We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cassandra Bishop. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cassandra below.

Hi Cassandra , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

It is definitely hard to narrow down just one meaningful project, when each creative project I do brings it own elements of inspiration and soul work. I currently am involved in three musical projects at this time, and each of them allow me to tap into different creative elements, along with expanding and challanging my skills. With my duo project Shy Moon, (with Genevieve Jencson) I write songs from a very emotional and personal perspective, (though I do use metaphors and symbolism in lyric writing) and the songs take on a darker or moodier tone. With my duo project She1Him (with Evan Nave), it had been a very different process since he writes all the music electronically, then sends it to me to write the lyrics and vocal melodies. It has been a delightful challenge to come up with vocal styles and song themes which I write from more of a fictional storytelling perspective, that I have not tapped into in previous projects. Finally, in my newest trio project titled The Elder Goths (with Gina Schultz and Kylee Cook) has allowed me to write songs in a completely different way than I do with Shy Moon (which I write all songs on acoustic guitar) as I write all our songs electronically, along with writing three part harmonies and playing subtle electric guitar in the background.

Cassandra , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

While music is not my full time job, it has always been a passion project for me. I started off paying coffee shops in high school. From there, I joined several bands during my college years before starting to form my own bands and projects and taking more creative control. I have dabbled in lots of different styles of music, as well as supporting and lead roles, all which I would encourage any musician to do, as you learn so much both ways! I would also encourage people to explore different musical genres and to never stop writing.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think that artist grants are imperative for the creative community. I doubted my own ability and worth earlier on and did not apply for grants, but now I wholeheartedly apply for them, and encourage other’s to as well! While there are creatives that make a living doing their passion projects, I won’t lie and say that is easy. Grants allow artists to truly dive into their work with financial support, something I feel the creative community can lack. Grants can allow the time and means and take their art to new depths without the daily distractions many of us face.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect about being an artist is when someone tells me something about one of my songs or pieces from their own personal perspective,. Since music is subjective, it can mean and interpret different ways to different people, and I love hearing about what a lyric meant to someone or how a musical number felt to a person from a perspective I may never had explored.

Contact Info:

• Website:
• Other: I wanted to include all three websites here
  https://shymoon.bandcamp.com/
  https://she1him2.bandcamp.com/album/we-dream-in-neon
  https://theeldergoths.bandcamp.com/track/full-moon

Image Credits

Steven Sladek