Hannah Hoffman
This is Hannah Hoffman. She is a jewelry designer.
I studied glass at Ohio State. A friend and I were making glass pendants… We were wanting to learn how to make bezels to set the glass. I was getting close to graduation.
Soon after graduation, she took a jewelry class at the Columbus Cultural Arts Center.
It kind of worked out, because glass equipment is so expensive. There is a lot you can do with basic metal tools at home. I wanted to continue making art and jewelry-making was very accessible.
How often are you creating new pieces?
I feel like, often. I do a lot of production work. You have to do a lot of production work to make any money. But I’m always trying to experiment. I usually end up experimenting with my mistakes. I’ll heat something too hot, or melt something, or bend a wire in a way I can’t bend it back. That’s how a lot of new pieces happen. I also sketch and create things in that way.
These [earrings that I am wearing] are new. These were an accident. They were pieces of scrap and I put them together. They ended up looking really cool. “I would wanna wear these”, I thought. “So I should make them." They are an asymmetrical set.
What has been your favorite part of having your own business?
I like the independence. I like being able to choose how I spend my day… I can take a break in the middle of the day and go to the gym or yoga.
I never expected to run my own business. I’m still surprised that I do it. People will say, “Oh, this is Hannah, she runs her own business.” And I think’ “Me? Oh yeah!" I forget! Sometimes I feel like I’m just playing around. It’s fun to look back and see how my work has progressed. And get feedback. Some people have been interested in what I’ve been doing the whole time. So that feels good. And I get to do something that requires fire. That’s a huge bonus.
Find Hannah:
hannah-hoffman.com
instagram