Riley Shiann doesn’t fit neatly into any one category—and she’s good with that. With a strong presence on Instagram and Threads, she shares her love for alternative fashion, music, and creativity with a mix of humor and honesty. Whether she’s curating a killer playlist, experimenting with new artistic projects, or just keeping things real online, Riley proves that self-expression is most powerful when it isn’t boxed in. In this interview, she talks about creative freedom, her ever-evolving style, and why being “forever misunderstood” isn’t a bad thing.
I was first pulled to alternative fashion in high school. Anything distressed, black, and covered with my favorite bands. I just loved being a fan, and talking about my favorite music. I do not like to be tied down to one style anymore. I tried that for years and always felt a little constricted in my own skin. Now I am very laid back and dress off my mood most days/whatever is comfiest.
I think versatility is what is lacking for a lot of people, specifically speaking in a social media sense or how they are growing platforms etc. and that's why I am so passionate about it. I think we become certain titles in life, or consciously/subconsciously put ourselves in boxes sometimes thinking we have to stay within the lines of xyz to be successful, or valued, or highly respected and I think that is just so far from the truth anymore. Having hobbies and diving headfirst into all things that make you, you or light your soul on fire I am fully on board with. That's what makes us unique, and why wouldn't we want to share the list of things that set us apart or put us in spaces where people love the parts of life we do. To keep my inspiration flowing - music, setting the vibe, clean working spaces, and seeking out the things I enjoy and learning from others. I learn so much from other people and I try to always leave inspired to either try something new or get better at something maybe I already do.
Music literally inspires everything I do. A song has inspired even almost all of my selfies on my feed and the edits of them. I take and edit everything myself and I try to always have some sort of artsy element that I am not sure is heavily noticed often, but I know it's there and that always makes me happy. My energy very much so is captured in all of my playlists! I try to always post a song every day somewhere on my feed or in my stories because almost every day I am REALLY vibing to a song and have music playing in my ears or around me most hours.
My platform now is entirely different than where it started. I was an evangelistic Christian farmhouse style vlogger/creator now gone alt metal "song-a-long" lady I am told, haha, but when I first started it was definitely more business structured and community based but I wanted to mainly get on there and be - influencer. Now I just love to take the pressure off and post my life in pieces while driving the things I would love to grow. It is definitely more of an art for me now when producing/creating, but it is ALWAYS a community first. I have the most rad following who has seen a lot of different versions of me, and I mean, trenches and mountain tops - we have all had a ride, but it is such a family vibe in my DMs, lives, and when it matters most and that is always the coolest thing for me to see. It is kinda wild that a little community IS even cultivated on there, I am always so humbled by that.
I do see being misunderstood as a strength. I don't know if I necessarily believe we are meant to be fully understood. But owning that, owning what makes you different or maybe the parts of you that you feel like people question, or judge you on - when you walk in that, and own it, huge strength. The hardest work I have come across in all my lifetimes I feel like I have lived is finding and being yourself. I think I was always trying to "find and figure out" myself so I could just always be healthy and perfect and the pressure of trying to figure that out all the time was just too much to carry for me. I made peace with not having to explain who I am anymore or why I love certain things in life, or wear the clothes I do or whatever it may be that people say - I am never going to walk into a room - we are never - going to walk into a room where every single person just adores us. Making peace with not being liked, but loving myself for all my layers, scars, and complexity is my superpower. You will never say the right things or do the right things for the wrong people and you will never say or do the wrong things for the right people. Your tribe WILL find you and love you.
OO, SO many things I have started up. I have half of a podcast recorded, 4 chapters of a fantasy novel started, new ventures coming out, music started - and even trying to learn to skateboard right now. I just never want to limit myself. I love to feed my creativity what it wants vs forcing a flow into something that isn't there. So if I wake up with a beat in my head, maybe I pull out my laptop and try and make a song. Some nights I am craving a nostalgic, mysterious vibe and want to write in my corner of my dark room crouched down like a goblin writing really really scary shit that would shock you. I just love to honor every interest and so creating is PRIORITY always! I am so excited to learn to skateboard. My whole little fam is into it and I see a lot of skate park fun, I also LOVE that I am writing music - I have sang my whole life - that was my biggest dream. Becoming a young mom, I had to put all that on hold. I stopped doing music for so many years and seeing myself pick it back up, wanna sing more and create makes me see I am really in touch with a healthy version of me inside at this point in life.
(Such great questions omg). (Editor's note: 😊). Again, gotta throw ya for a curveball. There's nothing more that I love than a thirst trap with a dad joke, or something so unhinged underneath it. Or a really kinda bold topic interlaced with comedic relief and a lotta love. I think energy is felt, and I never write a post unless I am IN that thought. I am not a very confrontational person but I am extremely passionate. So I do have so many things I love to share, but I tend to soften the vibe to hopefully let it break the seriousness or surface level thoughts people might have of a post just by seeing the image and make them think about it. I always hope people genuinely read my captions when I go into them or my tangent stories, because that's where I love to connect most, and connect the best I would say too and that is in - writing.
At first - yes. Especially when my reaction reels started taking off. I think a lot of people only wanted that from me after that or expected only that content. So for awhile that was my only concern, and I was really starting to zone in on just that but I just felt like I didn't want to ONLY be known, or fully invested into that when I have so many things I just love to post on social media about just because. I would love to just post a daily vlog with no pressure, a shopping haul, a meal I cooked, or whatever and not be like "omg is this content gonna flop" - I am not perfect and still have to work on that but I am really trying to get back to using my social media for fun and for what I want to share and not taking it so serious or focused on the end goal always. It is just so hard because it's my livelihood and its quite a trap you can find yourself in as a creator.
Dakota has influenced almost everything for me. My life was entirely different before we met as I was tied to very religious circles, and lifestyles, which I loved at the time but I lacked a ton of world experience. Dakota is a true creator and beats to a very passionate and bold drum of his own and his confidence in his steps and work and how he carried himself as an artist always inspired me to be more bold about the pieces of me I had kept quiet or reserved for so long in fear of what others would think or the people I would lose. He has shown me that someone can hear your deepest desires, darkest secrets, shittiest parts of you and the best parts of you and love you for all of that. When I met him he was an insane tattoo artist, and now he is that and - an incredibly meticulous and talented filmmaker/editor. He has so many awesome layers to his human design and he honestly always gives me my best song suggestions. His heavy playlists are deathly heavy compared to mine - and mine are decently heavy. haha - Working with him is always just a blast for me because I can bring any idea, any vision, anything I created and I know I am bringing those things to a very safe space and that is huge for me to continue to grow the things I love but that I also may need a little confidence boost on that "I got this" and he is definitely my "you fucking got this" person.
Lay down the plans, the thought-out ideas and just start. We sit and sit on millions of things waiting for the perfect time to start, or stop or restart and it's just never gonna be there. No stars are ever going to be all aligned to kick it off and take it to the moon, you know? You just have to start, get ready to fail and make a fool of yourself a million times, KNOW that people are going to not understand/like you or make it easy for you - but you have to know that everything about you that makes you feel like you, or that you stand out - that is what sets you APART, and makes you who you are and there is only ONE of that in the whole world.. it matters that you show up as you are in all your weird, quirky or fun layers and help other people see that being fully human, is fully living and that it matters. Someone out there is watching you, and they are inspired. I promise. Your story is the only tool you need to start and that's constantly evolving - the content and plans and things are going nowhere/will be there. Other things are not guaranteed - like time - and as cliche as it sounds, the only time to start is now. Just as you are. People will meet you where you are and cross oceans for you, not just puddles to help you get there too. They make take awhile to come and you may not hit 1M views even in the first year but I promise, in time, they come and so do all the things that are meant for you. <3
