Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hannah Kwon. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Hannah, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

The short answer: I did and now I don’t. I don’t think I would have dealt well with how to navigate the real funky parts of the industry and even my why if I had started so young. From what I know now, I can see how little me would have started enjoying it but then got stuck on the results and perfectionism which, even as an adult I know, suffocates my love for creativity. So I’m glad for my own timeline though I’d be lying if I said I didn’t still struggle with the “what ifs” especially when it comes to “luck” and “timing.”

My mom has this story about when I was 3 -5 years old, we would go to Santa Monica’s promenade often and more than once she was stopped and handed a card by a supposed agent who said I would be great for commercials and kid acting. Having immigrated from Korea and trying to settle safely in the states, she firmly declined and felt proud of her protecting me.

Fast forward to when I first started as a working actress during “the covid years”, I kept flashbacking to my mom sharing those stories and felt pangs of resentment like “dang, if only she was able to vet the agent, maybe I could have been a part of some awesome projects and in this era of reboots- I’d be so set for reunion projects (albeit assuming that the set experience was awesome).” Now, a few years in, I’m left really thankful for the time I’ve had to explore how to unlearn/learn and grieve/enjoy life prior to entering the acting world. My day job was and still is as a psychotherapist and though that didn’t lessen that first heart breaking blow of a rejection for THAT (we all have one, right?) project, I do think it helped me know that I could get through it– I could grieve, cry, learn, pivot, continue– the options were there because I’d gotten to learn and practice that ever evolving value.

A simple example is body image and persona. I found myself questioning my weight, my look, myself even as an adult and I just couldn’t imagine little 5 year to 14 year to even 18 year old me having to navigate those real identity pieces under the microscope of hollywood and industry culture. I guess I’m trying to say that I got the luxury to explore my art and creativity without the added pressures of acting as a career and I’m glad I’ve found my “how” and “why” before starting this labor of love-type career. Also, a sweet hearthugging bonus is that now when my mom shares that story, I can fully thank her for protecting me in the best way she believed.

Hannah, 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 believe my brand is wanting to remind us all that we’re human and that means being invited to be imperfect AND still feel empowered to have support and agency to try. I’ve been on this nonlinear journey of reclaiming parts of who I am and how I get to show up and that’s included unlearning, learning, befriending grief, and authenticity fused with flexibility. I know that sounds like a mouthful, but I get so excited to share about it!

Practically speaking, my day job is as a psychotherapist where I get to show up for clients in a therapeutic way. I remember when I was starting out, “good fit” was a trap into perfectionism tendencies and berating myself if I errored or modeled something unhelpful or didn’t fully see/align with the client for every step of their process. Now, with some solid “seasoning” I choose to see “good fit” as an empowering process that holds both things I can control (like how I show up/cope, my preparedness, my curiosity, my humility, my willingness to hold space and also admit when I’ve missed or errored) and things I cannot control (timing, clients’ preferences, their previous negative or positive experiences that impact their views, what I don’t know). Though I admit this framework can be annoying at times (because who doesn’t want to feel “arrived” at being that perfect therapist ha!), I’ve found it so healing and freeing to be doing my best as humbly and professionally as possible and being able to model humanity in sessions. As a therapist and artist, I love infusing practical and internal understandings of self-compassion, normalizing of being human, and empowerment.

Creatively, I’ve loved being able to explore this too– not only in what I put out into the world as an invitation to others, but in my internal process of honestly having fun creating again and embracing the reality of having mixed everything (experiences, feelings, connections, expectations, hopes). Whether it’s an unexpected song at 2AM or 2PM or a goofy reel on social media or a vulnerable bid to the world, I want to be someone that gets to show up as human and as full as possible. As I say this, I’m also reminded that being human requires rest and rest can be fun. I wanted to add that because I’ve been on this learning curve for… a hilariously long time and a reminder never hurt anybody (right?).

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

It sounds a little cheesy but I think it’s the idea and practice OF the journey. I don’t know if it’s just this era with social media and everything at our fingertips, but I’ve found it hard to connect with those that are just looking for the final results. Like: follower count on social media, perfect niche/branding, mainstream roles/bookings and with A-list celebrities, next booking and when will I know? All of these questions focus on the final result or the tangible trophy at the end of a creative journey and I think for me that pushes me towards perfectionism traps that suffocate me from being able to enjoy creating and collaborating with others. Without the room to make mistakes or to have fun for the sake of connecting to bring tears or laughter, being creative and also creating as a person let alone career is really hard.

To get out of that perfectionism trap, I have to remember to celebrate and outlet all the mini tangible (auditions, callbacks, meeting someone awesome even if I don’t book, connecting) and the invisible wins and losses (insights, learning curves for my own art, grieving over parts/things, mindwandering). I mean, don’t get me wrong, I am also hoping for that “breakout” project that can open more doors and financial support, but I don’t think I can sustain the creativity and collaboration if I only credit the results.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I’m lucky that my working actress friend I spoke with before jumping into acting myself bluntly framed the enmeshment of both the creative mission and the practical mission. Without her shares, I definitely think the lulls would have been more identity/career crisis than hurdles to figure out how to get through.

My creative journey is fueled by the desire to exist and be enough, to invite others into that freedom, and to connect in ways that make space for grief, laughter, cries, hope, stillness, breathing. Whether it’s in an absurdly satirical way or a soul-baring raw way (and everything in between), I believe that people open up to the idea of hope or healing when they don’t feel as stuck or as alone. As a working therapist too, that’s one of my constant sayings: “what does stuck feel like in your heart, body, mind, soul and what does having room, being able to have options look like in your heart, mind, body, soul”. I could go on and on with this, but I think I’ll leave with this: I want to make something that feels like a friend you can listen to, watch, vent about, relate to because I do believe you’re unique and enough and if I could remind you of that while also being enough too– I think that’s a world I’d like to be in.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahogkwon/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hannahogkwon

Image Credits

-Lejuan Truly
-Sklaerenn Lorand
-Maury Phillips
-Danilo Hernandez
-Patricia Quimzon
-Wilbert Roberts