local storiesOctober 14, 2025

Daily Inspiration: Meet Ebony Soy

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ebony Soy.

Hi Ebony, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’m an illustrative storyteller based in Van Nuys, California, and I grew up in West Covina. Art has always been a part of me, but life initially led me down a different path. I served in the military, worked in healthcare management, and later in social work—each experience shaping how I see people, systems, and survival. The turning point came when my lola (grandmother), shortly before she passed, told me to follow my passion. That conversation changed everything. I left my career path to pursue art full time (2019), honoring her words and the creative spirit she helped awaken in me.

Her memory continues to guide my work, shaping the stories I tell and the worlds I build. The themes of legacy, death, and rebirth, of loss turning into purpose and art serving as a bridge between the living and the ancestral, come to life through Maloles, my main character, a morally complex anti-hero who embodies that spirit.

Community is at the heart of everything I do. I sit on the Board of Directors for America On Trial Inc (AOT), a nonprofit dedicated to confronting America’s legacy of injustice and systemic inequity. Through AOT, I’m focusing on the Liberty Freedom Farm (Greene, NY), an initiative that will serve as a space for community healing, justice work, and collective visioning. I also serve as chair of the Justice, Equity, and Culture Committee with 11:11 Projects in the SFV, where we work to uplift underrepresented voices in the arts.

Alongside that, I volunteer with CoachArt, where I mentor children living with chronic illnesses, helping them use creativity as a way to express themselves and find strength through art. These roles remind me that storytelling isn’t limited to books or galleries—it lives in the ways we help others find their own voices.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
As a self-taught artist living with a chronic illness, I’ve faced challenges with consistency and opportunity. But those struggles shaped the voice of my art. They taught me to center resilience, ritual, and transformation in my storytelling. Breaking into the art world without formal training also meant I had to carve my own path. That independence is what gave me the freedom to create a style that’s completely my own.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My work as an illustrative storyteller sits at the crossroads of visual art and narrative. I create dark fantasy worlds rooted in Filipino folklore, spirituality, and cultural memory, using art as a way to explore the moral and emotional complexities of humanity. My style combines sleek, intentional line work with bold, minimalist colors.

I’m best known for my illustrated novel Maloles: The Reckoning Vol. 1 – Keeper of the Underworld, published through Hot Tropiks, which blends prose and visual storytelling to explore revenge, divine reckoning, and the underworld. My standalone gallery works share this same energy. Each piece tells its own story, inviting viewers to look deeper into symbols of death, identity, and transformation.

What sets me apart is how I use storytelling to give visual art emotional and mythic depth. My background in the military, healthcare, and social work gave me a deep understanding of resilience and human struggle—elements that naturally find their way into my art.

I’m proud that my work not only honors ancestral Filipino traditions but also sparks conversations about spirituality, corruption, and survival. Every piece I create is a form of remembrance and reckoning, a way to turn pain into purpose and connect the personal with the collective.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
What I love most about Los Angeles is the mix of cultures and creative energy that’s always humming beneath the surface. It’s a place where you can find beauty in the everyday: murals on walls, street markets, people turning their own stories into art. Van Nuys, in particular, has this raw spirit that reminds me to stay real and connected to where I reside.

The city’s diversity fuels my storytelling—it’s a constant reminder that every culture, every neighborhood, has its own mythology. Los Angeles isn’t just a backdrop for my work; it’s part of the cycle that keeps my creativity alive.

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.