Meet Hannah Sease | Illustrator & Storyteller

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hannah Sease and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hannah, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
It took me a long time to realize what my art was inspired by. I drew things that I liked and it didn’t get much deeper than that. I liked cozy lamplit cottages, cluttered kitchen tables covered in the ingredients of a homemade meal, cats and rabbits in overalls running through the mud. Compared to the complex concepts my fellow artists were finding to inspire their art, my process and topics started to seem rudimentary and I was self conscious about that for quite a while. Eventually I realized that inspiration is much less of an intentional process than I thought, and my work had been a reflection of my inspirations this whole time. Ideas so fundamental to me that I wasn’t even conscious of them. I grew up living around the world with my family and what I considered to be my home was ever developing. We didn’t have a childhood house we grew up in or a hometown, every few years we moved to a new place and had to start from scratch. I think it was a type of homesickness that motivated me to paint scenes of home, which in turn helped me recognize that my home had come with me. We left many houses behind but home became the things we took with us such as family, traditions, food, and pets, and these are my favorite things to draw. The themes of safety, reassurance, comfort, and warmth associated with what home means to each of us continues to inspire me. They have helped me overcome a lot of uncomfortable and unfamiliar situations and appreciate the constants in my life.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
Something that I take a lot of pride in and am excited about is the experience I’ve had incorporating my art into science. During college I applied for a graphic design internship with the Biodiversity Institute. I liked nature and wildlife but hadn’t yet considered merging these interests with my art. I loved that job and it led to similar jobs such as an illustrator for a field guide of a Wyoming buffalo ranch and illustrating zoological reference books, which is what I do currently. My original plans in college were to pursue children’s book illustration, but I loved this new-found scientific side of art so much that I felt torn on what to focus on. I continued on my children’s book track while incorporating my skills in realistic animal art, eventually landing on a style that felt representative of me. I am grateful for discovering this alternative path that I am so passionate about, but it has also made things confusing. I struggle finding the balance between realism and narrative sometimes, and am still torn between whether I should commit to one or the other. This is the beauty of art though. It’s a very personal journey which can make it discouraging, but if you look at the obstacles as clues needed to solve a puzzle it can be fun and rewarding!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I spent the most time in the Fullerton area and my favorite restaurant to take people to was Brian’s BBQ. They had a Wednesday deal for a rack of ribs with a beer and this became a little bit of a tradition. I would also insist on taking them to the beach. I think this is a quintessential experience when visiting the area, especially when said beach involves an 8 flight stair climb. I love to pack a lunch and spend the day there, napping in the sun or swimming. Some other places I would recommend would be the CSUF Arboretum, the many hiking and biking trails, particularly the Fullerton loop, and a boba shop of course

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
If I were to pick one person that had the most influence on my art and my becoming an artist it would be Beatrix Potter. Before I loved art I loved animals and I connected with her realistic yet imaginative illustrations very early on. I remember watching the Beatrix Potter VHS tapes as a kid and wanting to live in a cottage with my animals and paint with watercolor just like she did, and that’s still what I want to do!

I would also like to recognize my family as a huge contributor in my artistic story. My plans to be an artist have been supported and motivated by them since day one. They are my most reliable critiquers and an overflowing source of inspiration that gets me excited to create art.

Website: www.hannahsease.com

Instagram: hannahsease.art

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahsease/