Meet Liliana Jeanine Epps | Artist, Grant Writer, Yoga Teacher & Abolitionist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Liliana Jeanine Epps and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Liliana Jeanine, why did you pursue a creative career?
It just made sense to me. Like my brain doesn’t work any other way. Even if I was working in insurance, I would still be creative, ya know? My essence is artistic and creative and it’s an energy/ethos/mindset I carry with me everywhere I go and into everything I do. I also hate Capitalism/Late Stage Capitalism and working in a creative field is the only way for me to continue to feel sane and feel a sense of purpose in this soul sucking system. I was also raised in a family that values the arts and education so I grew up with the confidence to pursue anything I want.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The one thing I want the world to know about my brand is that it is 1,000% me. I am 1,000 different people, personalities, vibes, emotions, energies, and interests. If my brand seems scattered or unfocused or constantly changing, well that’s because it is! I’m forever growing, changing, learning, evolving, and healing, therefore my art and the work I put out in the world is too. My brand is bright and dark, soft and edgy, vintage and futuristic, silly and serious – I pride myself on encompassing both sides of the same coin. I don’t box myself in and I think that’s what makes my artwork and brand special because there’s something for everybody. I have a special way of relating to all human beings because my work is heart-centered. The only constant is change but the love remains the same.

I also want to highlight that I’m a grant writer for this beautiful organization, The Earthlodge Center for Transformation, which is my main source of income. I am really excited about this time of my life because it’s always been a goal of mine to have a sustainable source of income that compliments my creative endeavors. I tried making money solely through selling art and teaching yoga but started to feel resentful, bitter and burnt out – i.e. the complete opposite of how art and yoga truly make me feel. I hated the feeling of relying on my art to make money because for me it stifled my ability to create authentically – I’m not here to be an art machine. In my opinion, creating art for profit under capitalism is kind of an oxymoron because the creative process is inherently anti-capitalist. For me, the creative process is a sacred conversation with the divine (or my higher-self) and is something I can’t always control because it’s born out of a feeling that moves from within. I also didn’t feel aligned with my morals nor my body in trying to keep up with the amount of yoga I’d need to teach in order to financially sustain myself. I knew there had to be a better way.

I really appreciate being a grant writer because I can basically work from anywhere anytime which allows me the freedom to organically grow my other passions, such as my multimedia artist brand and my vintage Etsy shop: LILYLANDforUS. I’ve also come to learn that working with people outside of an artistic bubble nourishes my skill set in ways that support my personal endeavors/artwork. In short, I’ve always wanted to be an artist but I’ve never wanted to be a struggling artist nor a slave to a record label, publishing house, dance company, etc. I’m still a slave to capitalism – we all are – but the work-life balance I’ve created for myself is my way of doing the best I can with what I’ve got while working towards our collective liberation.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Monday: We’re picking up burritos to go from El Big Burrito Taqueria in Canoga park, then going to Topanga State Beach for the day and eating at Reel Inn afterwards.

Tuesday: We’re thrifting in the valley, one of my favorite spots is the Valley Value Center and then we’re watching the sunset at the top of Griffith Park and probably eating Thai food at Bulan Thai in East Hollywood or Sticky Rice in Echo Park.

Wednesday: We’re eating lunch at Noma sushi in Santa Monica and driving up PCH, most likely stopping at Will Rogers State Beach for a beach day and sunset.

Thursday: We’re going to the California African American Museum, getting lunch at Simply Wholesome (Jamaican patties are my favorite) and then checking out Art + Practice in Leimert. Probably hitting up Sika’s to get some jewelry afterwards.

Friday: We’re going to Zuma beach in Malibu and on the way we’re hitting up the Erewhon in Agoura Hills to get silly little drinks and pastries from the cafe case. My usual order is a Matcha Latte with Almond Milk and a Chocolate Chaga muffin and/or Coffee Cake.

Saturday: If it’s Summertime, we’re hitting up LACMA Jazz and then visiting my bestie Dayoung at work, Yeems Coffee, for a strawberry matcha latte and then getting cold noodles at Yuchun or Soon Tofu at BCD in Koreatown.

Sunday: We’re going to the Encino farmers market in the morning to pick up produce for the week and getting either pupusas, tamales, French pastries, or all three for brunch and picnicking on my front lawn. And if it’s the 3rd Sunday of the month, then we’re hitting up TheyHouse at Little Joy in Echo Park to shake our little booties on the dance floor!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Wow, I love this question. There are so many people I want to give credit to the person I am today. First and foremost, my quadruple Aquarius Jewish Mother (Aquarius Sun, Moon, Rising, and Mercury… crazy I know…). She raised all 3 of my siblings and I to be radical forces of change in this world and to her I am forever grateful. I also gotta give it up to my Leo Dad because he is where I get my star power from. The both of them combined are the reason why I make art with the intention of healing myself and others.

Next I have to give it up to my older sister Avriel. When she was a working musician, she would often include me in her music/artistic endeavors and as a kid having this exposure with a sibling gave me a lot of perspective and is definitely why I am so confident yet down to earth. I will never forget the time I got accepted to a summer intensive at Alvin Ailey when I was 17, Avriel (and her boyfriend at the time) helped me make this beautiful video to help me raise enough money to attend the program – search #LILY2AILEY on youtube for teenage Lily cuteness. I think about this every time I doubt myself as a dancer. The fact that my sister, without question, believed in me and put all of that effort into helping me raise money will forever hold a special place in my heart. We successfully reached our monetary goals and I’m so happy Avriel didn’t let my imposter syndrome and the lack of funds stop me from the life changing experience of living in NYC and dancing at Alvin Ailey for the summer.

I also have to shout out my best friend, Mel, because she is the reason I continue to follow my dreams of being a superstar. I’ll never forget when we were in college and I was dropping her off at her dorm, we were sitting in my car and she was like “Lily, I have to ask you a question…why don’t you want to be a musician? Why are you trying to be a lawyer? I’m sorry but I don’t think that’s what you really want to do.” And she was right. I mean look I might still fuck around and go to law school because baddies can be lawyers too, but I appreciate her for calling me out because I was 100% running away from myself, my dreams and my truest desires.

Next, I gotta shout out my best friend, Ariel, my design queen and multimedia artist extraordinaire. I didn’t get a creative degree in college, I was a Gender Studies major with a Film and Environmental Studies minor. But Ariel was a Design Media Arts major and the fact that she was a fan of my artwork?! Silly little me who had no design background or training?! Ariel is the reason I feel so confident making books, doing illustrations and creating graphic designs. She constantly helps me demystify the artistic process and I am forever grateful to her for that.

I have to shout out the dance studio I spent my entire childhood at, The Performing Arts Center in Van Nuys (PAC). I was literally born at this place because my older sisters danced here as kids. PAC and my dance teachers are a BIG reason why I am the way I am. My work ethic, my perseverance, my rhythm, my ear, my eye – all of the things. I think people underestimate how dance truly is a mind, body, spirit and soul experience and growing up immersed in that culture forever changed me for the better.

Another big influence in my artistic and spiritual journey is my ex-boyfriend. He shall not be named but if you know, you know. Despite the toxicity of our relationship because we were literally in our early 20s, living together and navigating a global pandemic, he helped foster the right amount of crazy out of me that I now harness for my own benefit. We also learned a lot about music production and the music industry together through our own trial and error, experimentation, and personal experiences. He was one of the first people I worked collaboratively with on music, music videos, and mixed media art. I will forever be grateful for our experiences together, good and bad, because they have undoubtedly shaped the artist and human being I am today. I mean…look, I wouldn’t have had all that post-break up material to write most of the songs in my discography if it wasn’t for our relationship. I believe every relationship (romantic, sexual, platonic, and familial) is an opportunity for us to learn how to love ourselves and humanity a little bit deeper.

I also gotta give it up to my girl bell hooks. So much of my ethos, morals, spiritual beliefs, and view of the world are shaped by her. Reading bell hooks’ book, All About Love: New Visions, as a 20 year old was a monumental shift for me. I am such a lover girl (s/o to my Pisces Stellium and Aquarius Stellium), and a love-centered way of life really resonates with me, so reading All About Love simultaneously made me feel seen while also expanding my perspective. I was already deep in my Gender Studies degree at the time, so shout out to all the womanist/feminist theorists, but bell hooks holds a special place in my heart.

It’s so hard to name everybody and everything that has shaped the creative I am today. I just want to give extra love to my entire family (my oldest sister Elena and my older brother Khalil that I didn’t mention above), my closest friends (Dayoung and Princess are my photography QUEENS that I did not name above) and of course my fans. You all inspire me everyday and I love y’all deeply.

Website: https://lilianajeanine.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liliana.jeanine

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lilianajeanine

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@liliana.jeanine

Image Credits
images 1 & 2: Princess Amugo

images 3 & 6: Ariel Mengistu

image 8: Tamia Blue