Elizabeth Ito on Anxiety, Art, and Things You Can’t Control

You really should watch City of Ghosts. It’s on Netflix, six
episodes long, and it’s a delightful and important exploration of
Los Angeles, cultures, and how we manage history. City of Ghosts
also happens to be, at least at first glance, a show for
children. It’s animated and features a group of kid characters
who fan out across L.A. to interview and record the ghosts that
live there. It’s guileless and smart and often very funny.


Elizabeth Ito created the show. She wanted to create something
less intense and anxious for her son, who often got overwhelmed
by children’s shows. She also wanted to pay tribute to her
hometown and the people and cultures that have been there. You
can tell City of Ghosts comes from the heart.


Unfortunately, the show was canceled after just one season. Then
it won the prestigious Peabody Award. And all of this made for a
tremendous emotional roller coaster for Elizabeth, who is prone
to anxiety and depression. 


She joins us to talk about the need to create and the wringer
that being an artist in the practical world puts her through.


Watch City of Ghosts on Netflix. Watch Mall Stories, Welcome to
My Life, and Elizabeth's Peabody victory dance video at her
website, ElizabethIto.com. Follow Elizabeth on Twitter @kikutowne
and on Instagram @ottersnaps.


Thank you to all our listeners who support the show as monthly
members of Maximum Fun. 


Hey, remember, you’re part of Depresh Mode and we want to hear
what you want to hear about. What guests and issues would you
like to have covered in a future episode? Write us at
depreshmode@maximumfun.org.


Help is available right away.


The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 or 1-800-273-8255,
1-800-273-TALK


Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741.


International suicide hotline numbers available
here: https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines


The Depresh Mode newsletter is available twice a week. Subscribe
for free and stay up to date on the show and mental health
issues. https://johnmoe.substack.com/


John's acclaimed memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is
available
here. https://read.macmillan.com/lp/the-hilarious-world-of-depression/


Find the show on Twitter @depreshpod and Instagram @depreshpod.


John is on Twitter @johnmoe.