S A M A N T H A H A H N
Illustrator and Creative Director Samantha Hahn is one of the most intuitive, dedicated, and talented people you will ever meet. Looking through the archives of the prolific watercolors she has created for everyone from the CFDA to Vogue Japan, is a dreamy deep dive into a rainbow of color and a glimpse into Sam's magnanimous imagination. We peek behind the curtain into her personal world as a wife and mother in Brooklyn, and talk about the role of family, identity and spirituality Samantha lives by.
Samantha shows her kids childhood letters from her school friends.
"For me, the meaning of 'Identity' is an ever evolving question. I’m always trying to be my best self and do my best and that sometimes means reframing the way I see myself in relation to what and who is around me. At the end of the day, identity to me is the meeting point of who I am inside and outside.
Samantha wears her mom's vintage dress, and daughter Viv wear's a dress Samantha wore as a little girl, looking through her dad's old records.
My family is my raison d’être, my friends bring me joy. Without either everything would be meaningless. That being said, I pour so much of my energy into my work because I love it so much and it gives me purpose. As a freelancer the lines are all blurred. I don’t have a great work life balance so I try to be physically and emotionally present to my family and friends blocking off periods of time when we’re together and I’m not constantly checking in on work.
Philosophy to Live by: The process is more important than the product.
Words of wisdom to myself: Be kind. Speak to yourself the way you speak to others.
Most recent thing I learned about myself: That I am more in control of my thought processes than I previously believed.
Daughter Viv wear's Samantha's childhood hat.
I don’t know that I can fully define what spirituality means to me. I have had grand spiritual experiences in nature, surrounded by stunning scenery. That being said, I think deep moments of joy spending time with my family are the heart of my spiritual life.
Celebrating holidays with family always brings me back to looking at the whole of my life and how I’ve grown and loved these people and introduced my children into the tribe and at the same time there’s a bitterness because of the people who are no longer with us and who live strongly in my memory in the context of these celebrations. Thinking about my dad always reminds me of family celebrations with table full of food. He loved hosting holidays and having loved ones at the table.
On Christmas, as a family we get Dim Sum in Chinatown and then walk over the Brooklyn Bridge to the Dumbo waterfront. With my two oldest girlfriends we always feel like we don’t get enough time together so at least once a year we leave town for a sleepover. The talking doesn’t stop from the car ride to the dinner, through the night and all the next morning. It’s like we’re in 6th grade again."
Photography by Yumi Matsuo
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