9MILLIONLIVES

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Joana is an artist residing in Los Angeles, experimenting across multiple mediums. Growing up in the Midwest, exposure to theater and the arts was a big part of her upbringing and she naturally developed a passion for movement and performance from an early age, spending most of her free time studying dance and on stage. After high school she moved to California in search of warm weather and inspiration, obtaining a degree in Fashion Design from FIDM in 2003. Taking a brief hiatus from Los Angeles, Joana brought her street art influence back to the Midwest co-founding the design collective Colourelectrik. The project was her first experiment in graphics and branding, creating promotional material for the thriving local electronic music scene. Returning to Los Angeles in 2007, Joana continued working in the fashion industry while establishing connections with like minded artists and designers. Shortly after, she co-founded the multimedia event platform Futra and acted as Art Director and Curator creating the visual experience for the brand during the six running years of the project. Highly influenced by the Minimalist movement and culture at the time, Joana co-launched fashion label Black And Greige in 2014. The label quickly gained recognition and provided grounds for collaborations with major retail giants like Urban Outfitters as well as opened up opportunities to help other brands design and manufacture in Los Angeles. In 2016 she made the tough decision to put her creative path on hold to fully focus on excelling her professional career in the fashion industry and has continued the trajectory since then with much success. In 2021, a pivotal experience led Joana to return to her creative roots, finding time and space again for her passion in creative direction, movement, and performance art as a means of personal healing and expression. Working under her original alias 9millionlives, she brings her signature elegant, edgy, and minimal style back full circle.