We were lucky to catch up with Noor Ul Hannan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Noor, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I believe I have been a creative since I was a kid. I was always drawing, painting and even experimenting with fashion design. Even though, I did not receive any formal training in the field of Visual Arts until after high-school, I was always working on it in my own time, whether helping my loved ones with their businesses and marketing or even simply picking up a camera and other tools I could attain, just to create and capture the essence of my experiences. Belonging to a brown family and culture (I was born and raised in Pakistan), almost swayed me to study and practice in the field of Computer Science/Engineering. I knew I wanted to be involved in design but it was never the main priority. It wasn’t until late Sophomore Year of my College education in Ohio that I realized that my true calling and interest is art and design. I had actually declared a Computer Science major and switched after to Studio Art because that is what brought me happiness. The ability to highlight important stories of representation and lived experiences was at the forefront of my interest in Visual Arts. I was never able to focus on a singular medium like almost everyone suggested me to, but I am glad I didn’t because I did not allow pressures of the art community to box my creativity in. Due to this, over the years, I have created various multi-media works of art that are inspired by my research in a variety of different subjects like transnationalism, philosophy, sociology, history and communication, all of which I am extremely proud of.

Noor, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a kid from Lahore, Pakistan who has a dream to create and inspire globally. My ambitions with art and my career are mainly based on encouraging representation and authenticity. Whether I am painting, drawing, sculpting or creating photographic/videographic media, the priority of my designs is almost always lived experiences or authentic subjects. This also extends to my work in creative design and direction with brands and corporations. Focusing on the communities around us even when creating visuals like logos, title cards, album art, product design and others, is still an important aspect that guides the viewers as they form a connection with a particular brand or artist. As far as the services I provide, I work on all aspects of design, whether hands on or in a directing capacity. Visuals I create include everything from brand design elements like logos, typography, patterns, product/merch design, etc. to capturing and creating media whether painting/drawing, photographic/videographic or computer-generated imagery. Additionally, I also direct other creatives and work in collaboration to execute visual/design projects like photo/video shoots for all types of brands, artists and corporations. I take pride in being a jack of all creative trades. My ability to creatively lead and oversee design projects, bridging together artists and team members, while executing on visual goals has been essential for my own design studio, NoorintheStu. My goal is to work with as many brands as I can, to help elevate their identity and bring with it the important aspects of authenticity and representation to their visual designs and media. More importantly though, I always want to be able to create art for myself, so in the future, I want to continue experimenting with all visual mediums, creating even more unique forms of visual design and works of art.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

There are numerous different ways that people can support artists and creatives. The most obvious one would be to financially support their art by buying it, whether it is the original one of one pieces or prints and copies of it. Even though the majority of artists are not in it for the money, we put our heart and soul into our creations and knowing our art being appreciated to an extent that someone wants to buy it and hang it up in their spaces or acquire it for themselves is the biggest motivation to keep creating and getting better. This however is just one of the many ways to support us artists. Sharing our art in different circles and communities can be equally as impactful as this helps us display our art to more eyes and minds. I think the most important thing almost any individual can do to support my art and other artists is simply seeing what we create. Art just wants to be seen by the masses, whether it is liked or disliked. Art is expression at its core and expression requires someone to express to. So many wonderful artists and creatives I know also share this exact sentiment. Art has diverged to a subject heavily focused on money and status instead of representation, identity and expression.

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.

From my experience, I think the aspect that is usually overlooked or misunderstood by the public, in the art and creative world, is the role that privilege and status has. I recognize that every profession and career suffers from this however, this is magnified and multiplied in the field of art. One aspect of this is the costs of creating and sustaining it. Even traditional mediums like painting and drawing can be costly but when you create and work in more modern mediums like digital media and photographic/videographic works, this cost can get pretty hefty. Anyone who has the means and privilege of being financially secure will always have a head start in this field. This does not mean that there aren’t any ways to maneuver through this system because there are. I have been able to successfully do it so far but it comes with extreme challenges and can be discouraging on various occasions. I would say the best way to counter this is to focus on the essence of the works you create. If the art speaks for itself, then the difference between expensive tools or gear and affordable ones can be lessened if not eliminated. Additionally, the art world is heavily connection-based as well. This is another privilege that some artists have over others. This can range from media connections, curators, art collectives and galleries to high-profile clients, sponsors and investors. These aspects of privilege need to be seriously considered both by the public, when experiencing or viewing creative works, and also aspiring artists before they commit to the field professionally and try to make a living from it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noorinthestu/
• Other: https://woosterartdepartment.myportfolio.com/noor-ul-hannan (Independent Study Spotlight on year-long senior art project ) https://www.tiktok.com/@noorinthestu

Image Credits
Noor Ul Hannan & Noorinthestu