The Everest Blog

While we celebrate women and their achievements every day, we are delighted to shine an extra bright spotlight on the incredible women at Everest. Today, we’re spotlighting one particular woman who drives most of the graphics here at Everest. If you decide to get graphics done with your new Everest Ice and Water Vending Machine, you’ll most likely meet Hannah Wood!

We chatted with Hannah to reflect on what her journey through graphic design and working at Everest has looked like. As well as, what advice she would give other women looking to pave their own path forward.

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do. (job, interests/hobbies, your day-to-day at Everest).

I’m Hannah, the graphic designer here at Everest. I create a good amount of the visuals for the company as well as custom backlit panels for the machines. I’m a recent college graduate and have been at the company for about 7ish months. My day-to-day consists of communicating with owners to get their design hopes and dreams fulfilled, creating said graphics, and working in our smaller warehouse producing decals for the machines themselves. As for my interests, I feel as though I have some niche interests haha. I really enjoy horror movies and video games along with listening to new and unique music.

Who’s a woman you draw inspiration from?

I draw a lot of inspiration from a Serbian performance artist named Marina Abramović. Her works are very interesting, I recommend checking out some of her work. She works a lot with themes including feminism, endurance, and the relationship between the artist and the audience. I hope to use her as inspiration for future artistic endeavors.

How do you continue to grow professionally?

I feel as though this answer has two parts. One: Never stop learning. Every day is a new learning experience and I want to be open to anything that comes my way. We can never grow if we aren’t open to the possibilities that may present themselves to us. In that, we can learn from our mistakes to become a better version of ourselves. Two: Taking care of yourself. Making sure that mind and body are as synchronized as possible will help maximize efficiency and happiness in my opinion. Now, this isn’t to say not to push yourself, but to be more in tune with yourself as you navigate through life.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

This is kind of tough, I have a lot I would like to say too little Hannah haha. The biggest thing I would say is to continue to be yourself because no one else will. Sounds really cheesy I know, but it’s true.

Why do you think diversity in the workplace is so important?

I think that diversity of all kinds is essential in the workplace because it provides minorities with opportunities to hold important positions and excel in those areas. Very capable individuals are often overlooked simply because of who they are. I also think that it is important for people to learn from each other; gain a sense of understanding from each other. I feel as though a lack of empathy is becoming an issue now.

What has your experience been like with our company culture?

It has definitely been a really great experience. I am very thankful that I feel comfortable here and if there were any issues, I can talk about them with my peers or leadership. It is a very laid-back & creative environment. I tend to work best in places where I feel comfortable, but able to get work done.

What would you be doing if you weren’t working in graphic design? (if you can have any job in the world what would it be?)

Realistically, I would still be an artist in some shape or form. I would probably work to become a tattoo artist or even a mortician. Both still require some artistic skill and talent, but also play into biology. I loved biology in school, and just find science in general really interesting.

What has been the most rewarding part of your life this far? What is the best part about that?

The most rewarding part of my life so far has to be the current path I am on right now. I graduated from college with a degree in studio art and then immediately got hired for this position. It feels incredible that I am where I am right now. The best part about being an artist is to see your work in real life, being used by others. It also feels really great and validating that I am skilled enough to do the work that I do and have it be sufficient for Everest and our customers.

Tell us about your favorite vacation you’ve been on.

My favorite vacation has to be when I visited Germany for the first time. It was right after high school when my German language skills were at their peak haha. The country has so much history and beautiful scenery that just can’t be beaten. Seeing some of the sights in person rather than in a textbook was a crazy experience. Also, they know how to make pastries very well.

What’s your vision for the future–where do you want to be in five or ten years from now?

Wow, this is a big question, I feel as though I have a lot of time ahead of me. Bottom line is that I hope I am happy with every facet of my life. I hope that I am able to grow as a person and as an artist. It would be gratifying to branch out with my work into different forms of media. I would also like to take my design skills to the next level and be “the next sought-after designer” haha.

Thank you Hannah for sharing your story with us and for being a valuable asset to our customers and our team!