Meet Hannah Forsberg! {Young Creatives}

Today we’re getting to know Hannah! I knew pretty quickly that I was going to love this girl, and I just became more sure as I read some of her answers and got to know her heart a little better. Plus she dreams of living in a house with a blue door, and my house has a blue door. So there’s that. ;)

She’s incredibly talented as well, so check out her work and show her some love!

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Who are you? My name is Hannah, which means grace, and I can attest that although messy, my life is a such a sweet testimony to it. I call Atlanta home and am a full-time student as well as a manager at the job I’m at. At 19, carbs are still forever a favorite and I dislike coffee a lot(I know, crazy). 

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be? For years, I’ve been aching to go to Seattle and Portland – I think being in a place where there is so much creativity and where things are so completely different would be so so good for me. Overseas…I think going to New Zealand would be incredible – Lord of the Rings definitely left its mark on me.

What do you do? What’s your creative passion? For the longest time, I never really understood what my calling was. For the longest time, I was pretty mediocre at all the arts, from drawing, sculpting, painting, poetry, and any form of music. Then, I tried photography. These last few years have been such a beautiful and confusing journey, but it has been such a gift and privilege to be able to enter into the lives of so many and create images that are worth remembering. I’d love for you to take a look at my work via www.hannahforsberg.com or follow along on instagram (@hannah.forsberg)!

What are three words you’d use to describe yourself? Driven, quirky, sentimental. 

How did you discover your creative passion? Honestly, my story of photography isn’t what you normally hear. hah. I did not have a life crisis that drove me to it nor did I have a camera in my hands at a young age that I was infatuated with! It began out of curiosity, I suppose. Of course, I had a few film cameras in my childhood and I loved taking photos, but I never saw it as something more than a hobby. However, when I was about 12, I was invited to a lock-in at my church, nd one of my small group leaders brought her DSLR. She explained that it could “take pictures in the dark” and I was intrigued…I really wanted to know more.  

What’s your favorite part of what you do? I think the part I value most about this art is the opportunity to invest in relationships. Photography can be such a testimony to the gospel – the love of Christ. The way we interact through e-mail before meeting, in person at a wedding/session, and how we interact after our final product is delivered is so crucial and can be so impactful for the kingdom. I think it is so important that we be intentional with every interaction with vendors and clients and form relationships in which we are able to love well and deeply.

What’s your wildest dream? Oh goodness. That caught me off guard. My wildest dream. Hm. I think it’d be wild to get married on a mountain or by a river. Or something? I’m not entirely sure. Quite frankly, I’d just love to one day live in a little white house with a blue door and have a little family of my own and still be able to do what I love as an artist.

 What is once piece of advice you wish you’d been given five years ago?  I think what would have been so beneficial to know a few years ago would have been this: that it is okay to be uncertain, that it is okay to not understand, that it is okay to question your growth, and that the deepest valleys can turn into some of the greatest joys…that sometimes you’ll be brought to your knees, praying “Lord not as I will, but as You will,” and that sometimes you’ll sing with tears “It is well with my soul” and that sometimes, it is through trials and sorrows that you learn to love the Savior most. 

What’s the hardest thing you’ve been through and how have you grown from it? There have been so many hard things in this life, and how wonderful it is to know that He has always been so kind and good and faithful in all of His dealings with me. I write about a lot of the trials I’ve been through on my blog (www.hannahforsberg.com/blog) but I think one that comes to mind, that I don’t often talk about, is when I moved from my hometown to Washington, DC for three years. I was young, and had always had trouble making friends. When I finally felt like I made friends, everything I knew and loved was stripped away and I was put into a place where I was no longer comfortable.  Living a comfortable life, looking back now, can become so dangerous. This was also a time in my life where I struggled with my identity as an adoptee, wrestling with questions about my birth parents and their love for me. Ultimately, I was angry at God and confused. The move definitely added a strain to it. Though I heard the gospel daily as I grew up, I think that the move is where The Lord really worked on my heart and made me more and more aware of my desperate need for a Savior. It’s crazy to look back and realize that all I knew and loved needed to be stripped away in order to bring me to Himself. I can’t say that that necessarily was the hardest thing I’ve faced, but it’s definitely a significant one that has shaped who I am today. 

Who’s your biggest inspiration and why? I think my greatest inspiration stems from believers who share their testimonies of life and who point me to the cross. My mother, father, and also Elisabeth Elliot have faced some incredibly painful and aching times, and I’ve been so encouraged by their testimonies and love for Christ. Photography-wise, I would say my greatest inspiration is my dear friend Haley Sheffield…The love for what she does and her love for the gospel and for people is so evident in the way she carries herself and does her work. She’s the one who has really helped me become invested and interested in the wedding industry and she has been so influential in my work and the way I think about how to serve my clients well.

http://haleysheffield.com

What is your favorite Bible verse? I think for me, the verse that has been so so good for my soul is Psalm 16:2 – “I say to the Lord, ‘You are my lord; I have no good apart from you.” This verse has served so well in being a gentle reminder of where my hope and satisfaction should ultimately lie. So easy is it to get caught up in the seasons and forget that He has been, is, and always will be enough.

xoxo

Micaela