Hannah - Finding Identity Through Art and Community
How often do you find yourself seizing opportunities, just for the sake of gaining new personal stories? “Every time I see something that looks interesting, I just sign up for it. I like having the lore.”, says Hannah Carr, a naturally curious person, who enjoys participating in a multitude of opportunities. From being an extra in a movie, to starting her own theatre company, Hannah’s self-described “random” activities actually seem incredibly brave and aligned with her passion for art and community.
Utilizing her artwork, creative passions, and new opportunities like the SonderSLC project, Hannah has spent the past year working to understand and rebuild a relationship with herself. “I felt like when I saw this project that [it] really resonated with me, because I'm coming to more of an understanding of my identity and this felt like a good way to express that journey.”
After a five year relationship came to an end, Hannah said, “I saw just how codependent I had been and how my perception of myself was completely through how that person perceived me.” “I realized I didn't really have a vision of myself. I didn't know who I was, independently from that person. And I didn't know, ‘What do I like when I'm alone? What do I do in my free time?’”
In her journey to rediscover herself and her interests, Hannah has employed an incredibly, inspiring, go-getter attitude, saying, “If I want to do something, I'll just do it.” Drawing inspiration from like-minded community members who are “doing things that are a little bit more local and small” she found herself wanting to be a part of the action and deciding, “Okay, I'm going to do it. I'll make the steps; I'll make a list of things that I need to do.
I'm very organized and I feel like I can do those things.”
Inspired by the comedy “The 39 Steps”, performed at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Hannah and her friend left the performance feeling like,“We could totally do something like this. We could totally do some sort of theatre thing.” Planning has continued over the past year, with affirmations of building their theatre company saying, “We're going to do this! We're going to do this!”
Hannah is a beacon of hope for anyone looking to turn their passion into something bigger. She notes that, “A lot of stuff is just way easier than I thought it would be.” There are obvious challenges and plenty of new things that Hannah is learning as she goes. In a world where so many artists pass around the same shared narratives around difficulties and a lack of resources, it’s incredibly hopeful to see this eager college student, who is tackling this goal one step at a time. Today, the theatre meetings may be held in someone’s backyard, but who knows where we might find this theatre company in the near future!
Connect with Hannah Carr:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellohannahcarr/