When Creativity Becomes a Calling with Hannah Pearlman

What if making art isn't something you choose, but something you can't stop yourself from doing?

For some artists, creativity isn't simply a career path. It's a pull that keeps showing up—in unfinished ideas, new projects, experiments, and the persistent urge to make something, even when life points you in another direction.

That feeling has been part of Hannah Pearlman's story for as long as she can remember. As a child, she filled notebooks with ideas and spent her time making things, always imagining a future as an artist. But like many artists, she eventually found herself choosing the more practical path. After college, Hannah spent 10 years working in nonprofit management while art remained something she continued to carry with her.

It was a growing calligraphy side hustle and a realization that she still had decades of work ahead of her that eventually pushed Hannah to reconsider what she wanted her creative life to look like. She returned to school for graphic design, discovered that illustration was where she truly wanted to be, and took the leap into making art her full-time career.

Today, Hannah is the artist behind Palindrome Art, based in Providence, Rhode Island. She describes herself as an artist, dreamer, and believer that the world gets better when we take time to look a little closer. Shaped by her Jewish heritage and the joyful chaos of being a mom, she sees art as a powerful platform for kindness, justice, repair, connection, and relationships.

We sat down with Hannah to talk about the decision to pursue art, what keeps her making, the mediums she loves, the people who shaped her journey, and how embracing creative constraints helped her find her artistic voice.

1. Is there one moment you realized you were (or wanted to be) and artist? Describe that moment.

I always knew that I wanted to be an artist. As a kid, I did lots of arts and crafts and I took lessons and classes. I’d always tell people that I wanted to be an artist when I grew up, but my mom was skeptical and told me that you can’t make a living as an artist. The best she could think of was architecture. I took an introduction to architecture course for high school students and immediately hated it. Who knew architecture involved so much math?

After college, I chose a career in nonprofit management. It wasn’t my childhood dream, but that still seemed out of reach. I spent 10 years working for different nonprofits. I had a great boss and I liked my job, but one day I had an epiphany: I realized that I had at least another 30 years of work. I felt like I would regret not doing what I loved. At the same time, one of my hobbies (calligraphy) turned into a side hustle. People started asking me to do things I didn’t know how to do, so I went back to school for graphic design. After design school, I realized that what I really wanted to do was illustration, so I forged ahead with my big career change, and I’ve been so lucky to make this my full-time job.

2. What has driven you to be an artist?

I don’t really know how to explain this, except to say that I always have to be making something. I’m always working on a project, or experimenting, or (ahem) buying new art supplies. It’s tricky to take your creative impulses and monetize them, but I’ve felt driven to make art that says something and share it with other people. It’s all about creating connections and building relationships, and I think that art is that platform for me.

3. What is your favorite medium to work with?

I work digitally a lot, which is so convenient. At this point, I’ve been drawing on my iPad for over 10 years, and it feels like second nature. I also paint murals, which I find to be immensely satisfying and almost meditative. Something about getting my hands messy! I periodically like to experiment with different mediums, and have recently really enjoyed oil pastels. So squishy.

4. Is there one person in your life that particularly inspired or encouraged you as an artist?

It’s funny, I mentioned that my mom was the one who discouraged me from pursuing an artistic career path, but I actually think she has inspired me to eventually pursue my dreams. She passed away when I was a teenager, and before she died she talked about how she always wanted to be a writer and that she regretted not going for it. So even though she was skeptical about me earning a paycheck as an artist, ultimately her reflections on her own career path helped me make the leap.

5. What’s one piece of advice that’s shaped your creative journey? Is there one piece of advice you’d give to new or aspiring artists?

My mentor gave me some amazing advice when I told her that I couldn’t figure out how to discover my art style. She said, “you’re a designer, make brand guidelines for yourself!” So I made a mood board of all of the features of my favorite illustrations, created a limited color palette, and stuck to that plan without deviating for 6 months. It helped me figure out my process, and eventually I started to push the boundaries of my own style guide and experimented. It was so helpful, the restriction really forced my creative growth.

Discover More from Palindrome Art

Hannah’s creative journey is a reminder that becoming an artist doesn't always happen in a straight line. Sometimes, it takes years of exploring different paths, following creative impulses, and taking the leap toward the work you’ve always wanted to make.

Through Palindrome Art, Hannah continues to use her creativity as a way to communicate, connect, and share ideas with others.

Follow Hannah / Palindrome Art: @palindromeart
Visit: www.palindromeart.com