Maria Menounos in Conversation with Hannah Hart
We gathered some of the biggest names in film, podcasting, art, activism, music, and media for Patreon Assembly, an afternoon of storytelling and performances. Through personal stories from their own creative journey, our guests shared how they leveraged entrepreneurial spirit, artistic control and their relationship with their audience to build successful, durable creative careers.
Hannah Hart, YouTube sensation, author, and podcaster sat down with Maria Menounos, journalist, author, and host of the Better Together podcast, to talk success, creativity, and the importance of pressing ‘pause.’
On living a creative life:Hannah Hart, of ‘My Drunk Kitchen’ fame, made it big before YouTube stardom was even a thing. But when asked if the creative life was always her goal, she had this to share at the 1:30 mark, “It never seemed practical to me that I could have the chance to make art and be a responsible person, I thought you had to choose between the two!”
On contributing to someone’s idea:At the 4:38 mark, Hart explains “In entertainment and with Patreon you’re contributing to someone’s idea that they’ve had of how they could be worthwhile, how they could have a purpose, how they could be contributing something, so when you participate in that, you’re contributing to their contribution and I kind of think there’s nothing more beautiful than that, as a way of feeling present by giving a little belief into somebody else.”
How to manage life’s big challenges:Maria Menounos talked about the importance of slowing down and simplifying your life when she opened up about her recent treatment for a brain tumor at the 10:41 mark, “I completely changed my entire life. I stopped the mad rush of doing a thousand things at once.”
On living with mental illness:At the 15:45 mark, Hart got real about her struggle with depression and the reality of living with mental illness despite great personal success. “I want to restructure my life so my misery feels justified because it’s hard to admit that even though I have everything I’ve ever wanted there’s just a deeper sadness. That’s just the mind and the mind lies.”
On being Hyper-aware:At the 18:40 mark, Hart explained to Menounos that even though she struggles with depression in some ways it has been a gift. “It’s like having this hyper-aware internal compass that your life has to have meaning.”
Sharing the creator to audience connection:Hart and Menounos end their chat by talking about the importance of authenticity as public figures, beginning at the 20.32 mark when Hart says “Everyday is a reflection of all of my beliefs…and it’s debilitating but also like the most constant validity/accountability check.”
