We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nolan Hatfield. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nolan below.
Nolan, sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
Anxiety and depression have been an unwanted companion for me for as long as I can remember. It started when I was even too young to fully understand it. Chaos and violence reigned in my home growing up, which kept me in a constant state of panic. The same feeling seems to always be a breathless moment away, even to this day. But I also developed something else during the dark days of my childhood that I’ve kept with me all these years. In the living room of my house growing up, there was an old wooden piano that my dad would write songs on. He would play and sing often in the late hours of the evening. The author of violence during the day would write songs of his own pain at night. When the anger ceased he would release the most beautiful music and fill the house. I would hold onto that sound into the next day when the cycle would begin again. My sensitivity to beauty would develop at that time. It’s amazing how healing it is. I always carry my memories of what beauty feels like to get me through difficult moments. The kiss of light on red maple leaves in the morning, the smell of fresh pine needles in spring, a gentle touch from a kind hand. When I’m feeling overwhelmed or when that familiar feeling of panic rises up, I pull up from the well of all these memories and take a drink. I think often of those who, like me, feel trapped in their own pain. My hope is always that I leave these little breadcrumbs of beauty for others to pick up and get through the darkness that life can bring us.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m a craftsman and teacher who has a focus on the Japanese tradition of Sashimono woodworking. I discovered Japanese woodworking 10 years ago, and have been studying and practicing it ever since. It’s a very intimate and poetic approach to working wood with a heavy emphasis on hand tools. I fell in love the first time I walked into a traditional Japanese wood shop in Brooklyn, so I’ve been trying to share this lovely craft tradition through teaching classes in and around the NYC area. I’m currently developing some online classes as well that will be released next year.
I also have a love for filmmaking and storytelling, so I’ve recently started a YouTube channel showcasing my work in Japanese craft to blend both interests.
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?
First, and what feels most important to me, is a genuine awareness and interest of other people. I’ve gained more opportunities over the years through developing relationships than I have through competence.
Second is determination. Maybe obsession, is a more accurate word! When I have an end result in mind (often a feeling I’m trying to convey), I stop at nothing until I’ve achieved that. Life throws a lot of curve balls, but knowing what I want to create through difficulties keeps me moving forward.
Finally, an openness to life. There are so many amazing aspects to life that are hidden under some rock that most people wouldn’t dare lift up. I’m endlessly curious, and always want to be observant to what I can learn in any situation.
If you’re just beginning your career, or beginning a new one, find a way to make your work meaningful to others. We have the power to improve the world around us, and sometimes the smallest act can shift the ground under our feet. Seek out meaning in whatever you are doing, even if it doesn’t seem to have any on the surface. No matter what we are doing, it’s providing some kind of value to someone.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
Perfectionism is a burden I can’t seem to carry very far. It’s kept me hidden and held me back from getting to where I want to go too many times. I hold onto ideas, projects, or even words I want to say because of my fear that they’re not good enough. Or maybe that I’m not good enough. But creativity can be messy, and most of the thoughts I have about my work aren’t true. So I’m trying everyday to hold onto the previous sentence. To press forward past my insecurities, and just try to get at least 1% better with each day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://studionoha.com
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/studiono.ha
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@no.hastudio
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