interview :: h for hannah

This article was published 10 years

UK-born LA-based Hannah Morrow has lived in New York, worked for a record label and as a prop stylist. She finally found her true calling when she established ceramics brand H for Hannah in 2008 after studying 3D design at Camberwell School of Art in London and specialising in bone china. All her designs are now handmade – from bone china so thin the light shines through it – by a small family-run manufacturer in the UK. I caught up with Hannah to find out more – we talked open water swimming, the importance of staying open to inspiration from anywhere and the joy of visual diaries…

What’s the most important thing to know about you?

I’m a Jewish-Irish North Londoner living in Los Angeles who loves design, fashion, making jam, good (and not so good!) TV, coffee and swimming in the ocean.

How did you find your way into ceramics?

I left school at 17 and worked for the label side of Virgin Records for over 10 years, left to go back to college and decided to do a BA in 3D Design (Ceramics) at Camberwell School of Art – even though I didn’t love clay in the beginning! It wasn’t until I started working with bone china that it all clicked into place. I moved to New York and worked as a prop stylist for a while, then moved to Los Angeles on a lark with my husband in 2004 and a few years later finally started H for Hannah.

What inspires your work?

I’m inspired by things around me – I try to read, watch and observe as much as possible so that ideas can pop into my head. I’m also really inspired by the people and objects I grew up with. I come from a really eclectic family – my mum lives in a cave in France, need I say more?!

Talk me through your design and making process.

I have kept a visual diary for about eight years where I draw, write and cut-out images from magazines so quite often projects will start there. I refine the idea and draw it over and over until I know what I want to design. I make the shape in plaster and send it to my mould maker in Stoke-on-Trent who will make the final model for the design. We quite often have an email back and forth to refine it and when we’re both happy, he will send the master mould to the manufacturer who will produce a sample which, once approved, will be produced.

What’s the most fun part – and the most challenging part?

The fun part is definitely the design process and seeing the shapes produced for the first time, it’s a bit like Christmas. As with many other people, my challenge is to fight procrastination particularly on the not so fun parts like doing your taxes.

Talk me through a really good day and a really bad day on the life of Hannah Morrow.

I work outside when I’m designing so a really good day is a warm but not too hot day, a backlog of podcasts to listen to or a good music show on my local radio station KCRW, the design is taking shape nicely and the dogs are putzing around outside. I love to cook and eat, so a delicious lunch would be in there somewhere. A bad day is when the day doesn’t really take shape properly and I feel like I didn’t accomplish much.

What are you most proud of?

Life is full of ups and downs and I’m proud that I’ve managed to remain optimistic and can celebrate the small things while – hopefully – continuing to grow and evolve as a person.

What advice would you give to an ascribing potter?

Trust your gut, if it feels right to you that’s all you need to know. I would also encourage anyone to stay curious and look outside your field – inspiration comes from everything and anywhere.