We were lucky to catch up with Hannah Manocchio recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hannah, 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?
My senior year of undergrad, a group of 4 female printmaking students and our professor went to a huge national print conference in Milwaukee. I was beyond excited and couldn’t wait to be fully emerged in everything print and meet the community that also shares my passion. Two days into the conference, I realized almost everyone was a white male. Their presence dominated the entire conference. I decided that day that I wanted to show that me – a 5 foot nothing, fiercely feminist Italian girl from Cleveland could play with the “big boys”. I was told as I was starting my business to lay low, not get political, don’t be too loud, and “just deal with” all the inappropriate interactions and clients. I was told I would never make it past my second shop anniversary without a male counterpart. I was told that this was a “cute hobby” but would never last.
If my feminist father and fiercely independent mother taught me anything – it was humbly prove them all wrong, don’t take shit from anyone. They taught me – you are capable, you are strong, you are not to be dulled.
I started making art and apparel that was strongly rooted in social justice issues, feminism, and made sure to proudly display that my business was a female owned and operated print shop. I started teaching inner city programs and currently work with high trauma students, teaching them how to own and love their identity and its evolution. It’s been almost 7 years since I decided to not take any of the haters advice. I am loud. I have fired clients who are inappropriate. I’ve kicked people out of my shop who try to talk down to me or argue about my art and beliefs. I have made my entire business and brand survive based around my personality, my beliefs, and my refusal to conform to what society wants me to be.
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 the sole owner and operator of Snakes + Acey’s – a small screen print shop in Cleveland’s historic Little Italy neighborhood. I specialize in hand printed artwork, apparel, and merchandise. Each design is created by hand and printed in house. The work is largely inspired by social justice issues, symbology, and history. Additionally, I teach inner city art programing to Cleveland youth.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Be prepared to lose – a lot. Over the course of 7 years, I have lost out on dream gigs, commission jobs, and countless opportunities. I have also lost relationships, the freedom of stable income, plenty of important milestones of friends and family, and I have lost a part of myself. I was prepared to hustle my ass off – I wasn’t prepared to have lost so much of myself. When you run a small business and especially when you are a creative: your work is part of you, you are your brand, you are the only one responsible for your wins and loses. You have to give all of you to make it work.
2. Never stop learning. You are never going to be the best at your craft. You are never going to know it all. I learn from masters, I learn from friends, and other printers obviously – but I also learn from my students, my clients, my customers. I learn from the evolution of our society and from every person and situation I come into contact with. Humble yourself and take advice, take tips and tricks, and absorb every scrap of information you can.
3. Take the help. I want to slap myself in the face for all the help I turned down from the start. In that process I burnt myself out so many times, ruined my physical and mental health, and lost out on a lot because I was “too proud” to have anyone think I needed help. No matter how small – take the help.
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
Sadly, money. Running a small business in a creative field obviously doesn’t make you millions. However, it is the vicious circle of student loan debt, slumlords, and the lack of resources that don’t allow me to move my business forward. College was something that I was told was the next step – a necessity to life. They didn’t tell me that I would forever be in debt no matter how many scholarships I got or how hard I worked. Right after graduation, my bank convinced me the best option for my enormous amount of student loans was to consolidate. They didn’t tell me that meant it would turn them into private loans that I would never be eligible for forgiveness or income based repayment, etc. Ive been paying $400 a month for 10 years and my loans have only gone down a few grand. All my income goes to rent, to loans, and to repaying pandemic loans that I didn’t know how to navigate. I have two degrees. My business and my teaching don’t require either.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.snakesandaceys.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/snakesandaceys/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/snakesandaceys
Image Credits
Amber Patrick – aterrormusical
