Hi! My name is Hannah and I’m a sailor and an artist. Everyone’s story is interesting and important. Everyone’s story is also multidimensional and unique. Here’s mine:
There are two aspects of my story that I consider the most central to who I am. The first part is sailing. Every summer since I was seven I attended a summer program at a sailing center in Boston Harbor. When I was sixteen I began working there – teaching sailing in the youth and adult programs for six years. Upon college graduation I still thought of sailing as a fun summer job, and not as a serious “career”. With this in mind, I got a job as a deckhand on a charter boat in Burlington, Vermont with the idea that I’d “have one more summer on boats before getting a real job”.
During that first summer, one conversation drastically changed my opinion. On a cruise in July we had a boat full of guests who preferred to talk amongst themselves, leaving myself and the captain to chat amongst ourselves behind the helm. It was during this convesation that I had the idea planted in my head that maybe sailing could take me farther than just a summer job. That was in 2018.
Since then, I have earned my USCG 25 Ton Masters License (Captains License), I’ve sailed in Vermont, Maine, The Caribbean, and most recently down to the Chesapeak. I’ve worked as a charter captain, racing coach, and in a sail loft. I now own and live aboard my own sailboat. All of this began with a conversation. An idea that grew, and continues to grow.
The second aspect of myself that I hold as truly important is my art. It took a while for me to feel confident referring to myself as an artist. In college I took a minor in Studio Art, but beyond that I have no formal education or certification. I make art because it gives me a different lense to look through. It makes me feel good and holds me in the present. It gives me the joy of using my hands and using my brain in a different way.
In 2021 I sailed my boat “Phoenix” from Burlington VT to Baltimore MD. Upon arrival I had no job and I knew no one. I was also extremely mentally, emotionally, and physically tired from the previous months of planning and weeks of sailing. In order to rebuild my energy I turned my attention fully into art. In the past my medium of choice was oil paint, but I decided it was a perfect time to try something new. With that I dove headfirst into Linocut Printing and completely fell in love with it. I opened my Etsy shop in November 2021 and decided to call it “sv Phoenix Studio” since it was started aboard sailing vessel Phoenix.
The last element of myself that I’ll address is writing. Publishing my writing online for others to read is new to me. It is something that I hope will help me grow, and give me a new outlet through which I can wonder at the world.
