Today we’d like to introduce you to Racine Elle.Roi.
Hi Racine , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
the story starts long before BilliXRoxanne Studios. It really begins in high school, when my 11th-grade English teacher nominated me for a summer arts program called Project 2050. I applied in secret — my mother wasn’t supportive of my passion for writing and the arts, and I honestly didn’t think someone like me would ever be chosen.That foundation led me to join Lyrical Circle at Brotherhood Sister Soul in Washington Heights, where I found a true creative community. We met every Friday, workshopping poetry and performance pieces. That’s where I found my real voice. My chapbook She a Train Wreck came out of that time — it marked the moment when I stopped writing for approval and started writing from truth.
Years later, that spirit of storytelling, community, and transformation evolved into BilliXRoxanne Studios — a creative sanctuary for people who see art as healing and connection. What began as a clothing brand called Dez Racine eventually grew into a mixed-media studio offering workshops, functional art, and a virtual music trivia game called Just a Sample.
Today, I think of BilliXRoxanne Studios as a love letter — to my younger self, to the mentors who believed in me, and to anyone who’s ever felt unseen but still dared to create anyway.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not even close. My path has been rough, lonely, and at times dangerous. From the beginning, I didn’t have much support—my mother discouraged my love for writing and performing, and later my ex-husband made it clear he didn’t believe in me. I’ve had to fight for my creativity, for my safety, and for my peace.
When I moved to Baltimore, things got darker. I faced deep misogyny and real violence—men in and around the industry who tried to control or intimidate me because I wouldn’t conform. There were moments of assault, manipulation, and setups meant to break me down. Those experiences left scars, but they also gave me clarity.
BilliXRoxanne Studios was born from that fight for freedom. Every piece I make, every workshop I lead, comes from surviving that world and refusing to let it define me. I’m still here, still creating, still standing on my own terms. My art is the proof that I made it through, and that I’m not afraid to speak the truth about what it takes to do so.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
At heart, I’m a storyteller. That’s really the thread that connects everything I do. I learned early on that stories can heal, educate, and transform — and during my time at Temple University, where I majored in Media Studies and Production, I realized that storytelling doesn’t have to live in one form. It can move through film, performance, design, and community work — it’s all part of the same language.
Today, I’m the founder of BilliXRoxanne Studios, a creative sanctuary that blends art, education, and culture. I work as a DC-based teaching artist, guiding others to find their own voice through visual storytelling and creative workshops. I’m also the creator and host of “Just a Sample”, a live music trivia game streamed on Twitch every third Saturday, where we celebrate Black music, culture, and memory through play.
Through mixed media art, functional design, and interactive experiences, my work challenges people to reconnect with themselves and each other. What sets me apart is how I use every medium — from canvas to camera to conversation — as a way to tell the same story: that creation is survival, and storytelling is liberation.
I’m most proud of how BilliXRoxanne Studios has become a bridge between worlds — a space where community, creativity, and healing meet, and where art becomes something you live, not just look at.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love Baltimore’s DIY energy and the way people show up for each other through mutual aid. Even during some of the hardest times in my life, I met people there who were real — the kind of people who helped me survive when I didn’t think I could. There’s a creativity and resilience in this city that’s unmatched.
That said, Baltimore can be unforgiving to outsiders. It’s a city that doesn’t always make space for you, no matter how much you pour your heart into it. As much as I loved Baltimore, it couldn’t always love me back. And sometimes, that tension—the push and pull between love and rejection—was a painful teacher. But it also shaped the artist I am today, and the community I’ve built through BilliXRoxanne Studios.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/billixroxannestudios
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/elle.roi
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@elle.roiproductions
- Other: https://twitch.tv/elleroi
