way for new life in the spring, like the leaves falling from trees to make way for new blossoms to grow. It’s like I was given a blank canvas when I moved here, and I’m so proud of myself for having the courage to pick up the brush and paint a life I truly love.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hannah-holland.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahhollandphoto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hannahhollandphoto
• Other: Substack: https://hannahhollandphoto.substack.com/
  Podcast: https://creativejuicebox.podbean.com/

Image Credits

Marina Williams
Brandon Mathews