Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hannah Quintero. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Hannah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
When I think back to my days in college, I originally wanted a career to help people which entailed going in to a pre-med program to become a neurosurgeon. However, I also loved art and wanted to continue painting as an escape from the demands of my studies. At the time, I did not think I was ready to put my art out there and approach art galleries even with much of the encouragement I received from my parents at the time to sell my art on the side. I also never gave it much thought about selling my art to be honest and had no idea how to go about it. As much as I wanted to, I grew up with the notion, that artists were not able to make a stable living off of creating art and the value of their art were not discovered and appraised until after their death, hence the starving artist mentality. We have a tendency to automatically think of Vincent Van Gogh in this instance.
Deep down though, I saw becoming an artist as a dream career and felt I needed to improve before putting my art in plain sight for people to see which is kind of silly thinking back now because I had a few of my poems published in local newspapers, in high school, college anthologies and tried spoken word poetry. Two of my friends and I even started and chartered a Writer’s Club at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in 2011 where we met weekly to discuss our poetry and attend spoken word poetry events. We performed spoken word poetry on a couple of occasions as well. I was getting my poetry, another art form, out there to an audience without really realizing it.
When I was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2014, that is when it really dawned on me that I still had not delved in or pursued my passion for art especially thinking that I did not have much time left. My doctors were certain and informed me and my family that I did not have much time and the chance of me surviving my surgery was slim to none. If I did survive, I would be paralyzed from my left side down with permanent long term memory loss. God protected me throughout this storm in my life and I was completely whole and healthy nor did I need physical or occupational therapy. My tumor turned out to be benign and I was completely healthy memory and physically wise which my doctors have not been able to understand to this day.
A year later in 2015, I decided to start figuring out a way to earn money by writing a blog while still practicing my drawing and painting skills. In 2016, I switched gears again and began taking graduate courses in art therapy while continuing my practice time.
I prayed about it and gave myself a bit of a mental kick to start my art career in January of 2019. I was going to be thirty that year and figured if I did not start selling my art now, I never would. At first it was a bit of a New Year’s Resolution for myself to try it out and if in a year it did not work, I at least gave it a shot. A month later, I approached a local business owner who was hosting a local art show in my area, who invited me to sign up and from there I got to work on my first art series. Then when the pandemic hit in 2020, amidst the lock downs, outdoor markets began to take off in support of small businesses. I saw it as God giving me confirmation and answering my prayers that I was where I was meant to be and following my calling to be a professional artist.
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 have loved art since I was a little girl drawing on anything that was paper: napkins, paper towels, cardboard, notebook paper, and computer paper, you name it. When I was fifteen, my parents bought me my very first painting supplies: an easel, canvases, brushes, and acrylic paints as a Christmas present. Before the conveniences of YouTube art tutorials, I then taught myself how to paint and would spend hours experimenting with them in my down time from school and extra curricular activities. In college, I took figure drawing classes and learned how to draw in charcoal, conte crayon, and India ink. I was also introduced to book binding as part of my Art Minor. After college, I took a few graduate courses towards my Masters in Art Therapy to study how art could help people heal mentally. For the most part though, my art practice has been mostly self taught especially on the business end. When I decided to start my business in 2019, I spent quite a bit of time, taking online classes through SkillShare to learn the ins and outs of running an art business from taxes, marketing myself, taking photos of my art, time-lapse videos, to setting up for markets. During this time, I also taught myself how to paint with water mixable oil paint. There have been some comical experiences along the way which I have always taken as part of the adventure. I personally do not like to limit myself to one medium because of my love for experimenting and learning. The various art pieces that I create are original acrylic paintings, mini oil paintings, charcoal figure drawings, art prints, art print pendants, handmade books, and commission paintings. I have also recently begun to teach beginner level online painting classes/parties with the hope and intention of giving avenues for people to relax, decompress from everyday life and in turn heal from different stressors that we all experience from time to time.
I feel what sets me apart from other artists is that my pieces are very much faith based and centered around miracles in everyday life. It stems around my own personal testimony where I left my health in God’s hands while having faith and being at peace with whatever the outcome was. We all have a tendency to take life and circumstances for granted. I express these same concepts and themes in my poetry as well and incorporate them into my paintings in a way weaving them into my pieces. My pieces are meant to inspire and encourage people to see the positive side of things even in the bleakest of times.
There is not a specific accomplishment that I can say I am most proud of because I am equally grateful to all. However, the fact that I dove in head first when I started my art career is something that I have felt proud and thankful for. I feel it is about taking things in stride. With God’s help, every little thing that I have learned up to this point has added up and I could not be any more thankful.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My overall mission is to show my love for God to others by painting the miracles that are all around us and to show that they do exist. God created us with the ability to create with our hands for not only worshiping Him but in order to give us a sense of purpose in our lives. Art is not only meant to bring color to the bleak in our environments, but in our hearts and minds. I want to show people who see my art online or in person that art is meant to heal as well. Just like my faith in God , my passion for art brought me comfort in difficult moments of my life. I also want to impart that same love and healing that I have experienced.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist I would have to say, is meeting new people who observe intently and emotionally connect to the stories in my pieces. If it brings spiritual and emotional healing, that is definitely a bonus. I love discussing the stories behind my artwork to people that I meet in my day to day life. My hope is that others will be encouraged to open their hearts and wanting to know more about God’s love. My art and business is for God first and foremost, then for myself and then in turn for others to enjoy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/hannahquinteroart
- Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/hannahquinteroart
- Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/hannahquinteroart