Seasons

Seasons was written over an 8 year span, from the ages 14-22. The project was successfully crowdfunded in 2017 and released in 2018. You can check out the original crowdfunding campaign, listen to the music, read the stories and see the art below.

A year of music, art and storytelling

I’ve been writing and recording music since I was 14. After graduating from college, I sat down with my body of work and thought, “How do I want to give this to the world?” I had songs that were among the very first I’d written, and others that were the product of a seasoned writer. As I listened to the recordings, a natural grouping started to form, and the songs melded into four cohesive sets - each one evoking a distinct emotional response. I knew I was sitting on 4 EP’s, but I still didn’t know how I would give them to my audience.

How could I represent the range in writing? The music itself spanned eight years, but these eight years were not spent forcing a set of songs into perfection. They were spent learning, writing and living. I tested boundaries; I became an adult. I moved out, went to college, bought a car, had my heart broken and healed, obtained a degree, got married, had a child, and even adopted a dog! Like we all do, I grew.

How could I share this body of work in a way that conveyed the growth and development of the life it represented? That communicated not only the experiences, but my skill and ability to express them?

My brain seems to constantly be working on such puzzles, and frequently provides the solutions as I lay in bed, waiting to drift into sleep. It was on one of these nights that the word ‘Seasons’ came to my mind. I tugged at the thought, and like a loose thread, the wall I had been up against unraveled. Each EP clearly fit into a season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. The evolution of the music was beautifully illustrated by the shifting seasons.

After that breakthrough, one by one the dominoes fell and the project revealed itself. A year of music, art and storytelling.

I hope you enjoy the journey.

Hannah Sophia

The Music

The Art

I love creativity in all its forms. I have been blessed to be able to express myself through music, words and art. So many of these songs are multifaceted in my mind. More than music and lyrics, they are vivid memories and images. The texture of the carpet in my childhood home - how it felt against my back, as I lay, mourning my first heartbreak. My mother gently stroked my arm with her calloused hand, as she assured me that one day it wouldn’t feel so big. All of these things are in my lyrics and melodies, and I want to be able to share them with you in every medium I can. Here you see an early sketch and finished painting for the song, “Little Sister.” Each piece of art will include early sketches and the story behind it. Mediums include: Acrylic, Ink, Water, Charcoal and Pastels.

The Stories

I am number 5 of 11 children. After eleven pregnancies my mothers stomach was embellished with stretch marks. Silver lines, like braille told the story of what her body had accomplished. Silver blended with vibrant reds and purples, when a new resident began decorating. As a child, I loved to look at the constellations they formed, almost like the milky way, swirling around her belly button.

Twenty year later, I watched my stomach sprout lines and my own child's elbows glide across the surface and I imagined how my own mother had experienced giving me life. I could feel my skin stretch and my joints soften to accommodate my growing child. Did she feel the same pains I did now? Would my daughter some day ask the same questions about me? These thoughts, and more lead to the song Growing Pains. A book compiling the music, art, stories and lyrics is available now. You can also explore the music, art and storytelling right here!

Discover Spring