Tell us a little about yourself and what you do?

LIA LIA: I'm Lia Lia, I'm a musician and artist, though I'm traveling a lot these days, so often I make my studio on the go! All you can see here is what I need to work, and it fits my hand luggage. I feel that travelling and seeing the world always has a huge impact on making and writing music. So it's great to just be able to do it on the spot.

YUUKI: My name is Yuuki. I’m 23, I'm currently studying and working as a model. Besides that I do a lot of knitwear,
I up-cycle lots of stuff and do these recycled jackets, along with that I also paint.

I was born in Germany, but my nationality is Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese. My parents met back then in Munich, in a restaurant and here I am, ahah!

What makes you create?

LIA LIA: Well, I’m half German and Half Chinese and for me I always felt like I don’t belong anywhere. So I was always searching for a place where I could feel at home, and I still haven’t found the place. So I started creating music as it gives me a sense of belonging.

YUUKI: For me it started when I was younger, I had a feeling when I was a teenager, I was a bit anxious and not so happy. I went to an art focused school and enjoyed it so much, so I kept going and it made me happy, it made me introverted, it balanced me out. I process a lot with my art and I experiment a lot with it. I just really enjoy creating.

LIA LIA: I was born into an artistic family, both of my parents are painters, my father is from China and my mum is from Germany. They met in a small town, where I grew up. This was a pretty white community, and I never really felt like I belonged there, so I left home when I was super young as a teenager and went traveling. I was thinking that I want to find a place where I truly belong, but while traveling I was so lucky to experience a lot of cultures. Travel feels like a journey within yourself and I realized I need to create a home and the world I want for myself.

I was alway singing, so I think it was quite natural to do it through music and art and put everything I see into my world. I'm always questioning who I am, but putting your world out there makes you feel less lonely and makes you able to connect with more like minded people.

YUUKI: It's hard to tell, but I have a feeling that every personality shows in someone's work, without you being aware of it. I’m a little bit chaotic and it shows; at least in my clothing. I don’t care that much about making clean art, you can see this in my paintings. Some of them are memories, I like re-living these moments and appreciating them. Most of the time it's a song or a soundtrack that brings me back to this point in my past. I bring them on to the canvas and it starts from there. It's hard to tell if my identities are shaping my work but I think they naturally do.

How would you define your personal style?

LIA LIA: I think it slowly evolved over the years, I think I'm hugely influenced by a lot of different cultures. I love anime, I would say that it's my closest influence, I love Nana, I love punk, actually I would love to look more (punk), but in the end everything I do ends up cute.

All of this together with the anime, vintage and punk fashion turns into my personal style which slowly changes over time. It often feels like my persona and the character my style creates, gives me this armor and protection.

YUUKI: I felt my personal style evolved through doing what I love doing. I don’t think I have a certain style, somehow my art influenced my style without me thinking too much about it.