Meet Hannah Collins | Visual Artist and Small Business Owner

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

Hi Hannah, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk taking has always been hard for me in terms of my artwork. Change and experimentation have always intimidated me but over time I’ve realized I can’t really grow creatively without it. The most recent “risk” I’ve taken was packing up my things and moving to New York City, I figured there wasn’t really any growth for my artistic career whereI was and the only place that made sensor me to go was NYC. I’ve only been here for a short period of time but I already feel much more inspired to create than I did before.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I like to approach my art from an aesthetic perspective rather than an emotional or thought provoking one. The reason I fell in love with art is because I thoroughly enjoyed the actual act of creating something and then later being able to hang it up and say “Look, I did that.” From my perspective, everyone that stumbles upon a work of art is immediately either attracted to the work or not. Whether someone is an artist themselves, a frequent gallery go-er, or just passing by, everyone has an initial thought about the work from the first glance. My goal with my art has always been to just create something that is pleasing to look at, sure I dive deeper with some of my pieces and attach meaning to them but overall, when I’m painting, I’m mostly focused on color and composition.

It took time for me to get to where I am, and I attribute most of that success to my college experience. Being around so many other creatives definitely impacted my artwork and inspired me to create my best works to date. I think creating art is and always will be hard, but that doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable. Being an artist is a complex craft that one can never really master, I think.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Because I am a new NYC resident, I don’t have much to offer in terms of city recommendations. That being said, if you’ve never been to the city you have to go to all the touristy spots… I know, just get the out of the way. Afterwards you can just wander and lose yourself in the city– that’s how you find the hidden gems. I will say, if you are looking for a good spot to go out one night, head to Hell’s Kitchen. Some of the best bars are over there and you will have a lot of fun.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to dedicate this shoutout to my roommates, Hannah and Frenki. They both are so motivated and passionate about what they do and they inspire me to push myself creatively, every day!

Instagram: hcolnsart

Facebook: hcolnsart

Other: Tiktok: hcolnsart Pinterest: hcolnsart