Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawn Hanna.
Shawn, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Woof, it’s a bit of a wiggly one… As the only son of Egyptian middle-class immigrants in Montreal, I was thrown over a shoulder and towed around wherever my parents decided they wanted to be. In the 80’s, that was mostly Kuwait and Europe. In the mid-90s, they set their sights on Los Angeles, where I had to learn to read English properly and all too often entertain myself after school. My pops had an old Ricoh SLR tucked away in the closet, and my curious little fingers busied themselves exploring the rings and dials all day long. I destroyed several rolls of film educating myself on exposure and composition (this was 1996, and many of the “how-to” Youtubers weren’t born yet). I was clearly obsessed.
By the year 2001, I had already built two shabby darkrooms and lost enough brain cells to faulty ventilation that it was too late – I was stuck making pictures for the rest of my life. I studied Photojournalism and Cinematography at university and then wiggled my way from one project and country to another with a furious sort of curiosity. I’ve chased primates in Central America, I’ve hitchhiked my way through Europe, I’ve scuffled with inner and outer demons in strange places on the planet, and I’ve let myself fall in love everywhere I’ve landed. Eventually, I found my way to New York City at the age of 30 in pursuit of work as both a photographer and director. Nearly seven years in the city helped me to dream bigger and scale up my creative ambitions – focusing large sums of my energy and attention on screenwriting, directing, and producing. Somewhere in there was a multi-year tango with Lyme disease, which showed me the true meaning of rest and ultimately letting go. Luckily, I was able to come back from the dark! And as the world leaned into 2020, Covid brought me back LA once again, with some space to write and to wiggle around with a camera.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Nothing in my personal experience is smooth. But that’s just being alive and hungry and willing to live and think differently. When you come from a traditional Middle Eastern family, being the strange one is like a badge you carry with you. And if you own it, make it your story, then the universe sends you through it, right to the center of it. I got what I asked for in the most nonlinear way – years of unstable income, feast, and famine, challenges with physical and mental health, love gained and lost, patterns upon patterns knocking at my skull until I finally got the message. And each time I faced a challenge and let myself be changed by it, my work grew and changed with me. The way I ingested and processed the world through art and curiosity evolved. Things go quieter and more nuanced. I’m not advocating that art isn’t great without struggle. I just think a person isn’t as human if they haven’t failed their way to the center of themselves.
I think the most persistent struggle with all encounters is the choice not to give up. The technology, outlets and money are always changing. There are so many people out there pouring themselves into their creative process that it can be discouraging. We are flooded with countless imagery every single day, which is by far my greatest struggle. What has always helped me has been to return to the feeling I’ve had since I was little – that pure unadulterated obsession. In art, it’s a form of love. It’s loving what you make and how you made it.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
To that question, I can say I’m a Photographer and Filmmaker. At least that’s what I invoice for. But when you’re freelance, you’re also a producer, writer, driver, caterer, advocate, translator, window washer, and an emotional support animal to name a few. My own work has always been a mix of photojournalism and surrealism, and I’m most certainly proud of the things I do that surprise me. When the ideas click in, and time flies by, and I come out the other end thinking, “Holy shit.. I made that?” That’s the best feeling. That’s when I know I’m doing something right.
How do you think about happiness?
The ocean makes me happy. Absolutely first prize. My dog does a good job of it was well. Several humans I know or have read about add to the pot. Walking around taking pictures of strangers in a strange place (that’s up there with the ocean). Pretty much anything that shifts my attention into quiet observation. It’s a form of peace we can all access. It’s the center point. Even if you have no training in meditation or breathing, you can simply stop what you’re doing and observe yourself or others or nothing at all. It’s free, universal, and innate.
Contact Info:
- Website: shawnhanna.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_shawnhanna_/?hl=en
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-hanna-479a34a/
- Other: https://vimeo.com/shawnhanna
Image Credits
All photos by Shawn Hanna
