Meet Cassandra Vincent who moved from NYC to LA to pursue being a creator, musician and actor
Was there a particular reason you chose LA?
Warmth, space and connection to so many aspects of entertainment (did I mention warmth? Yeah, no snow shovel, de-icer or giant, stuffed-marshmallow-looking parka necessary. Nice)
What do you miss most from NYC?
The ability to get almost any food at almost any time of day or night. From London/UK I miss certain chocolates and biscuits, and the history, architecture and all the time being teatime!
What was your first impression of LA and has it changed since?
There is definitely an interesting tone – it’s like it is friendly and laid back yet still combing you with a microscope. I think it is still like that. I found if I keep my focus where I want to go, what I want to do and not let my focus get spread out or distracted I more often end up in positive welcoming situations that fit me.
What do you find the biggest difference is living here versus NY or London?
It’s so spread out in comparison to NY and London. I am more at ease with the wild driving part now. Took a moment though. Ok, more than a moment. I’m sure I looked like a terrified pensioner behind the wheel for a while. Glad that didn’t end up on YouTube.
Do you have a hidden gem in LA that you want to share with us?
So many cool places! Many may already know them already but here goes: CIA – the California Institute for Abnormal Arts is a wild, small, performance venue in Noho that has the look of a dark, bizarre circus with a collection of memorabilia to match. It’s fun to play there. And the Chado tea rooms, (three different locations locally) owned by a tea importer and have some great quality loose leaf tea and numerous varieties.
What would you suggest to others who are thinking about making the move here?
Don’t let someone else’s negative experience of being here color or dictate yours. Have your own cool experience.
Lots of our members join our group Brits in LA seeking out words of wisdom – what is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
The greatest skill you have to offer as an artist is the skill of being you – that’s something no one else can do better than you can and is worth cultivating. Not the exact words but that’s the essence of it. It can be a scary thing to be a flawed freaky human through your art in a public way, but I’ve come to realize it is exactly that which makes me smile, cry and cheer in response to my favourite artists. I enjoy and celebrate their evolution. I’m allowed to evolve too. We all are.
Lastly, how can we find out more about you? Are you working on anything at the moment?
I have a new band I am excited about – we are a duo, we tap a lot of genres but lean electro-rock and electro-pop – I invite you to hear/see more at lightshadowsmusic.com. I’m also a tea freak and have a Tea and Entertainment blog where I recently started a tea and music series! I got to meet epic music manager Andy Gould while I was a host at the Youbloom Music fest in 2017 and he graciously agreed to be my first interview. You can read about his work as a Tea Boy for George Martin and his great partnership with Rob Zombie at teadeviant.com
