We recently connected with Liana Randolph and have shared our conversation below.

Liana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I’ve ALWAYS been creatively inclined. Apparently, when I was just a toddler I was dancing before I even started to walk (at least that’s what my mom says!) From then, I pursued dance as a child, always remained in the art extracurriculars for school and began to do theater during high school. However I definitely cite my sophomore year of college as the major turning point for me deciding to pursue the creative field heavily. I was an African American studies major and while I learned a great deal in those courses, all it took was one Film Aesthetics and Analysis course and I was hooked! I also came back from a hiatus I’d taken from dance by joining an on-campus Dance Organization and started taking Theater courses. By the time I graduated (from Georgia State University) I was far more immersed in the arts and have been at my happiest and most fulfilled ever since.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

can you please tell our readers about yourself

My name is Liana Randolph, I’m 24 years old and I’m a dancer, aspiring film videographer/photographer and free-lance hairstylist! I do so many things, but I would sum up myself by saying I love to have fun through it all, smile and take in whatever new knowledge I can with the time I have on this earth.

how you got into your industry / business / discipline / craft

I got into dancing long ago (as cliche as it may sound), when I was child. That has always been a lifelong passion of mine. I got into more theater/film during my latter highschool/middle college career, and I picked up doing hair as a job along the way! That came from me literally just not being able to afford getting my hair done but needing it for back to school, so I picked up the laptop, looked up a video or 2 and taught myself each new hairstyle the natural hair community came out with!

what type of products/services/creative works you provide,

I provide dance routines/choreography when needed (as I recently was a dance instructor for kids), a hairstyle if you want it and (hopefully soon) a visual if you would like one! I also can be apart of your short film if you’re looking to cast.

what problems you solve for your clients and/or what you think sets you apart from others.

I think what sets me apart from others is my positivity and super idealistic attitude. To me, no idea is really a bad idea- it just needs tweaking, support and someone to believe in it. I’ve always prided myself in being someone who won’t directly shut down an idea because I believe in giving things a try. It may not always work out, and sure enough somethings might need more work than others, but I’m always encouraging in going for it!

What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.

I’m most proud of that fact about me within any service I provide. That I am constantly encouraging. That works for almost any field; creative or otherwise!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I gained a pretty good lesson in how timing is everything, particularly God’s timing being everything. So, backstory: I applied for an internship for the Television Foundation Academy. I submitted for the choreographer’s category (with the help of 2 recommendations from my professors who I’ll always be grateful for). I advanced past the 2nd round, and was among a few to be chosen as the winner. However, I did not get it. I remember being more than devastated, questioning whether or not I was even fit to still continue in the creative path.

But as my creative journey has unfolded I’ve realized that the timing was more than likely not right. Had I gotten it, I may have not been able to sustain the process and may have done more damage than good. I think I needed character development and rushing that just to get to what I want? Never really worth it.

Afterwards I got many lessons in how I need to take my time developing and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, but I’ll save those for another time lol.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think supporting it from the time that it’s spotted during youth honestly. I believe that when kids exhibit artistic inclinations or artistically express themselves that desire should be nurtured and paid attention to. Too often I’ve seen it fizzle out or kids not believe in those parts of themselves because society definitely favors a linear, educational or athletic path over an artists journey. It’s funny however considering that the arts and entertainment do so much for our ecosystem.

Anyway, I believe putting more monetary resources and giving budding creatives (young or old) the grace and space to make mistakes would help the ecosystem thrive beyond measure!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://stylesbyliana.wordpress.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lianacatherine24/

Image Credits
Marcus Broderick (instagram: marcus.nef) Jhalin Knowles (instagram: jhalinknowles) Additional Photo Credits (photo’s of girls in front of white plants) Models Featured: Ma’Kayla Howard (instagram: _makayla) India (instagram: arttwitchxx)