We recently connected with Hannah Maria Mendenhall and have shared our conversation below.

Hannah Maria, appreciate you joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I am happy at this moment, that I am an artist. Ask me after Christmas maybe?All jokes aside, I could be so many other things if I put my mind to it, but I am an artist to the marrow of my bones. I used to question my worth in the world as a creative earlier on in my career. We are bombarded everyday with news and media with the stark truth that life is hard, and a big question of what the future holds. In conversations with my trusted friends I usually in a snarky and a laugh so I don’t cry manner saying… “all I do is make pretty things how does this really help?” I felt that my ability to create wasn’t a high value skill.

Covid made it clear, as undervalued artists and creatives can be some days, what got most of the world through days of quarantine and pause was the creativity of some many of us finding our voices, our “art” and sharing it with the world to help a day feel little easier in the chaos.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am an artist and designer, I traveled the country for 5 years in an RV and have made a home in Texas along the way. I love working with people and businesses who have a vision but need help to bring it to life. I am also incredibly lucky to create my original artwork that has found homes across the country, in local galleries and a welcoming home in the Hampton Inn & Suites in Tomball, Texas. Inspired by years on the road and the many people I have met along the way, Art by Hannah Maria.

I have been creating art since I was a child defacing the blank walls in my room with handfuls of crayons making dancing swirls. They’d be painted over and eventually I’d be back like a tiny rainbow menace with colors in hand to color the walls again. I spent years creating paintings and drawings, mostly inspired by the larger than life members of my family. I began taking commissions for portraits and large concept paintings around the age of 17.

I fell into working at a local graphic design studio, where my ability to learn fast and a desire to meld my passion for art with a new skill in graphic design gave me the ambition to learn as much as possible. I build a rapport with a variety of clients. The studio worked with large and small companies, creating a range of design work in a fast paced environment.

After 6 years at the studio I began to work for myself, integrating both Art and Design, and focusing on a more thoughtfully crafted and personalized brand design and art.

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

Normalizing and nurturing the idea that careers within the artist and creative community is a viable option and one that encourages empathy and emotional stability in a lot of ways. Creating roles in community for artists to work with both businesses and people can make an area a more beautiful and welcoming place.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

When I started sharing my life beyond art and design while I was on the road full time was when I saw a big jump in people following my story. I loved seeing the connections people had with a backstory of a piece or currently working on a project while also dealing with the chaos of working from home and on the road traveling. BeepBeep was always a phrase of mine but it became an anthem via social media for people to respond and hashtag.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hannahgobeep.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/artbyhannahmaria
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/artbyhannahmaria
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/artbyhannahmaria
• Other: https://linktr.ee/admin https://www.inprnt.com/profile/hannahmaria/