Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Casia.
Hi Hannah, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Although in Savannah to attend SCAD, I am originally from Coral Springs, Florida.
As far back as I can remember, I was constantly making arts and crafts and always wanted to be in a creative field. At first, I wanted to be a fashion designer; I would make several magazine “issues” made out of stapled printer paper and fill them with (the clearly early 2000s) outfits, as well as make my mom teach me how to hand sew and use the sewing machine.
However, I eventually became more interested in drawing the person rather than the outfit. It wasn’t until 2017 when hurricane Irma hit that I really hit my stride with painted acrylic portraits.
Being stuck in the house with shutters on all windows for days forced me to entertain myself with something other than TV, so I decided to paint a portrait for the first time ever, and it was quite a hit on my Instagram (with a small audience of mostly family and friends).
So in high school, I made it my thing; I focused on depicting music artists mostly and ended up doing a good handful of commissions for friends and family. Now, I am an illustration major who is still trying to find her own creative style, along with a minor in graphic design.
As much as I love doing realistic portraits, I didn’t want to limit myself to just that nor did I want to make it the focus of my career, as it is something I like to do for myself, minus the occasional commissions on the side.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Like a lot of artists, I’ve dealt with creative blocks, burnout, and imposter syndrome. I am incredibly blessed to have had friends, family, and teachers who have always been supportive of my pursuing the arts.
I feel like the only person who told me I was not good enough or it was worthless was myself; I constantly compare myself to others, especially when I came to SCAD and was surrounded by immensely talented people.
It’s hard to keep going and putting in effort when you feel like your 100% effort isn’t even good enough. However, I am getting better at affirming myself and being confident in my work, as that is all I can really do.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an illustrator, portrait painter, and graphic designer! For my illustration work, I tend to lean more towards digital art. I’m still working out what I want my style to be, but I mostly love exploring three topics, no matter the medium: my heritage, pop culture, and activism.
I am a first-generation Filipino American, and with that, there are those typical first-generation struggles; those feelings of not belonging neither here nor there. From folklore to food to history and so forth, I love doing work inspired by my culture, as it is not only something I am proud of but something I need to and want to learn more about.
I come from a Bisaya-speaking family, and when people think of the Philippines they mostly think of the Tagalog language and big cities like Manila. I want to further the representation of the Visayas, and the Philippines in general, as many tend to forget Southeast Asian countries when it comes to Asian representation.
With pop culture, I am mainly inspired by music, although I do enjoy the occasional Marvel fan art. Music means a lot to me, so the artists I choose to depict or make art about tend to be people I listen to a lot. Out of all the rappers and singers I have drawn and painted, I am grateful to have been noticed by Taylor Bennett, Nombe, Bipolar Sunshine, and Dumbfoundead.
I am actually working on a music-inspired passion project right now, which is a series of portrait paintings of people I know interwoven with concepts and lyrics from the person’s favorite songs, hoping to show the connection between listener and artist.
While not having done activism-related work recently, it still holds an important place in my heart. I am not the person at the podium or leading the march by any means, but there are simply some messages and changes this world needs.
Having been a student who experienced the Parkland shooting in 2018, it jumpstarted me to be more vocal about issues like gun violence, as well as anti-racism and mental health.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Although not in my exact wheelhouse, I would love to do murals!
There’s a place in Miami called Wynwood Walls where there is just a bunch of wonderful murals and art, and I remember visiting for the first time in 2015 and I told myself I would have a mural there someday.
That was a big goal of mine for a long time, and it still is. Since then, I have only done a mural in my cousin’s backyard, but I hope to expand my mural experience and start working with some small businesses.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dffrntart.wixsite.com/my-site
- Instagram: @dffrnt.art
