Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Quintero.
Hi Hannah, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I was born and raised in a Christian household in a small south Texas town and was home-schooled all my childhood years with a strong Biblical foundation with Bible classes every morning and memorizing Bible verses. My parents would often say that I was praising God in my walker. I began attending public school in eighth grade and attended throughout my high school years and was involved in different extracurricular activities. I loved trying them out for the experience and to say I did it. I graduated from high school in the top 10% of my class in my senior year.
I went on to college at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, a private Christian university where I started my classes focused initially on Cell Biology to become a doctor in the future. My passion was not in the field, so I changed majors during my sophomore year. In 2012 I received my BA in Psychology with a minor in art. I took figure drawing and was a model who dressed up in different costumes every week, much to my art professor’s slight frustration. After college, I started my Masters’s in Education. I began taking more art classes, eventually beginning my Master’s in art therapy to pursue a career in art therapy to use art as a way to inspire and heal.
I have loved art since I was a little girl and would draw on anything that was paper: paper towels, napkins, cardboard, notebook paper, you name it. It was my favorite subject, right next to English which I loved just as much because of my love for reading and writing poetry. When I was fifteen, my parents bought me my first easel, canvases, and acrylic paint. Soon after, I taught myself how to paint. Art was a sense of therapy and a way to relax after a stressful day at school as a teenager and after long hours of studying at college. Everywhere I went, I always carried my sketchbook, a book to read, and a book to write poetry when inspiration struck, which I still do.
On January 1st, 2019, I got up that morning and gave myself a bit of a mental kick, thinking, “I am almost 30 years old, and if I don’t sell my art now, I never will. I don’t want to live with regrets, what ifs, and I should have.” Instead of getting my feet wet, I jumped head first in and looked up opportunities to show my art to others wherever I could, whether online or in person, in local art shows and outdoor markets. From then on, I began my journey of being a professional artist and starting my small art business, Hannah Quintero Art.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Growing up sheltered and being a pastor’s daughter, I had a bit of a rude awakening with my peers when I started public school as a teenager. I was bullied throughout my teenage years because I refused to follow what others did. I never allowed it to bother me while always wanting to do my own thing and march to the beat of my drum. The only thing I did not do, and I wish looking back, I did more was acknowledge my faith in God.
On March 30th, 2014, my life went to a screeching halt. My testimony is health-related and a bit of a long story so that I will give a very condensed version. I had a cancer scare in grad school, working on my Master’s in Education and training to test for my second-degree black belt. When the doctors sat down with my parents and me, giving my diagnosis that I had a brain tumor and based on their years of experience, they were certain it was malignant. They stated very definitely that I did not have much time, and my surgery would not guarantee how long I had either. If I did survive, I would have complete memory loss and be paralyzed from my left side down and possibly unable to speak. There is that sense of hitting a brick wall and that there is no way to get around it, and no one, not even your family, can help you. You are entirely at God’s mercy; it is about leaving everything in his hands, whatever the outcome. Praise God everything was fine, and my tumor was benign. I could speak and had no paralysis, so I did not need physical or occupational therapy, and my memory was and is intact. My doctors do not know how I was healthy, entirely whole, and survived even today, which is a huge miracle.
As an artist, I wrote a small book about my experiences that is currently sitting on my computer. I also created a TikTok video going over it through a symbolic self-portrait painting along with an accompanying poem that I made. I came out as a guest in an art podcast called the Critical Introverts Podcast a few months ago, where I touched on it a little but needed to go into it in depth. Prayer, faith in God, love from my family and friends, and writing poetry and drawing in my sketchbook helped me through this dark period. Even though it all happened, it was one of the happiest times of my life, and I was at complete peace knowing that everything would be ok.
It is hard to say which of my obstacles were more significant in how they shaped me. We all have obstacles that we experience in life. Some are harder than others. I have always believed that regardless of what we go through in life, we have to be thankful to God for the difficult times because that is when our relationship with Him and our faith in God and in ourselves grow. It helped me learn that life is not guaranteed and we should not go through life with what-ifs. This was and is a driving force in my creative process as an artist.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
My art business is Hannah Quintero Art, based out of Devine, TX. I am a Christian artist and poet who loves God and expresses that love through color and painting. My inspiration comes from Biblical elements, day-to-day life experiences, miracles, poetry that I write, nature, fantasy, music, and steampunk. I create in a mixture of media, such as acrylic and oil paintings, art prints, print pendants, art merchandise, and handmade books. My paintings reflect life experiences and daily observations I have seen throughout the years from friends, acquaintances, and family. Each one represents a miracle, whether minute, obscure, or grandiose.
Do you have any advice for those just starting?
Whatever our creative strengths are, be at peace and leave everything in God’s hands. When we do, He will open doors for us we never would expect. Never give up on your passions. If you love it, you will find a way to put yourself out there regardless of criticism you may receive, positive or negative. With technology, artists have many more avenues to show their art to potential collectors. We are not limited to just art galleries. Feel free to share your story or who you genuinely are and why you create what you create. Livestream, vlog, post works in progress, etc. You get the idea. It takes time for people to notice, so be patient.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/hannahquinteroart
- Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/hannahquinteroart
- Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/hannahquinteroart
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hannahquinteroart
- Other: https://www.ko-fi.com/hannahquinteroart
