Comic Artist Hannah Hillam Turned Her ADHD Brain Into a Career
July 9, 2026 · 53 min
Why listen
A comic artist explains how an ADHD brain, 500 open tabs, and Icelandic Dracula built a real creative career.
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In this episode
- How a chaotic, curiosity-driven mind becomes a professional advantage
- The origin of a graphic novel with a cute but deeply unsettling style
- Why Icelandic Dracula is nothing like the story you already know
- How random internet rabbit holes can become a sustainable creative project
About this episode
Illustrator, comic artist, and 500 Open Tabs co-host Hannah Hillam joins Tawny Platis to make friendship bracelets while talking about creativity, comics, weird internet rabbit holes, and embracing the wonderfully chaotic way her brain works.
Hannah talks about:
Growing up drawing comics and realizing art was always the career she was meant to pursue
Writing her graphic novel Cat People and why "cute but deeply unsettling" became her signature style
How 500 Open Tabs was born from never closing browser tabs and turning random curiosities into a podcast
The bizarre history of Icelandic Dracula and why it's completely different from the original
The Carrington Event, solar storms, and the surprisingly real possibility of an internet-ending apocalypse
Raising kids, true crime obsessions, and why everything somehow turns into a cult or an arsonist story
The two also get into Studio Ghibli tattoos, Taylor Swift discourse, tiny trinkets, friendship bracelet storytelling, and why every weird little object deserves its own elaborate backstory.
Plus, every bracelet made during this episode is available for purchase, with 100% of proceeds going to PCF, Hannah's charity of choice.
Remember, every bracelet has a story, and every story helps a cause.
Follow Hannah Hillam:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahhillam/500 Open Tabs Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/500-open-tabs/id1720585294
Follow Tawny:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tawnyplatis/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tawnyplatisWeb: https://tawnyvoice.com/
About String and Tell with Tawny and Kristen
Voice actors Tawny Platis and Kristen DiMercurio challenge each other to voice act in deliberately miscast performances every Thursday! After the games, they chat about voice acting, art, and entertainment while they make friendship bracelets based on what they just performed.
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