What makes starting so difficult? In this episode, we talk to psychotherapist Vi Dong (@problematicfave) and filmmaker Cassidy Civiero (@casscivi) on mental and creative blocks. We also touch on the importance of checking in on each other’s wellbeing as a creative community. 

___________

Cassidy Civiero is a Canadian filmmaker and activist with a focus on content that deals with climate change, late-stage capitalism, and gender/sexuality. He is a screenwriter and associate producer for the show You’re My Hero (2023, CBC Gem). His directorial debut, I’m in Love with All My Friends (2014) achieved international distribution through the Fearless app. Cassidy has been selected for the 2023 Voices with Impact cohort for his next project Ethical Consumption (2023) and awarded the associated grant to make his vision come to life. When not working in film, you can find him tending to his garden or fervently coddling his dog, Charlie.

This episode's musical guest is Elise Go. She is a recording artist and songwriter from San Francisco, CA. She was a classically trained pianist from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. With her exemplary background in music, Elise was the second place winner of ETTV’s Top Idol in 2011 at age 16. She continued her musical journey, finishing in 7th place on Million Star, a prominent reality singing competition in Taiwan. In 2017, Elise graduated cum laude from Berklee College of Music with a BA in Songwriting. During her time at Berklee, Elise performed in various shows at the Berklee Performance Center, Boston Symphony Hall, and other notable venues. Among these performances, Elise opened for international Chinese Pop superstar, Lee Hom Wang in November 2016. In recognition of her outstanding musicianship, Elise was awarded the Berklee Songwriting Achievement Scholarship. She also was selected as a soloist to perform at the Berklee Commencement Concert for the Class of 2017. In 2020, Elise was cast as Pop Princess on FOX’s new music game show, I Can See Your Voice, hosted and executive-produced by Ken Jeong. Her music and sound are influenced by a mix of R&B/Soul artists of yesteryear, paired with a fresh take on the current pop scope. Collaborators include Benji Cormack (slenderbodies) and Johannes Gritschacher, Olivia O’Brien’s drummer. 

Adreyauna from Ink to Prosperity (@inktoprosperity) hosts a body break.

WHILE YOU CREATE is an audio show brought to you by Cool Girls Collective — we’re a community shaping convos around creativity. You can find us at coolgirls.co and on socials @coolgirlscollective. Production music is by LoHi5 (@lohi.5.music).