Interview with Hanecdote

Embroidery Copyright Hannah Hill

First published in ‘Boundaries’ by The Courtauldian.

Hannah Hill (also known as Hanecdote) is a 22-year-old artist from North London. Her hand-stitched embroidery and honest thoughts on feminism, mental health, body positivity and the art world have found an audience of 36k people on Instagram. Through her brave sincerity, Hannah is encouraging thousands to gain self-acceptance and question embedded assumptions concerning bodies, sex and art. I got to ask her about her work and how Instagram is helping her to renegotiate the boundaries that can trap us, and how breaking boundaries leads to a richer life.

AP: Your work explores many personal themes that everyone can relate to and identify with, such as race, sexuality, gender, mental health, sex, art, music and relationships. What is the reaction you get from people when you share your work?

HH: Having people relate to the subject matter or messages in my art is really important to me. Most of my work stems from my own experiences, so sometimes I find it surprising that so many others can relate. The mostly positive responses and feedback I get have really helped boost my confidence over time, especially in my drawings. Knowing people believe in me and my art makes me feel like I’m doing something right, because I’m not compromising my beliefs or hiding part of my existence, and it’s still welcomed warmly feels so good. I want the creativity of PoC [People of Colour] to be celebrated and try to make my art as inclusive as possible, trying to right some of the wrongs made throughout Western Art History.

AP: I find it really powerful the honest way your record your fluctuating mood and mental health through posts on Instagram, and how you use clothes to express this. Is this vulnerability important to you?

HH: Over time I have become more comfortable with making myself vulnerable online. It’s hard to lay yourself bare on the internet, and to be open to people’s opinion, whether they mean well or not, it can get a bit much sometimes. Although saying that, the positives have always outweighed the negatives. Daily, I’m confused and shocked that people like me. Mental illness and low self-esteem can make it really hard to believe you’re worthy of love, and I feel so lucky that people remind me I am. I feel so validated through sharing with the community I have found, and people see my page as a safe place to share their experiences and kind words which I feel really blessed about. Sometimes I push myself out of my comfort zone to post a picture or caption, and in the end those are usually the most important and helpful and validating for others. Ultimately, I’m an extremely emotional person and being able to share that through art and Instagram is a blessing, I’m sure I wouldn’t have made so many improvements with my self-worth without the support of this amazing community online.

AP: How has your work with Tate affected the way you think about art and its accessibility?

HH: Working at Tate Collectives, Tate’s young people’s program has been an amazing opportunity to feel like you’re making some kind of change in the art world. We curate and program events aimed mainly at 15-25 year olds, especially those from a BAME background, reflecting the diversity of London. It’s so exciting to work with many talented musicians, artists, DJs, and other young people to liven up the gallery space ad make it more accessible to people who have been excluded from art throughout history. I’ve met some amazing people and gained invaluable knowledge at Tate and hope to work there for many years to come.

AP: In your opinion, which boundaries need to move to make it easier for people to explore and make peace with their identity? 

HH: I think representation is something which is really important. In order to understand ourselves and what we are capable of, we need to see people who look or sound like us succeeding too, and with social media this is hopefully changing. In a similar way to how I share myself and my work online, there are countless other babes doing amazing things and all inspiring each other and also others.