365 Days of The Hansan Blog: A One-Year Blogiversary Reflection
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANSAN BLOG HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANSAN BLOG HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANSAN BLOG HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANSAN BLOG HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANSAN BLOG HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANSAN BLOG LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I love to tell stories… DID YA KNOW?? (Example: Blog)
So… HOW THE HECK DID I GET HERE?! “Here” meaning this constant thirst for anything creative and never wanting to let go. I feel so grateful to be this connected to creativity and even more grateful that it’s taken shape through so many different outlets. I’m going to play it cool and not go into it, but… OH WHO AM I KIDDING, I’m going to get into it.
Between theatre, writing, comedy, public speaking, and music, a lot of these creative paths sparked around the same time in my childhood. It was hard to ignore how naturally they fit with what I was capable of and what I genuinely loved, especially in school. No surprise here: English was my favorite subject. The moment I learned how to write, I threw myself into mastering one thing first… great handwriting. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, LIL’ HANSAN! Thank you for your work.
I had some amazing English teachers growing up—encouraging, involved, and fun—and they made sure we weren’t afraid to find our voice. In 4th grade, I hit the J J J J J J JACKPOT with Mrs. Katy Rankin. She was fabulous, high-energy, and somehow struck the perfect balance: students learned, but we also respected the space enough to have fun doing it. She was sharp, kind, and just so happened to be the mom of my still-best-friend, Mia.
Now… office and school supplies? Very important to me. Color coordination with notebooks and folders? Non-negotiable. For English class that year, I proudly picked a sparkly blue polka-dot notebook. I’d open it up with a VHS of Schoolhouse Rock: Grammar playing in the background and was immediately in paradise.
Due to my little kid personality naturally starting to move full throttle, paired with the classroom setting that Mrs. Rankin set up for us to not feel held back, I quickly discovered that I could conversationally express my thoughts and stories on paper; I understood that I had the freedom to write how I spoke. Looking back, that spark was the start of something bigger: the ability to connect with people through words.
The prompts would be something like “If you were the principal, how would you run the school?” The typical 10-year-old answer would be “Leave school early and ice cream every day.” But the power in writing comes from detail. So, instead of saying “shorter school days,” I may have written something like:
“So we come in at 8:00 am for school every day, right? Well, I don’t know about you, but it is way too cold for me to be waking up at 6:30, getting to school by 7:45, and start learning multiplication by 8. No one is listening that early! So, I would move the start time to 10:30 to give students and teachers time to eat bacon and warm up, but still learn enough by 2:00. WHAT CRAZY PERSON WOULDN’T DO THIS????”
I won’t lie—I got a kick out of my writing and loved playing with tone, vocabulary, and delivery. And, the best part? Mrs. Rankin LOVED it. I would be ready to go, pencil in hand, absolutely BUZZIN’ for her to read the prompts to us, knowing I had a chance to just let loose and that she would encourage it. Yes, I was hitting the marks with spelling, grammar, and handwriting, but the biggest lesson I was learning was that being myself on paper wasn’t just allowed—it was celebrated.
Anytime I would take a “risk” and start a sentence with “I mean…” or “Well, anyway… or “SO YOU’RE TELLING ME…” I’d smile and think, “What could go wrong? I can’t get a bad grade because I’m being creative and writing how I talk!” And honestly, 10-year-old Hannah, you dawg… you were onto something.
Mrs. Rankin would slap a giant “AWESOME!” across the top of the page with a shiny yellow star, and it would light a fire in me every time. I did very well in school overall, but nothing was more satisfying than earning a perfect score simply for being unapologetically myself. Those little essays were the prehistoric drafts of The Hansan Blog before it even had a name.
To give you some examples of the kind of stuff I was writing, here is the VERY FIRST VIDEO PORTION FILMED FOR THE HANSAN BLOG, of me reading some of my finest work from when I was 10:
Great thumbnail there, Substack! Thank you for that!
Another one that I remember being really into was having to create a restaurant and menu so that we could practice using adjectives. OBSERVE:
Some favorites that I want to highlight: Stupendos Omlet, Lil’ Little Meat, The Idiot Wings, and of course, Mottarella sticks.
Everyone had a subject that came naturally to them, and I’m really glad mine was English and writing. It’s always been the thread connecting everything I care about and understand best. Since that sparkly blue notebook, I’ve written published articles, press releases, sketch comedy, a few screenplays… and now? THE BLOG. FOR A WHOLE YEAR. BADA BING BADA BOOOOOOM.
It’s funny—I can look back at everything I’ve written over the years and see the growth. The clarity, the voice, the maturity of my topics… all of it evolved one way or another and still has PLENTY of ways to go. I’ve written pieces for both professional and personal reasons, but now that I’m a tad bit older, I understand I can use writing as something bigger than creative expression. It’s a tool I turn to when I need clarity or comfort; even just jotting down a messy stream of thoughts in my notes app can help. I wish everyone gave themselves that gift—putting thoughts on paper, just for you and nobody else, is one of the healthiest habits there is.
At Ohio State, I earned my Journalism degree, where I learned not just how to write well, but how to write for others. Journalism gave me the tools to tell the stories of people who might not know how to tell them themselves. And thankfully, instead of reporting on yet another Lime Scooter crash outside Ugly Tuna because some 20-year-old sophomore got zooted, I got to cover Columbus’s theatre and arts community. As I wrote this blog, I actually realized how proud I am—and always should’ve been—to have studied journalism. It helped me sharpen a skill I already loved and expanded it into something that can make a difference.
Just before March, a friend to many suddenly died in a car accident, and everyone was beyond devastated and shocked. One of the first things I did was write a short reflection that helped me understand my own grief and remind myself that he was okay. Because Michael was undeniably one of the kindest people most of us had ever met, putting that into words came naturally. I shared the reflection on Facebook for friends and family to read, hoping that its simplicity and comforting tone might offer a small glimmer of light given the circumstances. A few people told me that they loved what I wrote and thanked me for putting into words what they were feeling. While writing it helped me process things for myself, I came to realize it was really meant for others—for the people who truly knew him with all of their heart and soul, and who were able to have one extra, small moment of quiet comfort.
I’m still figuring out what my exact path is going to look like, but more and more, I feel this pull to simply make people feel better about their lives in this wacky world, whether that’s a smile, a laugh, or just a feeling of being understood. When I write, I feel the most “me.” I love making people laugh or smile through the way I word something, tell a story, or present an idea. Over the past year, I’ve been told many times that people can hear my voice as they read the blog, like I’m speaking directly to them. That is, quite literally, exactly what I’d want anyone to feel when reading my writing, and I’m so grateful it seems to be consistently true. But even then, there’s always, always, always something new to learn or grow from, and I cannot wait to keep moving beyond writing.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE?! I love this blog. YEAH… I DO! I’m so thankful that I’ve learned how to shift my tone and style depending on where I’m writing — but when it comes to The Hansan Blog? This is all me. No one tells me to write these suckers. No deadlines, no assignments — just me, Hansan. And the fact that I’ve been consistent enough to let it reach a whole year? When it’s so easy NOT to do it? That’s a pat-on-the-back moment. You can’t see it, but I am now physically patting myself on the back. This blog is the cannon… and I’m the one LIGHTING THE WICK AND SLIDING IN, BABY KAPOWWWWW!
This is one of those skills I know I was meant to use — and it would be a waste not to lean into it. So, I want to encourage you to lean into your talents, too. I KNOW YOU GOT ‘EM, no matter what they are, because everybody does! You just have to put in the energy to:
Figure out what they are
Keep them alive
But here’s the deal — that takes discipline, patience, and a willingness to accept that things won’t be perfect. When I started this blog a year ago, I truly had NO idea what I was going to write about. I just opened up my computer and started jotting down whatever came to mind. I’m still learning what my skills and interests can do for myself and for others, and I hope you take some time to explore yours too.
It’s been said many times, but it’s worth repeating: words are powerful. The ability to share what you think or feel in your own words and in your own tone is a blessing. Writing today genuinely feels no different than when I was 10 years old, getting a class prompt and thinking, “Where do I want to take this?” That sense of possibility hasn’t gone away, and I’m immensely grateful that others continue to read, watch, or feel the things I create.
It took a year of simply showing up and writing to realize this: the things you’re good at can start small, but they’re still worth consistently showing up for (and worth giving endless time to grow), especially when they help you and others feel more connected, more seen, and more understood because of it.
There is nothing I love more than connection, emotion, and the ability to say what is on my mind without feeling afraid. You don’t have to get a blog (I would subscribe if you did though AYOOOOOOO), but… I encourage you to take time to write something, ANYTHING down. Ideas, thoughts, memories, stories, feelings, fears, hopes, prayers… truly anything. You’ll feel good. Do it for me for my gift for celebrating the one-year blogiversary... PWEAAAAAAAAASE! And, in the words of The Hansan Blog from one year ago…
Whatever your ”hansan” is, multiply it by a trillion and then add some whipped cream and a cherry on top… THAT is who you are. You, fellow blog reader, have so much potential to be exactly who you dream to be. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and be kind to yourself. Things don’t happen overnight, but you have to start somewhere. Aka, this blog. Am I making sense? Who cares. It’s just a blog.
Check out my last post!
Happy blogiversary! Can I officially log a request for a deep dive on the philosophical underpinnings of SpongeBob SquarePants?