Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hannah A. Brown. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hannah A., thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us today. We’re excited to dive into your story and your work, but first let’s start with a broader topic that might be stopping many of our readers from pursuing their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. How have you managed to persist despite haters and nay-sayers that inevitably follow folks who are doing something unique, special or off the beaten path?
Okay first of all I’m obsessed with this question. I think haters and nay-sayers are something everyone in every field deals with and I don’t think we talk about it enough! I have struggled a lot with confidence due to bullying in childhood and having a tough time figuring out my own identity in my twenties. As painful as those experiences were, they taught me so much about myself and led me to a place where I can let my self-love rise above any negative voices, even if sometimes it takes a little more work. Grounding practices like long walks, and chats with people I love and trust like my sister and close friends help me push forward.
One of my favorite mantras my therapist taught me is “You can be the juiciest, most perfect peach on the tree, but there’s always gonna be someone who doesn’t love peaches.” For so long I fixated on being perfect and palatable for everyone, but the second I was able to accept that even at my best I wasn’t going to appeal to everybody, it freed me up to focus on something way more important– actual self-love over seeking out validation from others. I knew the only way I would actually stay the course in my career pursuits would require getting to a place where my self-esteem was so strong that I could trust my own opinion of myself over others’ opinions of me.
I went to a lot of therapy, did some friendventory (i.e. took stock of friendships and kept the friends around who believed in me when I had a hard time believing in myself), and learned how to make healthy boundaries. Through a lot of self-reflection and some tough conversations with myself regarding areas I had to grow, I’ve gotten to a point where I can genuinely go to bed at night knowing I’m doing the best I can. That being said, I’m never so arrogant as to think that I don’t have more growing to do, but being able to hold space for self-love and a humble willingness to learn has been the secret sauce in learning to persist despite the nay-sayers.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am currently based in Los Angeles pursuing acting, content creation, and writing. To be honest, I used to roll my eyes at myself saying that because I worried I came off like a totally delusional jack of all trades and master of none, but I’m trying to get better at not downplaying my stuff. I moved here in 2018 from Chicago, and for a while struggled with feeling “behind” and comparing myself to people my age or younger who seemed a lot further along professionally. I’m grateful to now be in a place where I can focus on what I’m doing and ride my own career wave, following my gut to go wherever I feel creatively lit up.
I think it’s such an exciting time to be a professional creative because, with outlets like TikTok and YouTube, and iPhones being as good as they are now, there are so many avenues to explore as a creator in really accessible ways. I’m a firm believer that anyone pursuing an artistic career needs to have a means of creative fulfillment that is not directly tied to financial success and more so fills your artistic cup. For me, that looks like podcasting, making TikToks (ranging from celebrity impressions to fashion to my love of being in bed), and hosting gigs. Other times it looks like taking a long time to cook a recipe on a Sunday, making memes, or curating the perfect playlist for when I’m in a bad mood on my period (it’s on my Spotify and called “Hormonal Hysteria”– check it out!).
Right now I’m working on writing a rom-com which I am SUPER excited about, a series on TikTok all about “hot girl anthropology” i.e. how we as women can feel hot in daily life, co-host a podcast called You Know You Love Us, and am bringing back my own podcast called “Not Aspirational” that will be an extension of my TikTok– a space to chat with my audience about everything from fashion to TV to relatable human experiences.
My “why” behind everything I create is to make people laugh and to make them feel less alone. If I can do either or both of those things, I will be doing what I like to think I was put here to do.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Find Your Community – There are a lot of people in the theatre/film community who are on some sort of pedestal (from the industry or self-imposed) who are going to tell you things about yourself. They will tell you what they think you’re good at, what they think you can do, what you should look like, and on and on. These people can be teachers, directors, artistic directors, or actors you look up to. Some of them will be genuinely helpful– I’m definitely not talking about them. I’m talking about people in the industry in positions of power who drink their own Kool-Aid and surround themselves with people who are willing to do the same. People who believe that breaking an actor down is the only way for them to grow. If you’re not their cup of tea, or you’re just not vibing, or their form of “help” is straight-up cruel, don’t beat yourself up. Pivot. Go where the water is warm. Find people who make you feel held and supported. Collaborate with them. Put your energy towards people who embrace you as you are rather than trying to please people you perceive as special just to convince yourself you’re worthy. You won’t create anything good when you feel like you’re in seventh grade trying to please the popular kids.
2. Find Your Self-Care – When you’re pursuing something you really want, it’s easy to think that you have to give every single drop of yourself to that thing otherwise you “don’t want it enough”. I have no idea what old-school acting teacher decided to romanticize literal burnout, but I’d like to have a word with them. This career is a marathon, not a sprint. You can’t stay in it if you don’t truly take care of yourself. You can’t do a 12-hour day on set without rest, you can’t stomach the rejection without solid mental health, and you can’t appreciate the wins if you don’t know how to be present. Figure out what self-care looks like for you, and make that just as much of a priority as the work itself– it’s all symbiotic!
3. Find Your Why – Going back to finding my “why”, I can personally say that the times I’ve struggled most in my career have been when I’ve been unclear on why I’m doing it. The hardest and least fruitful times have been when I was pursuing this to prove something to myself or other people. I used to joke that I “ran on cold brew, wine and revenge fantasties”– I mean, yikes. Once I got clear about why I was doing it, and what my actual definition of success looked like, I could create from that place, and that’s when things started to flow. My sister once told me that with work, “you have to slow down to speed up”, and I think in the case of working on an acting career, that is absolutely true. Once we take the time to get to know ourselves as people and let who we are as artists follow, that’s when (in my experience) the magic happens!
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
Oh, this is an easy one. I have to shout out one of my best friends Danny Pellegrino! I met him at a live podcast show when I moved here in 2018, and he quickly became a dear friend and amazing mentor. I looked up to him a lot from day one, but he always treated me like a peer, an equal, and really believed in me. He gave me countless opportunities to guest on his hit podcast “Everything Iconic”, trusted me to guest host with him at his live shows, and has given me more pep talks than I can count. There’s that quote “Choose people who will say your name in a room full of opportunities”, and he’s always done that for me effortlessly. There truly are not enough thanks in the world.
Danny taught me that there is nothing more valuable than staying true to yourself, and his success is such an amazing example of the power of authenticity. I think so many people move to LA and get lost in the sauce of what it means to “act like an Angeleno” or “appear successful” and they adopt this affected, too-cool-for-school vibe. I love that Danny and I can bond over being Midwesterners who get excited about a good Diet Coke and mall culture, and hype each other up as friends and colleagues. He’s an incredible person, and I’m inspired by him daily. Danny if you’re reading this: I love you! Wagon Wheel Watusi!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahabrown/
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hannahabrown0 Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/you-know-you-love-us-a-gossip-girl-podcast-with/id1531123978
Image Credits
Caitlin Fisher Photography Jeff Kurysz Photography Bellaxtela
