Meet Rona Liana

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rona Liana.

Rona, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started as a writer, I thought I would go to college for English, write the next best novel and that would be my life. In high school, someone told me to try writing a script, I did, and ever since, everything I have done has revolved around bringing stories to visuals.

I found myself gravitating towards visual stimulation – my mind was constantly observing my surroundings, images, people, and placing them within stories, photo ideas, or abstract visuals. In college, I assisted an award-winning music video director. I had never given serious thought to entering the industry as a music video director but while working with him, I realized that my creative process was already very attuned to that side of the world – I thought in cool imagery rather than a plot. I worked for him for two years, meeting musicians, record labels, commissioners, and building my network before breaking off and directing videos of my own with artists I’d find off Instagram or through record labels.

The freelance life also gave me the time I needed to work on my photography. I would ask all my friends to model for me and would put them in different outfits I’d find or place them in nature. I started really getting more into nude photography as well while finding my style. By a certain point, people were asking me to shoot them instead of vice versa.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Definitely a bumpy road with a hell of a lot of pain. We all hear about all the rejection, but it is very different when you’re the one finally experiencing it. I had to learn to get creative with how to find my way into people’s networks, who to reach out to, etc.

You can create a lot of art, but still struggle to finally break into the industry. I think all the work you have to do before breaking in is the hardest part, it’s a part I’m still working on myself.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
What I do is two-fold – I’m both a music video director and a photographer.

Obviously in video format, there’s a lot more ground to cover, more images to create, but with both art forms I stand by a certain set of guidelines. I want my art to evoke a feeling, bring a certain emotion to the surface. I think if there’s no feeling, there’s no point. I think art is about reinvention – you can create anything, quite literally anything, and it’s in the way you create and recreate that tells us something and gives us something special.

As much as we’d like to sometimes avoid this fact, art is also about beauty. But I think there is power in how we portray that beauty – we get to decide what is deemed beautiful, and that allows us to change narratives in this world.

These are the things I stand by with my work and why I think people gravitate towards me – it’s not just an image or a video, its an entire story or feeling.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t think luck really has anything to do with anything. I think timing and circumstance does. Some people’s timing works out perfectly – they are “discovered” at a certain moment, a certain age, and they already possess the skills needed to succeed. Others have to work for a while and show themselves their worth and their skill before timing comes their way.

I think my timing has been beneficial thus far in lots of ways. I was lucky to meet someone who became my mentor at that moment in my life. I left at the right time for myself and now I’m working on finding my style and voice completely.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ronaliana.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rona_liana/

Image Credit:
Bennie Felix, Sierra Swartz, Modern Monet, Reddea, Kevin Atwater

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