If you’ve consumed legal cannabis or even just a little cannabis culture from afar, chances are you’ve experienced the art of Emily Eizen. The queer multimedia artist and creative director has a ranging portfolio that touches photography, painting, collage, installation, and graphic design realms, in the cannabis space and beyond. Emily's work has been featured in Rolling Stone, Complex, Vice, Playboy, High Times, and more. Recently named one of the most influential women in cannabis by Cannabis Now Magazine, her work is charged with vibrant femme energy and a fearless sense of self-expression. Through Emily’s lens, the lines between cannabis, art, and pop culture blur in colorful and wonderful ways.
Following her feature in the launch of our new Rolling Stone Gua Sha Tool, we caught up with Emily about how she carved a career path in cannabis, her evolving relationship with the plant, and the skincare secrets she wishes she knew as a teen.
Where are you based at the moment?
EE: I am based in West Hollywood, CA. Very gay and very 420 friendly, I love it!
Where are you from originally?
EE: I am originally from Manhattan Beach, CA. I moved to Washington, D.C. to study political science after high school and that’s where my relationship with cannabis began.
What role(s) does cannabis play in your life?
EE: I am so grateful for cannabis for bringing me so many things. Community, opportunity, creative energy, and spirituality. I would consider myself a daily smoker.
How has your relationship with cannabis evolved over time?
EE: I used to smoke before everything. But now I am trying to be a bit more intentional and not use it when I need to do technical work or oversee large projects on set.
Solo sesh or group sesh?
EE: Group, but everyone has their own joints. Ever since Covid, sharing scares me a bit haha.
Joint or bong?
EE: Joints forever.
Edible or beverage?
EE: Beverage!
Cozy indoor sesh or the great outdoors?
EE: Truly both.
Describe your ideal way to spend a high.
EE: I love spending time with my partner watching our favorite shows, I also like to smoke before I go into an “editing hole” where I edit pictures for hours on end.
What are your favorite farms/cannabis products right now?
EE: I really like Maven, Alien Labs, and Pure Beauty.
Tell me about how you found your cannabis niche in your career — what was the first cannabis-related gig you got paid for?
EE: I started out as a budtender pre-recreational days. I worked at so many shitty shops but finally found one where I was happy. During slow hours, I would help with taking content for social media. I noticed a really big gap in the industry for meaningful artwork and marketing. Then I became a social media manager there, and the rest is history!
How does cannabis inform your creative process?
EE: Cannabis was the spark that ignited my creativity after a long period of focusing more on social justice causes and politics. When I moved to DC, I felt like the creativity and art that was my safe place growing up were gone from my everyday life. Then I tried cannabis, and it all came flooding back. Now I use art as a vehicle to continue my passion for social change.
How does it play a role in your mental health?
EE: I’d be lying if I said it’s always helpful. Sometimes as a person with a history of depression, I have to make sure I don’t use it to escape too often. It’s really all about balance.
What’s your skincare regimen style? A simple gal or a 12-step queen?
EE: I’m more of a 5 or 6 step queen
Have you always been that way?
EE: I always had “problem” skin. Acne runs genetically in my family. Ever since I was 12 I’ve tried so many things. Remember those Proactiv commercials? I was their target audience.
What are some must-haves in your a.m./p.m. routines?
EE: Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser and Kiehl’s Ferulic Brew both morning and night. Oil-free SPF during the day, and Retinol at night is a must.
What’s the craziest skin hack you tried, and did it work?
EE: Definitely tried putting toothpaste on pimples, but it did not work. It just burned like hell.
What’s the best skincare advice you ever received?
EE: I learned that even though I have oily skin, I still need to use facial oil so I don’t overproduce oil. Life changing!
What skincare knowledge do you wish you knew when you were younger?
EE: Don’t pick/pop!!! It’s tempting, but it’s so damaging. The invention of pimple patches would have saved me as a teen.