What does it mean to express yourself beyond the confines of job titles and creative labels? What happens when photography is no longer about the image, but about the connection it sparks?
In this powerful episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, Kojo Baffoe sits down with multidisciplinary artist and cultural entrepreneur Rhulani Anthony Bila, also known as The Expressionist. A commercial photographer, filmmaker, and founder of the creative consultancy Studio Bila, Anthony unpacks what it means to live, create, and collaborate with purpose.
Raised in Tembisa and shaped by books, music, and a relentlessly curious household, Anthony reflects on the evolution of identity, from being a kid who hated photographs to becoming someone who uses the camera as a bridge into the souls of others. As he tells it, “I’m strange and I’m odd. The camera is just an excuse. I’ve become a wandering nomad of human interaction.”
This episode explores:
The tension between creative freedom and commercial responsibility
How personal history, politics, and aesthetics intertwine in African storytelling
The struggle to balance art, business, legacy, and rest
Why COVID inspired his experimental film The Isolationist and a deeper commitment to family memory-making
The idea that “you are not your skillset, you are your adaptability”
You’ll hear reflections on creativity not as a profession but as a way of thinking, and why the future of African storytelling lies in community, accessibility, and reclamation. Whether through fashion, film, or family portraits, Anthony is deeply committed to documenting human stories that matter, even when no one is watching.
This isn’t a conversation about chasing fame or aesthetic perfection. It’s about coming home to yourself, expressing the unspoken, and using every tool available, from Tumblr blogs to 16-hour film shoots, to make meaning in a complex world.
If you’ve ever felt like your art was more than just output, or if you’re navigating how to live more truthfully in your work and in your skin—this episode will resonate.
Listen now and hear Rhulani Anthony Bila reflect on becoming, belonging, and building a creative life that leaves space for uncertainty, wonder, and remembering.
You can find the latest from Rhulani Anthony Bila on the following digital spaces: LinkedIn | Instagram or anthonybila.com/
For more on my book Listen To Your Footsteps, go to https://kojobaffoe.com/book/
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Recorded at Spotify Africa Joburg Studio
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania
