Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryanna Hammond.
Hi Ryanna, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I began writing poetry when I was eighteen years old as a means for coping with my anxiety, depression, and eating disorder. By the time I was twenty-two, my work was itching to be heard. It simply became more uncomfortable to not share my poetry as opposed to just facing my fears to follow my passion. I self-published my first book in January 2020 called We Are Human. This book explores a range of human emotions, from anger to sadness to joy. After publishing my book, I realized I had no audience to read my words. Later that month, I started my Instagram account (@ryannawrites). I had been writing We Are Human at the same time as my second book, so just a few months later, in March 2020, I published my second poetry collection, Hearts Bruise Never Break. My second book is a great healing resource for anyone enduring a breakup who wants to find the beauty and power in being single. Over the summer, I worked vigorously on building my website—learning tax laws, state licensing, sole proprietorships, VAT’s, inserting coding into webpages, and various website policies.
Basically, the summer was a major headache, I could not afford to hire someone to help me, so I learned everything on my own. I worked 80+ hours each week until I had successfully created my business, Ryanna Writes. My website (ryannawrites.com) has a lot of cool features. I have a blog for others to learn more about me and see my latest news. I created some merchandise—shirts, mugs, journals, biodegradable iPhone cases—that are also for sale along with my books. In the “About Us” tab you can learn about the various ways my company is helping the planet. During that time, I also started my next book, My Cup of Coffee, which was published in August 2020. This book explores a range of topics from mother nature to lgbtqia+ to romantic love. I have loved witnessing my own personal growth from each book I have written, which brings me to today—I am working on my fourth book, but I don’t expect this one to be out until mid-2021. I am always working on furthering my reach through my Instagram account and I recently applied for a Master’s Program in Creative Writing. I have loved this past year, taking the leap into my passion and working on building my business.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’m not sure if anything is ever really a “smooth road”, but hey that is where the growth comes from! I have definitely had many bumps along the way. The first struggle was definitely feeling comfortable sharing my inner world with the external world. Every time I posted a poem online, I was so scared of the comments I would receive. Thankfully, 99% of the time, people are encouraging. One time though, I received a comment that said something like, “this is the worst poem I have ever written *puke emoji face*.” I have learned that there will always be “haters”, it is about your response and how you move forward. I commented back to them, giving the person some love and acknowledging their entitlement to their own beliefs. I didn’t take the negativity home with me. The same goes for when I see bad reviews—I initially cry it out then realize that not everyone will understand my work. My work can’t be meant for everyone. Additionally, a few times I have thought about closing my account and giving up, simply for the extensive money and time I have spent that has produced little to no monthly income. I know that if I continue pushing, big things will happen for me though—Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was my business. Enduring through the struggles is like climbing one notch higher on a ladder, and it is extremely rewarding to keep pushing myself.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My poetry is my creative outlet. I don’t ever force myself to write—I wait until the words just come to me, almost like I’m a vessel for some story that wants to be told. I specialize in writing raw and honestly. I am unafraid to touch the hard topics like eating disorders and mental health struggles. I share my work so others may find connection and know that they are not alone in their feelings. Another specialty is definitely my analogies and metaphors. I love comparing things that don’t seem to be similar on a surface level. For example, comparing a lover to a helium balloon. I have a poem comparing the two in the book I am currently working on.
Of all my work, I am most proud of my recent poetry collection, My Cup of Coffee. I know this book is a 5/5 stars and I love all the poems and topics I explore throughout the book. I think one thing that sets me apart from others is my work ethic—I live for my passion, I know my passion is my purpose, and I will do whatever it takes to succeed and have writing be my full-time job. I never work less than 50+ hours a week. And the beautiful thing is that only maybe 10 of those hours feel like work (doing the back end boring stuff) because the rest of it is my passion. I believe I would be doing it whether or not there was a monetary income.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I think people may not know that I am absolutely silly. I am so fixated on working and building my business that some people may only see that more rigid side of me. However, when I am not working, I am just being silly and goofy with my boyfriend and we are most likely watching the office and eating some vegan chocolate.
Pricing:
- My Books ($9.99-$13.99)
- My Mugs ($16.99)
- My Biodegradable iPhone Cases ($27.99)
- My Journals ($12.99-$13.99)
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: ryannawrites.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryannawrites/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryannawrites
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryannawrites
Image Credits:
The two photos of me were taken by my friend and photographer, Eva Madarang (IG: @esmphotgraphs) (The photos of my books and poems were all taken by me.)
