Meet Bri Lien

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bri Lien.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Bri. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have always been passionate about visual art, fashion, and music but was, unfortunately, raised in an environment where anything I found unique, inspiring, or intriguing was “weird” and a lot of my favorite artists were “crazy” or “needed to find God.” Considering I was the only “right-brained” kid in my family and was six feet tall by the time I was 16, I always dreamed of being a model; an “it” girl type. The older I got, the more I was afraid to chase this dream my parents rebuked so profusely and became much more concerned about what other people thought of me. I moved out of my parents’ house at 17 and had a tough tread into adulthood. I was working a sad job at a call center in Newport Beach when I decided I needed to get myself into some kind of job in a creative field in one of the most exciting, artistic cities in the world.

I started sending lots of emails (mostly to bands and their labels) offering myself to work on tours as a photographer or just an extra set of helping hands, asking only to be housed and fed in exchange. I was probably running about a 5% response rate, and the few responses I did receive were rejections. I finally heard back from an LA-based music mag who said they could use me shooting live music for their articles, and I was ecstatic. It was a great way I was able to discover the SoCal music scene and make all kinds of friends. I began shooting live music and discovered a passion I had for being behind the camera on top of my desire to be in front of it. The idea that with a camera you can capture a moment in a very personal and specific way was so mind-boggling to me that I began getting into 35mm photography as well, shooting candids of friends and little things that caught my eye.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Most of my struggles have been internal ones. Though I have grown exponentially since moving out on my own four years ago, my anxiety still puts way too much importance on other peoples’ opinions and fear of being rejected. It’s kept me from fully creating the ideas or inspirations I have or stopped me from sharing certain projects. It’s so stupid. I also am also a young person alone in LA and the pressure to pay my bills is tough. I’m usually working one or two “day” jobs (currently I’m waiting tables downtown and working part-time as a secretary in a car shop) on top of my various artistic ventures. That’s life, but I know my hard work is going to pay off down the road.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I started shooting shows as a way to get myself into the music scene in SoCal but discovered a passion for creating images. I like being in front of the camera too, I’m not sure which wins just yet but stay tuned! 🙂

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I’m not sure I’ve entirely figured this one out for myself yet. The world is kind of scary right now, I feel like so much of my future and the future of our country is kind of up in the air so it’s hard to say. I think I just want to be able to make a living inspiring people, and I really want to make a name for myself in whatever field(s) I end up in and create something bigger than my life. Ultimately, I just want to be happy and understand my purpose.

Contact Info:

• Website: briannalien.com
• Phone: 310-569-1687
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credit:
Jacob Fishman, Lauren Nabers, David Baltimore, Brianna Lien

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