Melody Hansen’s life experiences have taught her to be flexible. Not ‘touch your toes’ kind of flexible, but malleable, the kind of person that adapts to change. When she was seven, her family moved from Switzerland to Florida. Though difficult at first, she learned English and adjusted to an American way of life. She grew up in a musical home with a certainty that she wanted to sing and perform, and that certainty has stuck with her. A few years ago, she began making music with her sister under the name Sonagur. They’re currently working on their first full-length album, melding their ideas and voices to tell a united story.
A versatile artist, Melody is one of those people that excels in multiple creative realms, but her path as an artist hasn’t always been clear cut. She went to university in Toronto, Ontario, to study graphic design, but after a year and a half decided to change direction. She explains, “I felt too limited and wanted more time. More time to create, to explore, to make mistakes. Our band was starting at the time, too, and I wanted to focus on music.” But her time in school did help define her style of illustration. “It’s funny because at school, I didn’t think of myself as a ‘good’ drawer, but I was always inspired by lines and scribbles. And I knew I had shaky hands, which kept me from drawing perfect straight lines. So I just decided to experiment with what I knew I was good at, and became okay if it didn’t look perfect. I started embracing my own style.”
When I was younger, I wish I had known that the red and white platform shoes my dad bought for me that kids made fun of me for wearing were actually really cool.
I feel happiest when I’m with my sister and my best friend, and we’re watching old movies and laughing about high school moments. That, and when I eat good chocolate with my mom, and talk to my cousin (he’s the funniest person I know).
The best thing about being female is our ability to carry other lives inside of us.
The best advice I’ve ever received was from my high school English teacher, and she told me I didn’t always have to write long sentences in essays, that I could keep my ideas simple, and they’d be more impactful that way. That didn’t only help me get better English grades, but it honestly changed the way I thought. I realized simple is powerful, and I shouldn’t fear saying things as they are.
I express myself through words and sounds and imperfect illustrations that I usually draw out with shaky hands.
I admire the people in my life who will confront and speak truth, all while being gracious and gentle. They remind me what love really looks like.
