It can be lonely being a creative sometimes. In this episode, we chat with Shirley Yu about cultivating authentic communities online and how to create a support system offline.

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Meet Shirley, the founder of Choosii, the app that lets you "Collect in Public" and showcase your awesome collections to the world of collectors like you! When Shirley isn't busy building the Choosiiverse, you can find her adding to her own collections of plants, Mashimaro comics, Line Friends merch, and anything that's named "Shirley"! Shirley graduated from Rutgers with a degree in Computer Science and has worked at some pretty cool places like Jet.com, Macy's, and New York Mag! Go to linktr.ee/choosii to follow Shirley & learn more about the Choosii app.
 
Our musical guest is Your Crush. Meeting on a film set in Oahu, Hawai’i natives Yan and Kahn quickly bonded over their love for pop music, something that made them stand out amongst island locals who preferred Reggae and Jawaiian music. They are both Asian American – Yan being Cambodian-Japanese and Kahn being Korean-Japanese-Okinawan – to which they owe their unique experiences as pop artists. Yan had a “bigger vision for the music [she] wanted to make,” a sentiment that Kahn shared and eventually culminated in the formation of their pop duo, Your Crush, when fate brought them back together in LA.

Citing bands like The 1975 and Death Cab for Cutie as well as solo artists like Taylor Swift as inspirations, Yan and Kahn have also produced and written songs for R&B and pop heavy hitters such as Tinashe, Jeremih and Ty Dolla $ign. Indicative of their versatility as artists, the duo’s music “falls into the alternative pop genre...specifically soft pop.”
 
In stride with their roots in the film industry, the two have expressed an unrelenting love for “storytelling in all forms,” something that’s apparent in the animated world they have carefully created with help from artists Apricot Mayor and Erich Nemcek. The meticulously crafted universe of Your Crush is delicately pastel and irresistibly cute, bringing to life a safe space where the pains of betrayal, loss and heartbreak are softened.
 
They released their first single, London Eyes, in 2021 and it has now amassed over 300,000 streams on Spotify. The duo’s signature soft and dreamy bedroom acoustics are strongly juxtaposed by lyrics on heartbreak, regret and reminiscence that have captured the hearts of listeners with their rawness and relatability. The tracks on the Strawberry Sheets EP explore these difficult themes, painting a story of lessons learned in the most beautifully introspective way.
 

Special thanks to Adreyauna at Ink to Prosperity. Ink to Prosperity a space that provides personal & career development from a spiritual perspective. You can learn more at inktoprosperity.com or on Instagram @inktoprosperity. 

Production music is by Lohi5. You can listen more on Instagram @lohi5.music. 

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 on Instagram @coolgirlscollective. Be sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletters at coolgirls.co. 

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.coolgirls.co

We all know what it feels like. Imposter syndrome affects how we see ourselves and our work. In this episode, we talk with Sasha Green about how society shapes our sense of self and why we should celebrate our lived experiences and treat them as our superpowers.

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Sasha Green was born and raised in Houston, Texas and currently lives and works in Denver, Colorado as a Program & Operations Manager at Moonshot edVentures, a local education non-profit that supports diverse leaders and educators to design and launch the learning environments of tomorrow. Sasha is a fierce advocate for creating affirming spaces for people who hold diverse identities, particularly by providing equitable educational opportunities for all learners, especially historically marginalized communities. Sasha graduated on the Dean’s List with a Masters in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education and holds a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and a Minor in Neuroscience from Sewanee: University of the South. Her career in education began working as an elementary school teacher in Denver, providing high quality instruction to low-income students and students of color. Sasha's work now focuses on building systems for program operations across programs and teams, continually improving the best practices for program learning, and creating systems for measuring impact. She hopes to continue creating sustainable systems and executing program learning objectives in a way that is innovative, equitable, and continually improving.

 

Our musical guest is Eleanor Hammond. She has been singing, playing guitar and piano, and songwriting since she was 11. She has been in at least two theatrical productions per year from ages 14-22. She often uses her theatrical background to incorporate storytelling into her lyrics. Her passion for composition became so strong that in 2019 she was inspired to write and produce a full-length feminist musical called Walls, the story of artist and founder of the Whitney Museum, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. She then produced her second musical Newsflash! in 2021 with co-writer Em Beihold. She is now releasing a string of singles. Eleanor has most often been compared to powerful women like Kate Bush, Stevie Nicks, Miley Cyrus, Joni Mitchell, and Alanis Morissette. Eleanor’s dynamic and confident singing, demanding stage presence, and prophetic yet relatable lyrics make her a unique and trailblazing artist. Her songs vary in genre, keeping the listener on their toes, yet still feel cohesive and of the same creator, one that has been honing her sound for years, inspired by her influences and growing worldview. She is currently performing shows in LA and working on her debut EP to be released in the spring of 2023.

 

Special thanks to Adreyauna at Ink to Prosperity. Ink to Prosperity a space that provides personal & career development from a spiritual perspective. You can learn more at inktoprosperity.com or on Instagram @inktoprosperity. 

 

Production music is by Lohi5. You can listen more on Instagram @lohi5.music. 

 

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 on Instagram @coolgirlscollective. Be sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletters at coolgirls.co. 

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.coolgirls.co

Highs and lows from 2022, as well as what we're looking forward to in the new year. Hear from an Emmy-award winning TV producer, an actor who competed within the Miss America organization, illustrators, activists, artists, a video producer who specializes in stop motion, and a costumer who worked on a Spielberg movie!

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. We have a weekly newsletter that’s filled with creative resources, open calls for art festivals and exhibitions, and content to keep you inspired.

If you like our show, be sure to leave a review or rating on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you’re listening from! Production music is by LoHi5 (@lohi.5.music).

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.coolgirls.co

This one may be a slight misnomer... because duh, of course representation matters! Instead, we talk more about belonging with director Sydne Horton (@sydnehorton), as well as inspiring the next generation of creators with actor and educator Audrey Tchoukoua. 

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Sydne Horton is an LA-based director originally from Carmel, Indiana. She is a proud midwestern at heart and as a queer creator, she commonly finds herself exploring queer narratives and landscapes. Currently, she is a Director’s Circle Mentee in Women In Film’s 2022 Mentorship Program. Her short films have had their world premieres at LA Shorts International Festival and Outfest Los Angeles. Other festival appearances include Inside Out Toronto, Tallgrass, Aesthetica Short Film, Melbourne Queer Film Festival, Out on Film Atlanta, and more. Specifically, her film META has screened with
over 30 festivals while ending its festival run with a 3-month exhibit at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture. Horton, who had her break into the industry as a Television Academy Foundation Intern, graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a Bachelor’s degree in Television Directing and Production and has gained professional production experience working with Blumhouse, Netflix, FX, HBO Max, and Nickelodeon. Additionally, she was selected as 1 of 5 global competitors for 2021’s Inside Out Toronto’s Pitch Please Competition with her film The House Sitters. Navigating the world as an adopted and queer identifying individual, Sydne formed a strong connection with the film E.T. at an early age and aspires to direct and tell stories that bring alienated groups together both literally and figuratively.

Adreyauna from Ink to Prosperity (@inktoprosperity) hosts a moment of inspiration. 

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).

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.coolgirls.co

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. 

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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).

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.coolgirls.co

It’s been a tough few years for us all. In this episode, we talk to Brooklyn-based actor and writer Megan Quick (@quick.megan) about the process of writing her solo musical production 'And Toto Too' in the wake of loss. And why we shouldn't have to experience hardships to create something meaningful. 

We also take a moment to meditate with Adreyauna from Ink to Prosperity (@inktoprosperity). 

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).

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.coolgirls.co

Listen to our first episode, dropping in August 2022!

WHILE YOU CREATE is an audio show shaping convos re: creativity. Hosted by Ruth Isabel Guerra, founder of Cool Girls Collective. Check us out online at coolgirls.co and on Instagram @coolgirlscollective. Music by Alexey Anisimov - So Much Fun (Copyright Free Music) from tunetank.com.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.coolgirls.co