Katie Hazard:“The ideas are always flowing, the issue is allowing myself to work on them”

Katie Hazard: Where did you grow up?

Cleveland, Ohio (west side)

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What first sparked your interest in art?

I grew up in a dysfunctional family of passionate people. My brother is a musician who let me play his guitar and took me to my first art gallery. My aunt was a cook who was great friends with Michael Simon, she took me to various gardens and restaurants in the Tremont area and showed me the true art of food. My grandmother was a craft maker. She designed everyone’s house in the family, she made all of the pillows, curtains, and those pillows you put on your bed – but take them off when you sleep because you’re not really supposed to use them. Later in life, I would always be asking to borrow her sewing machine.

What inspires you, in general?

 I like to go on walks. I fell deeply in love with the Metroparks, that is where I spent most of my time from the ages 15-17 years old. That being said, living in the city I people watch all the time. Every day I walked to the Panera ( or Einstein bagel, whichever I was in the mood for) on Detroit road, and sit for hours. I would write in my book about how I observed people, who I perceived them to be. I encourage anyone who lives anywhere to try that technique, that is what helped me grow as a writer.  

When you get an idea for a photo, how do go about getting that shot?

I don’t really think about it, I just do it and I learn on the way. This is not the best way of going about it, I’m aware, but it keeps the fun involved.

Why is photography important to you?  

Capturing beautiful, scary, sad, heart-wrenching moments gives me some sort of satisfaction that I can’t really explain.

Do you think talent for art, in general, is something a person is born with?

I think anyone who has ambition and the love for something can accomplish anything.

What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?  

For me, getting up and doing it. It’s so easy for me to lay in my bed in shame, to tell myself I am no good. The ideas are always flowing, the issue is allowing myself to work on them.

What about writing? Tell us a little bit about it

What led you to become a writer? Picking up a pen and discovering what I could do. Writing has always come easily to me, but as I grew older and found the “rights” and “wrongs” is when it got to be more difficult. Sometimes I wish I could go back to my childlike mind and let go of what I am “suppose to do”.

What books/magazines/newspapers do you enjoy reading?

“on writing well” by William Zinsser is a forever favorite, it taught me how to be more of a journalist.

What is your working style, more independent or collaborative?

 Independent for sure. I get flustered when there are too many people involved, as far as photography. Other than that I’m pretty open to working with others, but I think I’ll always prefer being by myself.