Daily Inspiration: Meet Hunter Hawkins

I have always loved narrative that can be shared, whether in conversation, movies, music, or the written word. My introduction to story started with music.

I love to sing and was given the opportunity to strengthen my instrument with voice lessons and musical theater starting in third grade.   I’ve also loved to play pretend since I can remember and since I was professionally rewarded, it has been a fun escape from the self-revelatory, self-reflective solitude of writing.

As a child I wrote short stories unwittingly to make sense of my life experience, who I was, and who I was trying to be. Looking back, I see a kid who wanted to share so much more of themself than they felt worthy to share. But it wasn’t until I got rejected and waitlisted from my selection of college musical theater programs that I allowed my mind to dream bigger. I took a gap year and moved from my high school hometown of Santa Barbara to the heart of Los Angeles, seeking clarity. I interned at a talent management company, took improv & sketch writing classes, saw music and movies, worked a few disparate part-time jobs, and learned a whole lot about myself,—including what kind of people I wanted to surround myself with, the projects I wanted to pursue, and how to direct my life’s energy and intention. I realized how much I needed to learn; including how to trust myself. I now know that just because I could not see into my future, the pathways were all still there, waiting to be chosen. Not unlike a vintage jukebox—waiting for a button press to play the next selection.

I taught myself to play guitar and started writing songs the summer before Covid shut the world down. I had no intention other than to put my confusion, upset, fear, joy, and discovery to words & melody, and it became one of my purest periods of creative flow. I would later record five songs for an EP entitled “Phase”, in 2020 and released it to all the streaming platforms on a full moon in February 2021. The EP was nothing short of a love affair that embraced self-liberation,  self-reflection and created an opportunity to collaborate with other artists.

At the same time, I became interested in extending my storytelling platform by writing and directing stories for the screen. I had yet to learn the technical language and procedures of film, but had acted in a handful of student and short films, and was highly curious. My time living in LA fed the fire.

While COVID-19 locked Hollywood down, I got to work back home in Santa Barbara. I tackled a double-load of summer session courses in order earn the prerequisites to transfer schools, worked on making little films with friends and classmates (some award-winning), & eventually got into CSUN.

I moved back to LA as a film student and entrepreneur, supporting myself by performing live, safely distanced concerts and teaching virtual voice lessons. While newly confident and self-assured, I still had so much to learn. So I launched myself into making more music and films—each one more fulfilling and ambitious than the one before.

Today, I’ve graduated film school and have joined the professional film & television workforce. I’ve been blessed with many artistic mentors over the years and am looking forward to continuing to learn from the best while sharpening my writing, filmmaking, & performance skills with each independent project that comes along. I also continue to teach voice lessons and record vocal tracks as a for-hire session musician.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a textured road—each bump or obstacle has led to powerful learning; both in work or art and in clarity and intention. So often, we must be broken down and opened by life’s hardships in order to appreciate and understand what really matters. I am grateful to have had moments of loss from which I was able to recover and even get bigger, stronger, deeper, and fuller. 

My greatest struggle growing up was in releasing the need to please others. I made myself smaller for a long time because it felt simpler and more survivable than being my fullest, truest self. Whether in regards to my gender fluidity, a desire to be understood, or a simple self-validation for my likes and dislikes. I did not understand yet that there was no right or wrong feeling, no unacceptable part of myself. Through managing dysfunctional familial relationships, standing up for myself while holding compassion for those around me, I’ve been able to learn to trust my intuition more and more.

Sometimes, the struggles are simpler. More material, financial, logistical. Human. In times when I’ve felt stuck or lost, the key has been to trust the process. I’ve  used many practices including journaling, meditating, therapy, cold ocean plunges, and solo at-home, in-the-dark dance parties to stay aligned with myself. They’ve all played parts in helping me stay on the path and  keep the faith. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an artist, filmmaker/writer-director, vocalist, songwriter, and actor. I’ve logged the most hours in vocal performance and technical study, with a special love for traditional jazz standards and Broadway musicals, but my passion for performance matches a recently discovered passion for filmmaking. It’s storytelling in a holistic sense—film directing and screenwriting. I love to lead the telling of a story via visuals, sound, music, performance, and writing all at once. I excel in the ability to steward authentic emotional truth to the audience. I am also known for creating very personal works, often semi-autobiographical. All of my projects originate from a desperate desire to create—each project has a consciousness that wants to be seen in the world!

When I look back, I often see how my work has embedded lessons for me about self-love, self-discovery, and self-acceptance. And how to live a more harmonious life while making peace with the grand illusion of control.

I delight in and feel passion for all the mediums that provide a foundation for storytelling. Each of these crafts is an opportunity for me to reveal layers of meaning. Each vocal and dramatic or comedic performance shares something truthful, a shade and dimension within myself that lives somewhere in all of us. I create not to be preachy, overthink, or give concrete answers, but to share experiences and uncover universal truths. I am most proud of my intuitive, creative flow, combined with my commitment to the discipline required to practice a craft.

So far, I’ve written/directed/produced more than a dozen short films. I’ve juggled part-time jobs, gig work, entrepreneurial endeavors and still have found a way to live a life full of love and deep experience—all of which fuels the stories I tell. This all takes focus, drive, and a whole lot of energy. I have to re-learn how to direct that energy  every day.

Art requires collaboration. It makes for a playful yet sincere baseline of intended truth-telling and beauty-bringing. I look forward to a lifetime of artmaking so I can use my gifts as a catalyst for the best possible consciousness-raising, evolutionary and positive change impact. I have eternal gratitude for those who have come before me, those who have come up with me, and those who are still on their way. 

How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
Find me at my website contact page, on www.hunter-hawkins.com, or on Instagram at @hunterhawkins.art —
I would love to hear your story. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to work alongside me as a creative collaborator, hire me as a vocalist/writer/filmmaker/actor, take voice lessons with me, offer a location/space for performance or recording, support me as a mentor, or just gab a bit about art, people, and life, overall!
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