Kaylani Juanita
It’s hard enough to feel worthy and good about oneself just being a human in a big, uncertain world. But for Kaylani, it was even harder. Born to a black father and a Filipino mother, Kaylani never felt like she belonged. She was bullied in school and at home. The messages she received about her worth and inherent goodness were twisted and cruel.
And yet, somehow, Kaylani found her way through art and an incredible inner strength. With the help of mentors, teachers, and her mom, Kaylani is now a full-time artist who wants to heal hearts everywhere through the power of children’s books.
Kaylani is an illustrator whose clients include Chronicle Books, Cicada Magazine, and DEFY. Her work has been recognized by Society of Illustrators, The Huffington Post, and BBC.
In this conversation Kaylani talks honestly and compassionately about a difficult upbringing, a mental breakdown, and her rising up.
Some things we talk about…
- how she got her first children’s book manuscript
- being bullied and having a mental breakdown in college
- what it means to be honest about who you are and what you make
- the difference between real inclusivity in art vs. tokenization and
- how art saved her life
“I was having a horrible time. I would get bullied at school and then come home and my grandmother would bully me for looking how I look. So I would just pour it all into art. Just to get it out there.”
“The thing that holds me back the most is never feeling like it’s good enough. There is no real answer that says it’s right. That’s the hardest part: being confidant. You just have to put the pen on paper and do the work.”
let’s connect.
letters from my heart about what’s on my mind. the business and the personal.