Hannah||Thursday Interview

 

Featuring the lovely Hannah from Genuine.

 

 

To begin, tell us a bit about yourself, what inspired you to begin blogging, and what has inspired you to continue.

 What's up, guys! I'm Hannah, a homeschooled sophomore, who spends the better part of math class daydreaming. I am a dancer, singer, aspiring guitarist, and adventurer. Oh, and by the way, chocolate and I are best friends.
I love music more than anything else in the world, and I feel the calling to pursue a career in it. However, music did not become a part of my life until very recently.
 For a very long time, I struggled with depression.

Those are big words, I know.
For three years, I somehow managed to keep all of my emotions bottled up inside. I may have looked like a happy, smiley kid to my family and friends but on the inside, I was dying. Life for me didn't have the color or the joy that it used to when I was little.

 It eventually got to the point where I thought more about ending my life than living it. That's when Jesus took a hold of me and showed me how to heal from deep wounds people had left on my heart all those years ago. He showed me (and is still showing me all the time) how to work past my insecurities. He gave me new passions and dreams, and he gave me what I so desperately craved: hope for my future.

I began blogging when I was ten or eleven, but I changed my blogs and gave them all new names more times that I could ever even begin to count. But then I created my current blog, called Genuine, just after I made the decision to turn over a new leaf and begin taking steps away from my old life.
 Genuine has become a place for me to tell the world about my struggle. Once the healing process began for me, I was inspired by Jesus to share my story with people who need some hope in their lives. I want to let them know that there is always a way out and that suicide is never the answer.

What inspires me to keep blogging is knowing that there are always people out there who need words of encouragement to keep up the fight.

And that is my mission.

Do you have any goals for the upcoming year? What gave you a desire to make these goals?

I hope to become more dedicated in learning to play guitar.

Once I decided to pursue a music career, I knew that I must master guitar. A lot of my inspiration to learn came from my musical hero Nick Wheeler, from a band called The All-American Rejects. He is crazy-talented and I hope to one day play like him.

 

Define inspiration (to you).

 Inspiration for me is having an epiphany sparked from the lyrics of a song.

Where do you get the most inspiration daily for your photography/writing?

 In one word, life.

 Every life is a story. What lesson do you think people could learn from yours?

That there is ALWAYS a way out. Absolutely anyone can heal from their past, no matter how dark the road has been.

 If you could travel anywhere in the world, at any time, where and what time?

I would travel to England (mainly because I just dig British accents) during anytime in the late 1700s.

What are you looking forward to most in the next year?

Becoming a more outgoing, genuine person who lives life full out!

 What's one of your favorite memories? Why? What does it mean to you?

Meeting one of my favorite bands, For King and Country last fall. I was so encouraged to never give up after listening to them, and was inspired to live my dream after talking with them. It truly was a life-changing experience.

 If you knew you were going to die, what would be on your must-do bucket list?

Consume as much sugar as I wanted.

 If you could jump into one book or movie, which one?

Harry Potter. HECK YES.

 Picture this. You're going on adventure. But you can only take three things. What would you choose?

My ipod

My camera

A pocket knife.

What's your favorite quote of all time?

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." - Albert Einstein

 

What do you plan on pursing as a career currently? What sparked this?

Obviously music, but more specifically, to be the lead singer of a band.

This desire was sparked during my recovery from depression. Music encouraged me so much during that time, and I knew that I just had to write my own songs to inspire other people to never give up. I wanted to encourage like I had been encouraged.

 If you made a soundtrack/mixtape of your life what songs would be on there?

Still That Girl by Britt Nicole, Middle Of Your Heart by For King and Country, Move Along by The All-American Rejects, Make It Without You by Andrew Belle, Blame It On The Rain by He Is We, and Breathe by Anberlin

What do you want to be remembered as?

The girl who lived and loved without restraint.

We live in a culture that often sucks us in to not being ourselves. What helps you stay genuine?

I think trusting that God made me special and unique and beautiful is what mainly helps me to stay genuine. Basically, training myself to fully believe his promises. Also, surrounding myself with people, especially role models, who are unique in some of the same ways that I am. Sometimes, that has meant actively going and seeking out those people. It can be hard, but it is so encouraging to know that's you aren't alone!

Where do you see you in 5 years from today?

Hopefully in a band, with an album or two put out, maybe even touring...
Also, I hope to see myself married and maybe starting a family. (:

As we finish, tell us what advice you'd give to yourself (if you could) on the day you began blogging.

I would have told myself that I was beautiful, inside and out. I would have told myself that true healing from all the junk in my life was only gonna come from God. I would have told myself that being genuine, being real and true to who I was made to be, was the only thing that was gonna make me happy with myself.

But most importantly, I would have told myself that God had a plan for me that was going to be way beyond what I could ever have imagined. That He would see me through whatever was to come in order to have me fulfilling my purpose.

And every day now, I see that plan unfolding. And it is beautiful.

And yours is, too.