Hannah Gumbo is a Acadiana based muralist & illustrator making work that embraces color, positivity, & JOY.

Who makes up your art circle?

My husband who also works remotely in our home, our cats & puppy who are terrible studio assistants that mainly sleep on the job, my clients that partner with me on cool projects, & all my internet pals doing the freelance art / small biz life too.

How do you expand your art circle?

It’s changed over the years. For a long time it was saying YES to every opportunity in order to meet more makers & artists out there. Now I’m old & tired & I’ve had to learn the equally important skill of saying NO in order to not stretch myself too thin. So I guess my current way is to be less annoyed with distractions. This isn’t always easy as I am mostly a “let’s focus and get this done” kinda person. BUT some of the best conversations & art connections happen when I make room in my day to let them happen.  

What value do you see in having a creative community?

I think most people are more creative than they give themselves credit for. But oftentimes, we need to be reminded & given permission to use our imaginative, idea generating, artsy side again. I love working with people who are “not creative at all”…their perspective is often so different from mine on a project that it creates a more interesting dynamic & leads to better work. I think creativity is a great connection point in forming deeper community & enjoying life together.

How does your artistic approach contribute to your community?

Well, I think being an artist that simply enjoys making art is enough, period. There is already so much resistance to push through just to do that successfully without the added expectation of it somehow benefiting the community, etc. (of course if this happens WIN/WIN)
My goal is just to own my own creative voice & let my love for my craft overflow into everything else that I do.