WHAT MAKES YOU A MISFIT IN LOS ANGELES?

Maybe you’re a transplant.
Maybe you’ve lived here your whole life.
Maybe you work in the industry.
Or maybe you just love the art that spills out of it.

Whatever your role in the cultural mess of Los Angeles, chances are you’ve felt it:

That lonely ache.
That sense that, somehow, you’re here but still outside it all.

You’re not alone.

L.A. may be a birthplace of influence, but it’s also where the quiet ones, the late bloomers, the genre-benders, and the deep feelers finally find room to breathe.

Here, those who never had a mic can build their own platform.
Here, the lovers of weird, fringe, niche things can create new lanes.
Here, rebellion isn’t punished—it’s necessary.

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At MISFITS LOS ANGELES, gentle rebellion is a core value.
We rebel against the idea that L.A. is only skin-deep.
We rebel by choosing presence over performance, and connection over clicks.
We rebel against self-erasure in a culture shaped by superficial norms.

This City of Angels has always been a City of Rebels.

And when we link up—through stories, through meetups, through being seen—we grow our wings.

And we help others grow theirs, too.

Welcome, Misfit.
You found your people.
We’re glad you’re here.

xo, RISSY
Marisa L. Okano
Founder + Editor, MISFITS LOS ANGELES

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Marisa L. Okano—also known as RISSY—is a lifelong writer, visual artist, and internet culture devotee. After over a decade in corporate digital media as a writer, designer, and strategist, she launched MISFITS LOS ANGELES to create the kind of community she always craved in her hometown and empower creative women dedicated to carving out their own paths in a competitive city. Her work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Yahoo! Entertainment, and MailOnline.com. In her free time, you can find her binging new music or enjoying crafts like jewelry making.

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ASK RISSY ANYTHING (AMA)

Have a dilemma on your mind you wish you could share with someone unbiased? Send your questions to editor@misfitsla.com for the chance to be featured anonymously in our print or digital magazine with an answer from RISSY.