We were lucky to catch up with Hannah Judson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hannah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

My mother recently died, and I have been reviewing the journey of our family, and where I am now. It’s easy to cast a critical gaze at your own parents, without considering the context of their generation, the pressures they were under, the differences in their education. Parents usually are doing the best they can. But my parents did more than a few things I am completely grateful for.

The first is, they read to us. Poetry, novels, children’s books. We were given books. I would go to bed, and then sneak a book and turn the light back on. I read so much less now. I blame work and netflix, but it is probably just me. I always have a book I am reading now but I’m not voracious. Reading is a way to live other lives, see other perspectives, feel empathy, learn new words and the universes those words thrive in. My songwriting is completely influenced by great poets I have read.

My parents also invested in our education. It was a given. Not that it was easy, but it was assumed and understood that we were to do well in school and move ourselves forward with our lights on. I think intelligence isn’t a solid. You have to work at it each day. I am always seeking out opportunities to learn. During the pandemic I took jazz guitar lessons. I just wanted the scales and the theory. But that opened up entirely new colors to dip into in my songwriting. You have to keep learning.

My parents traveled with us. Road trips, mountain climbing, camping in Acadia National Park, driving through Spain, visiting museums in Paris, caves in the south of France, Gothic cathedrals in Italy, pubs in the UK, friends in Holland. Sometimes it was a pure vacation, like going to the beach on St. John in the USVI, but mostly it was art and culture. When we came home from a long trip my mother would ask, “What did you learn? What will we do differently?”

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 am an Executive Coach, with a whole-person, holistic practice. Besides working with executives and their teams, I support people in all kinds of transition –career, life transition, and divorce. I also coach artists and musicians to develop a clear presence, branding, and path forward that aligns with their goals.
linkedin.com/in/hannahjudson
cliccgroup.com

I am also a co-founder of Boneyard Records. We are a not-for-profit coop label, and work as a community to support member’s releases, marketing, and music making. We love music with excellent lyrics, though we have a range of styles on our roster.
boneyardrecords.com

I also write and release songs under the Boneyard label. My music fuses Americana, folk-rock and threads of jazz to construct narratives that hover between real and surreal, beading lyrics with universal truths, pulling inspiration from experimental artist Laurie Anderson, Liz Phair and Norah Jones.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I jumped into Social Media early and have been experimenting along the way as to what works. I’ve always watched what others are doing and learned early that you should truly, authentically only post what feels right to you. I tend to be wordy in my posts, and I lean into that. There is always data out there about the best way to behave online to capture the greatest number of followers. But be clear — you don’t need junk followers. You need people who are connected to you through your posts, and the way you pull back the curtain on your creative output and unique life. You don’t have to share everything, but what you do share should be from the heart. Otherwise, what are you doing? The world doesn’t need more junk.

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

Being a creative person means you are always learning, exploring the answer to the question the work in front of you has created. A creative career may have some mimicking involved, but true artists aren’t sitting down and copying. They are transforming what they know into new knowledge. Shining a new light on an old theme. Being in the flow of the creative process is a rush, and kindles deep emotion. It’s a way of working through your life. I wouldn’t want to have lived any other way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hannahjudson.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahj_muse/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HannahJudsonMusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahjudson/
• Twitter: @hannahjudson
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnEEjJe5QaSkyp4St9Vbgkw
• Other: Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/6CuVDP4o8OYR2vorUnZkdv?si=MUpBOGa5SdObXGW1KNhuVw

Image Credits

Daphne Howland