Conversations with Hannah Yeun

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The road has been less-than-smooth to get here. I have moved around the country a few times, with nothing promising waiting for me at the other end. The more I’ve traveled, the more I’ve realized how many places are the same–it’s actually you that changes. Some of my current struggles that I wasn’t prepared for was how gatekeeping a small music scene could be. I had lived in other large cities in the country that were somehow more welcoming to newcomers on the scene. It took me several difficult years to finally earn even a glimmer of a spotlight here. Luckily, I found my lovely band who truly enjoys playing music just for the sake of it, and it’s been incredible getting back to that simple feeling. Quarantine humbled us, and we had to take inventory of the things we most enjoy–as it turns out, playing in a room together with no expectations beyond that was one of them.

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?
I am a musician, a floral designer, an event planner, a community organizer, and probably already something else by the time this article is released. I thrive on seeing my creative ideas flourish and watching others reap the benefits of something I manifested from the ground up. As a musician, I’ve toured around the country, shared the stage with top contenders in the industry, I was recently included on a compilation album, Luz De Vida II, with Calexico, Dr. Dog, and Amos Lee. I’ve licensed a few songs to films. I feel incredibly lucky that my music is able to be shared in this capacity and that I can stand amongst other artists I deeply admire.

During quarantine, I started a grassroots initiative called Tucson Mask Share, where we collected masks to be distributed to Tucson’s houseless community. A simple, passing thought of “how will people who are experiencing homelessness be able to access public transportation if there is a mask mandate?” turned into a meeting the next day, cold-calling strangers, and getting Sun Tran involved as a major distributer of our masks. We were able to donate over 5,000 masks to the Tucson community and I am so proud of this.

Tucson is this great little bubble of a community where if someone has a simple, fleeting idea, that it can be easily manifested the next day.

How do you define success?
I think success can be defined in many ways and it depends on what your goals are. If I were to compare myself now to the person, I was ten years ago–by all accounts, I am a success. I have met every goal that I set for myself. In my opinion, I think success should be something you are constantly striving for. Once you meet one goal, it’s time to set the next one. I thrive on putting myself in uncomfortable situations where I am outside of my element because I slowly get better. For example, I have been telling others and myself for years that I’m an introvert–and at my very core I still am, but I am also incredible fun to talk to. I recently found myself in a room full of strangers, telling jokes and engaging in lively conversations, and I realized that maybe it’s time to embrace my extroverted side more. I think active listening is just not as valued in our culture. I love listening to people tell stories; I love people-watching. There’s something really lovely about watching someone talk about something they’re passionate about–the way their lips curl into a smirk as they recall a happy memory. I don’t need to constantly be talking and celebrating the sound of my own voice. There’s value to holding space to another’s story, and I think true confidence comes from not being threatened or intimidated when another stands in the light. I’m slowly learning to merge my lively stage-self with my quieter off-stage self, and I’m realizing they are both me, and maybe everyone should embrace their two selves–the yin and yang, the light and the dark, the loud and the silent. Sort of like that Leonard Cohen line–“There is a crack in everything/That’s how the light gets in”. I think that’s where success comes from—honoring your light and your dark and using it to guide you to the next goal.