Interviews with Creative Women: Kendra Epik

by Aliki Bitsakakis, Persephone Media

Kendra Epik is a Toronto-based multidisciplinary artist working across dance, film, photography, and music. Kendra’s love for the arts began with dance, unaware that her childhood passion for movement would one day transcend into a multifaceted artistic career. Her work has been shaped by community, lived experiences, and by a desire to make art that feels both tender and sharp. Whether performing in public parks or the stage, capturing portraits in the studio, or choreographing for the screen, her through line between these forms is an ongoing curiosity. She’s interested in making work that’s alive to its moment; honest, evolving, and made with intention.

What barriers have you faced as a woman in your industry and how have you overcome them?

Women in the arts often move through spaces where our presence is still seen as an exception rather than an expectation. We often carry an invisible workload, navigating assumptions, asserting our value, and carving out space in industries where leadership and technical expertise have historically been male-dominated. 

 

There’s a quiet resistance required to keep showing up. Whether it’s being questioned on technical skills, disregarded in leadership roles, or overlooked in creative conversations. These experiences aren’t always loud or obvious, but they accumulate. 

 

For me, the way through has been to anchor deeply in my own voice; I’ve learned to choose collaborations that feel authentic and aligned with my values. I find strength in community, especially among other women and gender-diverse artists, and in continuing to make work that insists on its place in the world. I feel deeply that every project I work on has value and consequently becomes an act of reclaiming space and offering it to others.

 

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?

 

“Hold on tightly, let go loosely.” This advice has been a guiding principle in my creative process. I first heard this phrase in a dance workshop many years ago - shout out to Kristen and David! To me, it’s about committing fully to the work, investing your energy, time, and focus, but also knowing when to release control. There’s a balance between dedication and detachment.

 

It’s easy to get stuck in the idea that everything you produce has to be a fully formed thought, butwaiting for perfection or waiting for when you are “ready” can be a slippery slope. While I do believe in investing in time, care, research, and rest, I also believe it’s important to know when it’s time to push forward. You have to try, fail, and try again. Over time, the process of creating and executing reaps its benefits. One day, you’ll look back and realize you made something real and true, and it started by simply putting something out and allowing it to unfold. 

 

Why is it important to support women in your field?

 

Visibility matters! Supporting women in these fields isn’t just about fairness and equality, it’s about expanding the kinds of stories we tell and who gets to tell them. When we invest in women, we shift the culture. We make room for more nuance, more truth, and more possibilities. Trust me when I say we don’t need another film about girlhood told from a man’s point of view. We need women at the helm! Directing, choreographing, writing, framing, and shaping the narrative with the depth only lived experience can bring. 

 

How do you think we can create a more equitable workplace in your industry?

 

It starts with rethinking who holds power and how they use it. Equity isn’t just about inviting more people into spaces; it’s about changing the systems that have kept certain voices out in the first place. That means fair pay, transparent hiring, and opportunities for mentorship and leadership across all levels, not just for those already connected or resourced. A more equitable industry is one where we are supported in taking risks and being a part of shaping the culture, not just reacting to it.

 

Name one woman that you either personally know or admire from afar, and explain why you look up to them.

 

Petra Collins is a photographer whom I have admired since I was in middle school. Her sister and I went to the same school, though we were in different years, but I remember seeing on Facebook the photographs Petra would take of her. It was the first time I’d seen images with such a distinct visual voice, and it made a huge impression on me.

 

What’s most inspiring is how she’s stayed true to that aesthetic over time. Even now, working on a global scale with major artists and brands, there’s still something raw, intimate, and unmistakably her in every frame. Watching her evolve while holding onto her vision gave me permission to explore and trust my own. Her work showed me it is possible to build a creative path that doesn't compromise your voice.