One of my first childhood memories stems from a broken oak branch prickling my tiny palm. What looked like a little girl with knotted pigtails and mismatched socks yelling to herself crazily to other people was actually me casting imaginary spells on insects and plants with my awesome magic wand.
What always fascinated me about creativity was the escape factor. While growing up, I was constantly picking up new hobbies I could obsess over for a few weeks. Playing the violin, crocheting, even pottery. You name it, and I have tried it. Being fully encapsulated by a needle and thread or a brand-new coloring book felt like the biggest escape from reality.
But over time, I realized that creativity wasn’t just an escape, but an entrance. The art of creativity is creating something that comes from our own heads, our own hearts. Creativity is a direct reflection of ourselves. This is what grew my passion for creative writing. Being able to write about a personal experience or emotion and having never-ending possibilities of diction or structure is so fascinating to me.
I feel we are not only what we create, but also what we intake. Just as creativity serves as a reflection, the things we like or even don’t like are a reflection as well. The music we listen to, the text messages we send, the movies we watch or perhaps refuse to watch. That is what makes us who we are. So, to properly introduce myself, I will tell you all the detailed, niche things I like or dislike that I believe make me who I am.
My favorite color is hot, vibrant pink. I can’t be productive without blasting music throughout my apartment, whether that be Taylor Swift (who has been my top artist on Apple Music for the past three years), SZA, or Frank Ocean. I basically live in sweatshirts and will wear them no matter what the temperature is outside. My favorite movie of all time is Mamma Mia!, which I have seen over twelve times. I am originally from a suburb of Chicago, Illinois – which is how I discovered my deep hatred for freezing temperatures and mushy grey snow. I am awful at skiing. I get scared very easily, to the point where my roommate bought a scary-clown mask just to hide it around our room.
So even though I am no longer picking up random branches off the grass and haven’t played in violin in years, those hobbies are still a part of the person I am and what helped lead me to Sundress Publications – and I am so excited for what this new opportunity will teach me about myself.
Hannah Dettmann is currently majoring in English with a minor in Secondary Education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is originally from Chicago, Illinois. In her free time, she loves spending time with friends, trying new foods, and going on walks.
- Sundress Academy for the Arts Presents Look / Mira: Latinx/e Ways of Looking in Poetry & Prose - May 26, 2026
- The Wardrobe’s Best Dressed: Sleeping in the Courtyard: Contemporary Kurdish Writers in Diaspora edited by Holly Mason Badra - May 26, 2026
- The Wardrobe’s Best Dressed: Sleeping in the Courtyard: Contemporary Kurdish Writers in Diaspora edited by Holly Mason Badra - May 25, 2026