Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hannah Smoot. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hannah, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
Though I was born in South Korea, I spent my formative years living in various countries. Amid language struggles, art became a universal language, allowing me to communicate across cultures. My paintings reflected my surroundings and peers, allowing them to better understand and relate to what I would say to them. Today, my work explores cross-cultural themes and human reactions to our ever-evolving environment. Central to my vision is the exploration of anxieties, heightened in our digital age, threading through all my art forms. I aim to delve deep into the complexities of human emotions, challenging viewers to step into diverse perspectives for a hopefully thought-provoking and immersive experience.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My artistic vision revolves around exploring the intricate tapestry of human emotions, particularly delving into contemporary anxieties amplified by the digital age and the nuances of cultural coexistence. Through narrative storytelling in my art, I seek to elicit thoughtful reflection and engagement.
My artistic journey tends to focus heavily on characters. I create immersive worlds for these characters to inhabit, allowing them to spontaneously emerge and express their feelings authentically. It’s through this intimate connection that I naturally find myself drawn to themes that lean towards an ambiguous tension. The exploration of darker elements in my work is a way to analyze the complexities of the human experience, contributing to a larger, fully realized, and ever-evolving narrative.
As for anything new in my life, I primarily exhibit my pieces in galleries and art fairs, with upcoming showcases at the Art Palm Beach show and the LA Art Show. Beyond that, I offer prints of my paintings as well as the original paintings on my website’s online shop which is undergoing expansion to include more diverse merchandise such as shirts and jewelry.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
One lesson I’ve found invaluable in my practice is that it’s crucial to know how to take advantage of your perceived flaws. When working on a piece, I noticed I could never avoid all the dust and stray hairs that get embedded into the paint. I used to be frustrated that I couldn’t achieve a perfect, flawless surface for my art without some cat hair to ruin it all. Eventually, I said “screw it,” and if I was going to be a messy artist, I would fully embrace it and go crazy with texture. While retaining illustrative qualities, adding this controlled but chaotic three-dimensional element enhanced the paintings. Not only was I having fun without the stress of needing to control every speck of dust on the wet paint, but the paintings themselves came more alive with added energy. This also allowed me to be more fearless and experimental in my process. By allowing myself to be messy, I surrendered to the painting process and infused each work with emotional depth, making my art a dynamic and living entity that engages viewers on a visceral level.
I’ve also come to appreciate the value of embracing moments of boredom. It’s important to let yourself be with your own thoughts. Instead of immediately turning to the next distraction, allow your mind to wander and see where it goes. During my academic years, dull class settings turned into spaces for introspection and daydreaming. After graduating, I realized I had a more challenging time being creative because I had the freedom to entertain myself at all times. Forcing myself to enter a meditative state is the best way to learn where my mind naturally goes without outside stimulation, thus understanding myself and where my artistic tendencies naturally lead.
Lastly, a key lesson learned was the importance of carving out dedicated time for uninhibited experimentation. As the themes I wished to explore evolved with life experiences, I realized that my artistic style needed to adapt. Temporarily setting aside my familiar illustrative tendencies, I ventured into uncharted territory guided solely by raw emotion. This deliberate separation allowed me to practice the conceptual and emotional aspects independently before merging them into a more cohesive and realized style.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Yes! Collaborating on a piece is something I’ve always wanted to try. I’d be most excited to work with artists outside of my primary medium of painting, especially video and other digital media. My next artistic goal is to create interactive pieces that encourage longer periods of engagement, or engagement outside of a simple viewer-painting relationship. By collaborating with a seasoned artist who shares similar aesthetic sensibilities, I’m eager to understand different methods of expanding my expressive range in a way that feels authentic to my artistic style, which tends to balance between dark and whimsical elements. Any artist who resonates with my work can email me or find me through any of the linked social media.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hsmoot.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smootio/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-s-94058a100/
