Today we’d like to introduce you to John Hanson.
John, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born and raised in Traverse City, Michigan, and from an early age I was drawn to the arts. Throughout the 2010s, I lived in Grand Rapids, where I worked across music, film, and community events. One of my proudest creative accomplishments during that time was founding the Lamp Light Music Festival, an annual house-concert series that brought artists and audiences together in intimate and meaningful ways.
After a brief period living in Los Angeles, I embarked on a five-year documentary photography project called Grandmothers of America. The project took me to all 50 states, where I photographed grandmothers and collected their life advice for a forthcoming hardcover book.
Since 2019, Detroit has been my home. Here, I’ve continued to build a multidisciplinary creative practice spanning film, music, photography, and community engagement. As a film producer and director, I create documentary and promotional work for nonprofits, arts organizations, and mission-driven institutions, helping tell stories that inspire connection and positive change. My film The Albert Kahn Sonata, which explores the architecture and legacy of Albert Kahn, received international recognition and earned a Silver Medal at the Global Music Awards.
In music, I’ve released collaborative ambient recordings through projects such as Yimes and Saltbreaker, while also producing records for artists including Elisabeth Pixley-Fink and Michelle Jia. Across all of my work, I’m interested in storytelling that highlights beauty, community, history, and our relationship to place.
Today, I live in Hamtramck with my wife and daughter, where I continue to create work that brings people together through art, culture, and shared experiences.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Like many people working in the arts, I’ve spent much of my career balancing creative ambitions with the practical realities of making a living. There have been periods of financial uncertainty, projects that didn’t come together as planned, and countless moments where I questioned whether I was on the right path.
One of the biggest challenges has been learning how to sustain long-term creative work. Projects like Grandmothers of America took years to complete and required a great deal of patience, persistence, and faith before any tangible results appeared. Building a career across multiple disciplines—film, music, photography, education, and community organizing—has also meant constantly learning new skills and adapting to changing circumstances.
At the same time, those challenges have shaped who I am as an artist. They’ve taught me resilience, collaboration, and the importance of community. Looking back, many of the opportunities I’m most grateful for came after periods of uncertainty. The road hasn’t been straight, but each challenge has ultimately helped me build a more meaningful and sustainable creative life.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My work sits at the intersection of film, music, photography, and community building. Through my production company, Astrologic, I produce films for nonprofits, arts organizations, and cultural institutions, helping tell stories that create meaningful connections between people and place. As a filmmaker, I’m particularly drawn to stories about history, architecture, community, and the ways individuals can leave a lasting impact on the world around them.
In music, I work as both a producer and artist through projects including Saltbreaker and Yimes. Much of my work explores ambient, neo-classical, and cinematic sound, with an emphasis on creating music that fosters reflection, healing, and human connection. I also operate Aquarian Sound, a recording studio and emerging artist residency in Detroit that supports musicians and creative collaboration.
Photography has been a lifelong practice as well. My project Grandmothers of America took me to all fifty states documenting grandmothers and collecting their wisdom, reinforcing my belief that everyone has a story worth telling.
What I’m most proud of isn’t any single film, album, or project—it’s the communities that have formed around the work. Whether it was founding the Lamp Light Music Festival in Grand Rapids, building Ambient Night in Detroit, producing films that support nonprofit missions, or creating spaces where artists can collaborate, I’ve always been interested in bringing people together through creative experiences.
What sets my work apart is that I rarely think of art as a product alone. I’m interested in art as a catalyst for connection. Whether I’m making a documentary, producing an album, organizing an event, or photographing a stranger, the goal is often the same: to create something meaningful that helps people see themselves, their communities, and each other in a new way.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
What makes me happiest are moments of awe and wonder. I’ve always been driven by curiosity, and I find a lot of joy in discovering something beautiful—a piece of music, an interesting sound, a striking building, a landscape, or simply seeing the world from a new perspective. Those moments of discovery remind me that there’s always more to learn and appreciate.
More than anything, though, becoming a father has deepened that sense of wonder. Watching my daughter grow and experience the world has made me more aware of how precious life really is. It has also caused me to reflect on my own childhood and the people and experiences that shaped me. Seeing life unfold across generations—where we’ve come from, where we’re going, and how brief and beautiful it all is—it makes me grateful. I think that awareness of life’s fragility and beauty is at the heart of what makes me happy and inspires much of the work I create.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.johnmarkhanson.com
- Instagram: @johnmarkhanson
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmarkhanson/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7ZcIevmow_0PCiqEe1rKhw
