Meet Hanna Schroy

We recently connected with Hanna Schroy and have shared our conversation below.

Hanna, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

I keep my creativity alive by being adaptable and always trying new things. Whether it be a new recipe or a childhood hobby, I’m sure to keep my hands and mind busy and learning. My career is in creating graphic novels, and while I love drawing, sometimes it can become a chore especially if my only hobby outside of working is still drawing. I constantly challenge myself with training new skills, like crocheting and mead brewing, to stretch my creativity and overcome difficulties. I love mixing flavors in brewing, baking, and cooking to make new combinations that surprise and delight the senses. I also freehand and pattern out crochet and sewing designs to create clothes for myself and my friends that push our styles and match our energies. Even in art, I’m always trying out different mediums and techniques so that my style never stagnates. Every new hobby, skill, and technique keeps my mind fresh and my creativity flowing!

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a professional graphic novelist who’s worked with several clients like Penguin Random House and Macmillan. My debut book, a middle grade horror graphic novel titled “Last Dance” (2021, Iron Circus Comics) tells the story of a girl who, after suffering a career ending injury, makes a deal with a spirit to regain her dancing ability at a dark cost. I love telling stories for middle grade to adult demographics, especially when they deal with challenging topics like accepting failure and acknowledging the harm you can do to those you love even when you don’t mean to.

I am currently working on my second graphic novel, a young adult story called “Finish Lines” (written by Sarah Broyles, TBP 2026, First Second Books) where in a high school girl learns her strength and limitations alongside her grandfather on an arduous canoe race from Austin to the Gulf of Mexico. Like “Last Dance”, “Finish Lines” deals with many issues teens and adults face every day, and provides a beautiful narrative full of family, hope, and acceptance.

My online shop constantly updates with new works as well, you can find that at shop.hannaschroy.com

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Adaptability: Life will always find a way to throw curveballs your way, the best way to handle this is adapting quick to get ahead. Don’t let change throw you off; take a moment to recenter yourself and find new ways to handle things as you push forward.

Leadership: Running projects, dealing with other artists and writers, and creating books with large teams of creatives has given me the skills I need to keep myself motivated and create pieces that make my body of work stand out.

Entrepreneurialism: I have worked as a freelancer since 2010, creating illustrations, keychains, and art books, as well as constantly researching different types of merchandise that have exercised my skills and kept me a step ahead of my peers.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

As someone who lives with Bipolar and ADHD, I can oftentimes struggle with staying focused, prioritizing my tasks, and finding the motivation to keep working. This often leads to me feeling overwhelmed by the number of things that need to be done and makes my mind feel chaotic and overworked. My best suggestion for when I feel this way is to write down all your tasks as bullet points, break them down into even smaller points to make them more digestible, and work on the list one small task at a time. Checking things off a list, no matter how small, can help you feel accomplished which can start you down a path of completing even more tasks afterwards. And I always remind myself: it might feel like too much to handle now, but little by little, task by task, the beast can be defeated and your brain will feel much better for it!

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