SPOTLIGHT ON... Hannah Skalleberg
Local artist Hannah Skalleberg on the joy of creating 'feel-good art' and inspiring others to find their creative spark through her workshops at The Maker Space
Tell us a little about your work and your path to creating ‘feel-good art’.
I come from a family of artists. We grew up without a TV, so creativity was a huge part of our childhood. We drew, painted, did calligraphy, sewed - basically, if we had free time, Mum would find us something creative to do!
But despite that background, I actually wanted a big corporate job. I really wanted to be a corporate girly! The problem was, I just couldn’t do it. I’m not very good at nine-to-five.
Then COVID happened, and like so many people, I found myself looking for something to focus on. Painting became a way of processing what was going on. I was painting to give myself something to focus on, but by painting every day I developed my skills in a way I probably wouldn’t have done otherwise.
I then moved to the UK and started working in marketing and as a wedding photographer (I still shoot weddings). But painting just gradually became part of my life. It wasn’t a case of thinking, ‘I’m going to start a painting business and teach people to paint.’ It was much more instinctive than that. This is what I do because it’s how I express myself.
Tell us more about your work now
Hannah's work
I think of painting as visual poetry. You get to choose how many brushstrokes you add, how busy or quiet something is. My work is very intuitive, loose and expressive, and I like to work quickly.
What I’ve realised through teaching is that so many people have something creative inside them but simply don’t know how to get started. I love being able to hold someone’s hand and show them, “Look - you have this in you.”
Not everyone finds journaling or traditional ways of expressing themselves helpful. Painting can be such a wonderful outlet. It’s good for your brain, good for your hands and, most importantly, it’s a wholesome, healthy thing to do. You can do as much or as little as you like.
And you clearly love teaching too…
I really do. When people come to my classes, I’m very conscious that they might be nervous. My job is to bring enthusiasm and energy into the room and make everyone feel excited to try something new - even if it feels a little bit scary.
One of my students decided at the beginning of this year to try something new. She has now been painting for over six months, and seeing all her work together is incredible. You can see the huge progression in her skills, which is so rewarding.
Workshops at The Maker Space
Where do you find inspiration?
Nature is a huge inspiration for me, but when I’m stuck creatively, I’ll often go onto Pinterest and look at other artists’ work. There’s a brilliant book I recommend to people called Steal Like an Artist. One of the ideas in it is that nothing is completely original - we all find inspiration and ideas from somewhere.
Of course, there’s a difference between plagiarism and being inspired by somebody else’s work. For me, looking at what other artists are doing can be a really useful way of getting unstuck.
We’re also incredibly lucky to live so close to London, with access to so many museums and exhibitions. I love going to look at art and asking myself: What do I like? What don’t I like?
Actually, knowing what you don’t like can be just as useful as knowing what you do like. It helps you start to narrow things down and understand your own taste.
What has been the biggest highlight - and biggest challenge - to date?
The funny thing is, I never thought of painting as a career. Even now, when you use the word career, I think, “Is this really a career?”
I’ve been incredibly lucky to have such a good partnership with the Maker Space, hosting the painting workshops. The owner Kay and I share a real love of creativity. She’s given me the space to do what I do - it's a beautiful, inspiring space to create.
It’s also been a revelation discovering just how many people want to paint. I had always imagined that the career path for an artist was to go into a gallery. But there’s this whole other world where people want to learn how to create art themselves.
That’s probably been the biggest surprise - realising how much joy there is in helping other people discover their own creativity.
What’s the best nugget of wisdom you can share with your fellow Creative Ducks?
Just start.
You don’t have to know where you’re going, and you don’t have to think of yourself as an artist. Give yourself permission to try something, make something, be bad at something and then get better.
And pay attention to what you like - and what you don’t like. Both are useful.
What current projects should we know about?
I’m continuing to develop my painting workshops and classes at The Maker Space, helping people who perhaps never thought of themselves as artists discover that they can create.
I’ll also be hosting a pop-up gallery and exhibition alongside local artists in Stoke Row, on Oct 10-11th.
Where can we find out more?
Find out more about the workshops, paintings and upcoming projects through Instagram and my website: hannahskalleberg.com/
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