The story that started it all for Alabama artist Hannah Morris begins as a sudden and heartbreaking tragedy. Three years ago, Morris witnessed the drowning death of her best friend’s daughter, Annie.  

“It crushed me in so many ways, not only the loss of my two-year-old buddy that was so close to my family, but also for my friends as they navigated their new life without their baby.”

Up to this point in her life, Morris’s day-to-day was filled to the brim with the all-consuming responsibilities of being a wife and mother of three kids and managing a thriving and demanding business. 

It was the loss of Annie that served as the starting point in her search for something more.

Having taken a break from work just prior to the accident to handle another family crisis, Morris quickly realized that returning to her job felt trivial in light of the loss of someone so significant. So, she chose to leave her career to be home with her family and her friend. 

 

“I’d loved every second of that job, and I was consumed in it. Then, when I left, and was dealing with all of the emotions of grief, I was basically having an identity crisis.”

Morris tried her best to keep busy with projects around the house. She organized furiously, leaving no item unlabeled and no corner untouched, but despite her best efforts, the devastating feeling continued to loom over her. She was suffering from both a lack of connection to her purpose and a confused and clouded state of mind.

Hannah sought help from others, consulting friends and multiple professionals to try and find a solution to the grief. Along this journey of returning to herself, she heard the same sentiment repeated. She was continually urged to invest time into a creative outlet.

“I finally pulled out some old craft paints and tiny canvases. I began frantically painting abstract crosses with lots of layers to depict what I was feeling. It felt messy and angry and sad and hopeful, just begging for mercy and peace and direction. I was desperately trying to find beauty in the chaos of it all.”

She painted feverishly and for hours on end. She would paint layer after layer on each small canvas. The repetition of creating something familiar served as the perfect setting for God to come through clearly. Once a casual part of her life during her college years, painting had suddenly taken on a new meaning.

What was originally something she thought she would try in order to relax and self-soothe had become much more. With each piece, she found herself more deeply entrenched in the experience of creating and being present with God. Painting had become a form of worship.

After deciding to sell some of her first pieces, she received strong encouragement from her friends and family. They believed in her work and vision and asked her to go further. One friend ventured to ask her to create something entirely new.

“After almost twenty years of encouraging and challenging others in their achievements and leadership development, I needed someone or something to push me.”

 

 

She took the leap and purchased her first large canvases. At first intimidated, they lay dormant for months until she was ready to expand. When the day finally came, she sat in front of the large canvas eager to see where the journey would take her. As she started painting, something truly miraculous happened. She dropped the paintbrushes and opted instead to paint directly on the canvas with her hands.

Hours went by as she created. Hannah worked as if guided by a greater presence and, once the work was completed, she stepped back to witness something incredible. She did not know why or how, but she had produced a piece that seemed not of her own doing. She felt determined it was of the Holy Spirit, and it was at this moment she realized her role.

She was a vessel.

“My first abstract that wasn’t a cross was called Wait No More. It’s what God had been telling me, but I was too distracted to hear Him.”

She knew that this new pursuit was much more than a creative outlet, and soon she was given a vision. She felt led to start an art business in which she could share these Spirit-inspired works along with her story and encourage others to open themselves to similar encounters with God.

At this direction, she went all in. She started creating work after work in her studio with worship music playing and an attitude of surrender. People began to take notice of the local artist’s talent and began purchasing her purposeful pieces. Each sale became an opportunity for Morris to share her story and the impact of these experiences on her life.

Now, Hannah Morris is the owner of a thriving art business built on embracing her connection to God and allowing the Holy Spirit to move through her. She has transmuted her pain to produce moving artwork that invites others to look within themselves. She hopes to serve as a vessel, allowing others to access the healing that comes only from complete and total surrender.

“There was a calling on my life and it wasn’t until my heart had been completely annihilated that I was able to pick up that calling and activate the gifts He’s given me. And now they overflow from my heart. I am but a vessel, and art is my ministry.”