We were lucky to catch up with Ayiana recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ayiana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

My first dollar earned as a painter came in November 2022, just two months after I began painting. Someone saw a piece I posted on Instagram, asked how much it cost, and when I told them the price, they sent the money right away. It was such a simple exchange, but for me it felt like a lightbulb moment. Up until then, painting had been something deeply personal but that sale introduced the possibility that it could also become a source of income. It shifted something in me and gave me a new sense of what might be possible if I kept going.

Ayiana, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

For those who may be discovering my work for the first time, my name is Ayiana Viviana. I am a Philadelphia-based multidisciplinary artist, writer, curator, and creative facilitator whose work centers on healing, storytelling, connection, and transformation. While I am best known for my neurographic and abstract artwork, I view myself first and foremost as a storyteller. Whether I am painting, writing, facilitating workshops, or developing community-centered projects, my goal is the same: to create opportunities for people to connect more deeply with themselves, one another, and the stories that shape us.

My journey as an artist began in late 2022 during a period of profound personal struggle. At the time, I was searching for a way to process emotions and questions that felt too large for words alone. What began as a personal practice quickly became something much bigger. Within months, I sold my first piece, and since then my work has been exhibited and shown in galleries, community spaces, corporate settings, coloring books, wine bottles and public art initiatives throughout Philadelphia and beyond. Along the way, I discovered that the stories and emotions I was exploring through my work resonated with others as well.

Today, my creative practice spans multiple disciplines. I create original artwork, public art projects, workshops, community engagement initiatives, written stories, and curated experiences that encourage reflection and connection. Through neurographic art and intuitive abstraction, I explore themes of resilience, ancestry, identity, love, grief, healing, and the shared experiences that connect us as human beings. Much of my work invites viewers and participants to consider their own stories while recognizing themselves in the stories of others. I believe art has the power to remind us of our shared humanity.

In addition to creating artwork, I facilitate workshops and community-based projects that use creativity as a tool for self-discovery, emotional expression, and connection. Rather than focusing solely on creating a finished product, I encourage participants to embrace the creative process itself as a space for exploration and healing. My work is informed by trauma-informed practices and a belief that creativity belongs to everyone, not just those who identify as artists.

What I am most proud of is not any single exhibition, award, or accomplishment, but the impact the work has on the people it reaches. I am proud of the conversations that begin because someone feels seen in a painting. I am proud of participants who discover a new way to express themselves through art. I am proud of creating opportunities for communities to share their stories and imagine new possibilities together.

Above all, I want people to know that my work is rooted in connection. Art transformed my life when I needed it most, and it continues to show me how powerful creative expression can be. Whether someone encounters my work through a painting, a workshop, a public art project, or a piece of writing, my hope is that they leave feeling a little more seen and a little more open to the possibilities of their own story.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission isn’t to just create art, it’s to create connection. I believe every person carries stories and emotions that deserve space to be expressed and witnessed. Art quite literally changed the trajectory of my life, and through my work, I hope to offer others what it offered me: a place to explore, heal, remember, and reconnect with themselves and one another. If someone walks away from my work feeling a little more seen, a little more understood, or a little more hopeful, then I’ve accomplished what I set out to do.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think many people assume creativity begins with confidence or talent, but for many artists, it begins with curiosity and a willingness to keep showing up before we know what we’re doing. What people often see is the finished painting or accomplishment. What they don’t always see are the moments of doubt, the ideas that fail, the vulnerability of sharing something deeply personal, or the years spent learning to trust your own voice and intuition.

My journey as an artist began later in life and during a difficult period of personal transformation. Art wasn’t something I pursued because I believed I would be successful at it, it was something I turned to because I needed a way to process what I was feeling. Over time, what started as a survival tool became a calling. Creativity has taught me that growth rarely happens in certainty; it happens in the willingness to explore and remain open to what wants to emerge.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ayianaviviana.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayianaviviana/

Image Credits

David K. Coleman, Jr.
Iliana Pineda