About Us

The story behind Han-made...

Hi, my name is Hannah. I am the owner and artist behind Han-made.

Han-made is a neurodiverse and woman-owned small business that offers coastal and nature-inspired art. Most of our products are handmade by me in my home studio, with a few other products created by other artists.

Based on the UK South Coast, all my natural materials are hand collected from local beaches, including sea glass, driftwood, etc. Our planet is a passion of mine, so I always take great care and respect our beaches. We even take part in some local beach cleans!

All my work is inspired by nature and the world around me. I love to take in the various forms, colours and textures and try to emulate them in my work. The coast has always been a safe place for me and is very close to my heart. Most of my inspiration comes from the ocean and our gorgeous beaches.

My story

From an early age, I constantly struggled to find my place in life as I always found myself different from my peers. I stuck to my parents like glue and looked to them to steer me through every aspect of my life.

Nature, especially the beach, is very precious to everyone in my family and was introduced to me from birth. My childhood was filled with adventure, creativity and excitement! We regularly went for woodland walks, swimming, den building, treasure hunts, kayaking, rock pooling, and more!

I have been blessed with my family and inherited my love of the outdoors from them. My mum particularly made my childhood magical; the beach has always been her favourite place and she passed that love onto me.

Unfortunately, growing up was difficult for me. I was a very unique child and very different from my siblings and peers. I suffered from severe anxiety from a toddler and went on to be bullied all through school. By year 7, I had already been diagnosed with three anxiety disorders, dyslexia and OCD.

School never really improved and I developed severe depression. I always found myself feeling alienated from everyone around me and couldn’t seem to fit in. In many ways, I was very mature for my age, but in other ways, I was far behind. I just felt stuck and unable to progress forward.

I was eventually diagnosed Autistic in my late teens and officially diagnosed at 20.

My life became a lot clearer for me and my family then. However, it also came with the realization that though there were some things I could work towards, I was always going to need additional support and some things I may never be able to do as my brain works differently.

I have always been creative and artistic and found that doing these tasks helped relax me and lower my anxiety. In lockdown 2020, I started creating small arts and crafts from home. It was just for myself to keep my mind busy and focused.

I also became passionate about Autism and supporting other children like me. I hoped I could try to help them with my new knowledge and experience. I wanted to support children where I didn't get support. I partnered this with my passion for nature and started volunteering at a local Forest School. I was offered a job and have continued to work part-time with neurodiverse young people. This allowed me to gain more support myself, meet amazing Neurodiverse adults, make friends and learn from their experiences.

Unfortunately, in 2022, I went into a full Autistic Burnout. Due to this, I had to quit my regular job and lower all demands. Due to my disability, it became clear that I could not cope with the demands of a full-time job and was only able to manage very small part time hours. I continued with Forest School part-time and am now doing my full training.

Autistic burnout can be debilitating and is incredibly difficult to manage. (Please take the time to research Autistic Burnout as it is not something enough people are aware of.) Being home a lot more and limited with my burnout, I now spend most of my days getting creative.

And Han-made was born!

I wanted to share some of my art and passion with the world. I wanted to create a business so I could try and earn some money and contribute to my household. At 21, independence and having your job and income are important. I wanted to create something of my own that I loved. Something I could work towards.

Han-made Coastal Art, I hope, is a place that celebrates difference, beauty and nature! I hope you enjoy it and our products too!!

Special thanks...

Han-made would not be possible without the love and support of my family and friends. A big thank you to all of them, for constantly supporting and giving ideas.

Thank you to my uncle for being a part of the idea, start-up and support. Most importantly, my amazing mother for looking after, supporting, funding and encouraging me.