Today we’d like to introduce you to Haana Noel.
Haana, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Looking back, there really was never any other option but I didn’t always feel like an “artist” – and yes, imposter syndrome is still there – but I always knew the creative was where I wanted to spend my life. Growing up, we had little access to technology or software that would allow me to express myself, so I was always in my own head from the start. I didn’t necessarily have a “style” yet, but I’ve experimented in all mediums and the same themes and stories began to resurface. I remember playing with my sisters but never actually playing the game—I was directing the game, assuming the role of storyteller. I always had ideas I wanted to convey.
In my teen years, I was accepted into the senior art seminar that pretty much got me out of a lot of the “normal” classes and that was really the time when I started taking painting and drawing seriously. In college, I was a compulsive “major changer” – because I wanted a backup plan, eyeroll – but I was drawn to courses in fine arts so that I could utilize studio space. During this time, I was introduced to the avant-garde—film and animation. I put my work on hold for a bit and really got into experimental filmmaking, stop motion, and performance art. I’ve been in both worlds ever since moving to Los Angeles. In the film medium, I work in art direction and production design, where fine arts and media come together wonderfully. Recently, I’ve started directing music videos and look forward to meeting new filmmaking collaborators and musicians to create with.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Don’t we all wish the road was paved? Obvious bumps in the road; you know, logistics and covering rent—having to choose between paint and gas in your car. I’ve a series of paintings I did on sheets of cardboard, discarded shelves, and other anomalies found in the trash. This is aside from the frequent bouts of self-doubt—wondering where the hell you’re headed. Emotional struggles are more complicated and besides, everyone has those regardless of their chosen field. But I’ve always had to balance these “annoyances,” like we all do. Since I was eighteen, I’ve worked full-time. Carrying a permanent anxiety, maybe even bitterness, that I was too far behind in my journey, or not meant for this world. Even family conflict or traumatic events I don’t often speak of can be healed with cliché mechanisms such as simply “looking on the bright side.”
There’s also the ridiculous amount of bad advice you receive. There is no right or wrong way to follow your dreams and oftentimes, it is not zero-sum. But people are looking for maps that don’t exist yet. Bad advice can be beneficial though—a reminder that we are all paving our own way. I think all artists have an abundance bravery and fearlessness, but in the beginning, we still often find ourselves filled with doubt and insecurity. It was a very long time before anyone in my personal life believed I could be doing any of this—including myself. But there was never any other choice. There is no backup plan. This is it.
Almatoska – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Almatoska is concept; a creature, a zeitgeist, a mood personified and seemingly alive inside of the melodramatic me. And like a new mother, I enjoy talking about her – or rather – expressing what she is trying to say to others; so, I guess, not like a mother. The name is a melting pot of different cultures and languages. “Alma” means to nurture and “toska” means to torture. The paradox of human behavior and absurdity of life. There’s a heaviness associated with life experiences but I think that’s what makes art what it is. I wouldn’t want to live in a world with only joy. The pain (torture) you experience correlates with depth and offers you the opportunity to heal (nurture). I’m perpetually attempting to convey this in painting and illustration, but this also comes out in the filmmaking choices I make and the projects I’m invited to work on.
I prefer constructing narratives with surreal and mysterious elements. The most mundane and private moments are often the ones that haunt us the most—connecting the known and unknown in a familiar place.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
The ability to know when to adapt and when to hold your ground. It’s okay to be a little stubborn. Change is important and if you can always be open to it, you’ll continue to develop as an artist. Be curious and believe in magic. I’m not religious, nor the most spiritual, but I’m always willing to explore the unknown or unspoken—allowing yourself to see things as signs. It’s funny, the day that I got the email for this interview opportunity was the day that my grandmother passed away, I was reflecting on my own existence and the path I’m on and then this came through. Give meaning to things. Feeling everything. Going to places other people won’t. Hoping you can find your way back home.
Pricing:
- Prints (20)
Contact Info:
- Phone: 6149566193
- Email: haananoelfilms@gmail.com, Almatoskaa@gmail.com
- Instagram: @almatoskaa
- Other: @almatoska
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