Got What It Takes - In Conversation with Isabel Li
Photography by Makeda Sandford
Photography by Makeda Sandford
Art Direction by Yulia Nidbalskaya
Interview by Isis Nicole
“So my boyfriend manages [rapper] Saba and my sister owns [Brooklyn’s astrology themed bar] Mood Ring…” tweets Isabel Li back in spring of this year. “95% of my DMs, Facebook messages etc. are just people trying to reach them through me I’ve been living a life of second hand clout.”
Shortly after I replied, “I’ll interview you.”
And so 18 days later, we find ourselves in Li’s apartment – a snug lover’s place cradling vinyl records and cool magazines while Vanderpump Rules played out on screen at low volume. A detail I want to mention (because my friends are fans of the show) which brought me a sense of delight.
Li, now 24-years-old and a proud San Franciscan, starts with shouting out every jam session friend she’s had. This comes up after being curious about her TEDxBoston appearance on YouTube with Grooversity, a multi-city percussion project that promotes community outreach and social change.
In short, Li’s describes herself as a typical NYC PR girl. She’s developed and presented publicity strategies for programming including Love & Hip Hop and RuPaul’s Drag Race. But at this moment we spend the windiest day on her apartment’s rooftop to talk dream homes, Hennessey fountains, and getting an education in Cuba.
Isis Nicole: How’s full-time life?
Isabel Li: Full-time life can get tiring but it’s truly hard to support yourself in a big city like NYC without something stable. Before working full-time, drumming was such a huge priority for me. I was gigging a ton in high school and college but sort of lost that when I started doing PR full-time. In the past year I've made it a priority to make drumming a bigger part of my life again, but it's more of a hobby now than a stream of income. I just make sure to stay on top of my skills by taking lessons and practicing consistently. For anyone seeking a balance between their day job and their passion and/or creative outlet, I definitely recommend blocking out time on your calendar for your creative activities. Make sure you're communicating with the team at your day job that you have a hard out at a certain time on a certain day, and hold yourself accountable on achieving your goals outside of work!
IN: Can you talk a little bit about your professional background?
IL: [It’s] a mix of things, but at the end of the day, I'm your typical NYC PR girl! When I moved to NYC, I started in music PR at a small firm working on campaigns for artists like Young Dolph, Twista, and Caleborate. I also took internships in diversity, digital marketing, and consumer marketing departments for multiple companies … really just trying to be well rounded in marketing for creative and entertainment industries. Backtracking a little bit, in high school I was a teaching assistant for an afterschool percussion program. This is such a huge part of me and guides everything I do. I'm super passionate about diversity and inclusion for this reason. I wouldn't be where I am without mentors and opportunity. Right now, I do PR, influencer and brand strategy at a creative agency— working on client campaigns as well as working to get the agency's name out there. I kind of landed in PR without knowing what I was getting into with my first internship but found out I was decent enough at it to give it a run! I'm super social and love to put people onto things that I think are awesome or worth telling a story about.
IN: If you could give advice, what are some essential habits needed when developing a career?
IL: Be professional, thoughtful, curious, and humble! Any industry you’re getting into, it’s in your best interest to network your ass off and make genuine relationships in your field. This can even start on social media if you don’t live in a major city where your desired field is in. You need to constantly connect with new people to broaden your perspective, gain opportunities, and open doors to new skills. People who know how to build, work, and engage their network, are always going to be one step ahead. So, get your public social channels to a place that really reflects who you are and what you’re about, update that LinkedIn profile, and maybe even make a website for yourself. If you’re just starting to develop your career, a website showcasing your passions is going to be super impressive to anybody you’re looking to work with.
Lastly, stay thoughtful, curious and humble because there’s a whole world of things to learn at the beginning of your career. From learning how to navigate professional relationships, perfecting email etiquette, new hard skills for your job, etc. Never stop being a student!
IN: And what do you daydream about now?
IL: I daydream about owning a three-bedroom condo in the West Village. That's definitely a lofty goal: a condo, a Golden Doodle, and a Pomeranian. I also daydream about having a Hennessy fountain at my future wedding, whenever that happens.
IN: Where is your favorite place to visit and favorite way to spend your time out there?
IL: I'm definitely privileged to be fairly well-traveled. Of the places I've visited more than twice, and have an actual routine, Hong Kong and London are my favorites. My parents are from Hong Kong, so I've been going there every couple of years since I was born. The energy is indescribable. The city has changed a ton since I was born, and there's a lot of political tension going on there right now but the culture, food, and pace of the city is something truly incredible.
In Hong Kong, I love eating street food, shopping, and sightseeing while sitting on double decker busses. London is a city where I really found my groove and learned a lot of life lessons. I spent my first semester of college there when I was 18-years-old. The London nightlife, music, and art scenes make trips there worthwhile. A good drum n bass night will have me crying in the club.
IN: Can you describe a time when you felt invincible?
IL: One time, I drank a large Dunkin’ iced coffee with extra sugar. That’s kind of all you need to know. But long story short, I hijacked a tour on my college campus, pretended to be a guide and just led the whole group around a patch of grass. This might be a terrible answer, but it’s my honest answer.
IN: Is there anything you regret not doing?
IL: There were moments early in my career when I was working in music where I would be at events with lots of industry people. Starting out, I was kind of shy at times, and looking back I wish I was better at striking up conversations with people I looked up to or genuinely wanted to connect with. It was definitely tough being a young Asian girl in the industry but a lot of my shyness stemmed from self-doubt rather than tangible obstacles. I feel like I may have missed out on certain relationships and/or opportunities by not simply introducing myself to people. I regret not being more confident during those times. Now, I try to encourage young people to be more fearless and to network horizontally to build up a squad of people with similar experience level. It’s a great feeling to come up with people you started at the bottom with.
IN: How much of a role does social media play in your life?
IL: I use social media a ton for my job since I do influencer partnerships. Outside of that, I do generally like social media and look at it more positively than others. I love the discovery aspect of social media. I’m often inspired by cool things I see on other accounts—anything from makeup looks, outfits, drum grooves, new music artists, etc… I’m constantly curating my feeds to make sure I’m seeing things that interest, inspire, and teach me. On top of that, I’ve definitely met and/or connected with a ton of people through social media (like Isis!). Social media, when used for its intended purpose, is a medium for people to create communities and that’s what I like about it so much. People find communities online, worldwide, and that’s amazing! Also, memes. I’m a meme expert.
IN: In your travels, is there anything that has changed or made an impact on your worldview?
IL: One travel experience that has really stuck with me was a trip to Cuba. I was 19-years-old and doing a month-long study abroad there. Prior to the trip, I read a lot about the history of Cuba—particularly the history of Chinese people on the island and also Cuba’s musical history, which is directly related to the slave trade. I had been studying Afro-Cuban and Caribbean percussion for a few years before my trip and that’s kind of what started my interest in it all. So, fast forward to me actually going there. I was taking photography and Cuban history & culture classes. I did a ton of exploring on my own, used my broken Spanish to connect with locals, and tried to read as many history articles as I could at the University of Havana. This was the first trip in my life where I realized how American I was, as silly as that sounds. I got to Cuba and was like, “Holy shit!” Obviously I knew the books and articles I previously read were from an American perspective but I could never imagine the straight up difference in information I was seeing. It just made me question everything I know and to this day, makes me curious about what information about our own history is being held from us.
I can ramble forever about the things I’ve learned from this trip, but the main takeaway from my month in Cuba is that no amount of reading, studying, Wikipedia-ing, or anything else will ever teach you more about a place and its culture than actually going there and experiencing it. I’m really privileged to have been able to take that trip and just go home to my regular life afterwards. Ever since then, I’ve approached every trip from a more open-minded, more curious and thoughtful point of view. Get the things you’ve read and “studied” out of your brain, and instead go interact with people and humbly immerse yourself in the culture to really learn something.
IN: What makes you happiest?
IL: Knowing the people around me are happy and doing well. After that, it’ll definitely have to be cute animals (alpacas, chinchillas, chonky dogs and cats), spending time with my parents and grandma, and music (dark-ass techno, street rap, jazz, funk, and so much more). Also the color pink [because] Millennial pink is my happy place.
IN: What’s your favorite scent?
IL: Vanilla or rose! Also, the Meyer’s Lavender candle!
IN: And what's the coolest thing you've learned about yourself?
IL: I’m hella independent so the coolest thing I’ve learned about myself is that I’m good at learning. I am literally a sponge. I will soak up anything I need or want to!
IN: So what motivates you now?
IL: Oh my god, this sounds so capitalistic, but I’m motivated by the thought of a “successful” future for myself. Success for me means living comfortably—not worrying about money every day and owning that three-bedroom condo, making sure I can send money to my parents every month, having the means to donate to organizations I care about, having time to mentor others, being satisfied in my career and creative outlets. I feel like I’m halfway there already, so I’m just gonna keep working towards that.
IN: Favorite piece of advice?
IL: I don’t even know who exactly has said this to me, or if it’s like three different people, or just myself… BUT, “Don’t worry so much” is the best piece of advice I need to constantly remind myself of. It sounds kind of silly and insignificant, but helps me get through moments of anxiety or self-doubt. There have been periods of my life where I suffered from debilitating anxiety and have skipped out on events, parties, even college classes and professional opportunities because I was worried about a million things and felt my body and mind spiraling out of control. The weight of the pressure I put on myself to be perfect for no reason was starting to affect my daily routine, and that’s when I realized I needed to change up the way I view my stresses. Along with changing my mindset, I needed to start new brain exercises and meditation practices as well. “Don’t worry so much” kind of encompasses this healing for me, because I’m reminded to trust myself and my journey, and that who I am is enough—I’m doing my best, I’m doing enough, I’m doing amazing.
IN: This completely resonates with me. With that said, what do you want to be remembered for when it’s all said and done?
IL: I hope I can be remembered for my kind-hearted spirit and sense of humor. I don’t know if it’s socially acceptable to call myself funny, but I’m gonna go ahead and say it. I can be a clown. I like to make people smile!
