Meet Hana of WHATchuHANAdo | Content Creator & Artist

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

Hi Hana, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Art and creating art, whether it be manual or digital, is something I have always been drawn to ever since I was very young. I started drawing and painting when I was around four, got into filming and editing in my teens, and even got licensed as an Interior Designer in the Philippines in my 20’s. Anything and everything the involves art excites me and I really could not see myself in any other field or industry. I’ve worked a couple of jobs that were not related to art, and whenever I was stressed over those jobs, art was always an outlet. So I thought, “Why not just dive into it and make it my whole thing?”

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As a content creator on YouTube in Japan, I know how highly saturated everything already is. I can’t really say how unique certain content or videos would be, as I feel like you can find almost everything on the platform…so, instead of thinking how I would set myself apart from others, I just really wanted to show my love for Japan and have it come through in the videos that I make. On my channel, you’ll find a lot of travel and food videos, and you will most likely be able to tell if I am enjoying something or clearly not liking it. I do my absolute best to be as genuine as I can be.

It definitely wasn’t easy to start a YouTube Channel for me, though. My family and friends had been wanting me to put it up since I would not stop talking about Japan, and they thought I should share it to the world. But I didn’t really like the way I looked on camera and whenever I heard my voice while editing, I would nearly puke. I am proud to say that I have gotten used to seeing myself on the screen and I am now quite comfortable with hearing my own voice. It has definitely helped me with my own self-esteem issues and looking back now, I am glad I was nudged into creating the channel.

I learned that consistency really is key and that there will always be room to improve. I now never really strive for immaculate perfection in art and in making videos, but aim to become better and better.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Tokyo is known for its haute cuisine so I would definitely take my best friends to awesome restaurants depending on what they enjoy the most – like maybe eating some delicious street food in Tsukiji or Shin-Okubo(Tokyo’s Koreatown), having a bowl of Tsukemen at Afuri, or going to the izakayas underneath the Yurakucho Line. Aside from food, I’d take them to view decks that I really love like Shibuya Sky and Mori Tower in Roppongi so they can absorb the city from above. Tokyo has a ton of art museums as well so I would love to bring them there too! I know my best friends and I don’t think they would be up for a hike, but I would certainly drag them to climb my favorite mountain in Japan, Tsubakuro-Dake in the Northern Alps of Japan. Lastly, I would probably hop on a few Shinkansen(Bullet trains) with them and visit the lesser known prefectures of Japan. Wow, this was a difficult question as there’s just so much to see here in Japan, it’s insane!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My life has been a constant battle between my abilities versus my brain thinking that I was always inadequate. So aside from art that always have and always will inspire me, I am most grateful to my family and closest friends who believed in me enough to push me when I couldn’t and wouldn’t believe in myself. Loving myself and loving the art that I put out has been the hardest thing to do ever, so I cannot thank them enough for encouraging me to be me and to do what I love to do!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatchuhanado/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/whatchuhanado