Gia (@giaenergia) is a multidisciplinary storyteller & social impact creative director based in Miami. After penning award-winning speeches, essays, plays, and poetry growing up in the U.S. & Eastern Europe, Gia graduated Valedictorian in Culture Journalism and pursued a career in storytelling across mediums. Over the years, she has woven narratives at the intersection of music and social issues for the likes of SPIN Magazine and the award-winning The Calvert Journal (now New East Archive), published contemporary Young Adult fiction for Scribd (now Everand), and led creative marketing efforts for @porc_a_porter, the biggest streetwear brand in Romania. Today, she amplifies the work of extraordinary young people addressing our planet’s greatest challenges as the Chief Storyteller & Creative Director of @nilerodgers’ @wearefamilyfdtn, while experimenting with electronic music subgenre fusions, most recently under the character @sailormanic. 

We sat down with Gia to explore what it truly means to navigate life as a Romanian multidisciplinary artist working abroad, how adapting to a new cultural landscape shapes one’s artistic identity, the challenges and opportunities that come with it, and whether the surrounding environment becomes a source of inspiration or a silent influence. 

Get to know more about her, her artistic journey, and career here - Gia Energia Interview @ The Alternative School

This is Gia, aka Energia, aka fuck creative block, aka Sailor manic, recently, coming to you live from beautiful, sunny Miami, at one of the coolest places in the city, H Gap Studios, my second home, is a wonderful creative space, very aligned with the alternative school. 

1. WHAT WOULD MAKE YOUR SOUL SING? WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?

I just love creating safe spaces for people to tell their stories, a childhood story for the creative person I am today, a collection of people whom I intersected with at key points during my childhood, who shaped the creative person I am today. Ms Specht, my fifth-grade teacher, who saw that writer potential in me, believed in me, gave me all the resources to point me in that direction. Mr. Kao, Miss Constanza, in the sixth grade, diriga my teacher from high school. Rest in peace. She lost the battle to cancer back in Romania, still adapting as this, like half half-American, half-Romanian person didn't belong in one place or another. She believed in me to the point where she would be on chemotherapy, and she would travel with me to international contests for performing in English or for debates or speeches, and she would be there every step of the way.

2. A CHILDHOOD STORY THAT ANNOUNCED THE CREATIVE PERSON YOU ARE TODAY 

Instead of a childhood story for the creative person I am today, I would shout out all the educators that I was so privileged to have along the way. A lot of you watching, whether you are currently students with the alternative school or you will be some of these mentors and educators await for you as well. Trust that one conversation, one person, one teacher, someone you look up to, who believes in you, that's all you need. 

3. BEST CONTEXT EVER FOR INSPIRATION WAS

Man, the best context for inspiration I can give you is my inside tea for how I do things like synesthesia, full sensory writing. When I sit down to write like a freestyle, like a short story, let's say I'm that bitch. We'll do it on our typewriter, because we romanticize analog tools. I got my 1940s Underwood typewriter, preferred by greats including Ernest Hemingway, Charles Bukowski, et cetera, et cetera. I love writing on my typewriter, so that's the first contextual thing that helps me personally. It allows you to make mistakes, because on a typewriter, there's no delete button. If you fuck up, you X over it, and that's part of the beauty. I almost don't like it when I have a fully clean typewriter page, because it doesn't seem real. The creative process is messy. No matter what art form you practice, using analog tools, like typewriters, will help you embrace mistakes that are all part of the beautiful, chaotic mess that is creating. Right? In addition to that, I'm very particular with the lights I choose when I'm in a creative space; the pink was chosen intentionally. I have this character, Sailor Manic, which is a music alias that I'm exploring now for some projects. She's very pink, right? Whatever makes you feel that you can get into a creative space. Lighting can be part of that. If you are working on a project that's a little bit more introspective, but on a blue light, if you're working on like an intimate story, go for a rat. Also, create mood boards for my characters. Visual mood boards on Pinterest, but also audio mood boards on a Spotify playlist. Just for a character, you're at The Alternative School, you're doing your homework. Create a playlist that goes with your campaign. Even if you're a copywriter, do a mood board. Can't go wrong with full sensory creation. That's when authentic emotions come out. Create your own context.

4. THE PROJECT YOU LOVED MOST

There's a little bit of context needed for this. Outside of my work with Creative Block, Gia, with music, with all the passion projects, I'm very, very blessed to be the Creative Director for We Are Family Foundation, which is an incredible nonprofit that works with the world's brightest young minds who are finding creative solutions to our planet's biggest challenges. This is important for context, because the project that I love the most out of my whole career is one that we recently did to announce our 2025 cohort of global teen leaders. A video announcement. Check out @wearefamilyfdt on Instagram, you'll find a pin there. These are some of the humans I love and look up to the most. They're 15, but I want to be them when I grow up. 

5. THE PROJECT OTHERS LOVED MOST

A lot of people kind of got to know me a little bit better through rap music, right? I did it for, Lord knows, over 10 years, we did, like concerts and stuff, collaborations, Energia on the rap side, as a project in and of itself, that's what people know me for the most. We're past that era. If anything, I'm exploring techno now, electronic music with a lot of Miami influences, like Pera or Latin core. I’m kind of past the hip hop era. Very grateful to everyone who stuck around from then. Very grateful for the community, because what a beautiful community comes with hip hop. 

6. THE BEST THING ABOUT ROMANIAN CREATIVITY IS

I would say there are three things: grit, resourcefulness, and work ethic. You don't fuck with the Romanians, bro. They will outwork fucking everyone. First people to show up, the last ones to leave, period. 

7. BEST STATEMENT OF ROMANIAN HUMOR

Denikas, if you know, you know, I'm just gonna leave it at that.

 8. ADVICE FOR INTERNATIONAL HEADHUNTERS, RELATED TO ROMANIAN CREATIVES

Related to Romanian creatives, especially young creatives like the students at The Alternative School, wasn't 2025 the resume experience? That's so like last season, come on, give people a chance. Don't block someone in a resume. The way, at a school, right? You're so much more than your grades. And I'm saying that as a valedictorian, as a young creative, you're so much more than your resume. Look at the portfolio pieces that they can create. Give them assignments to see their skills on the job. Fucking pay them, even if, please, if you can't, if you have a budget, don't do them. 

9. BEST PLACE IN BUCHAREST

Best place in Bucharest is gonna be subjective and I say this with all the love and dor, as we say in romanian, Pork warehouse. Watching this from The Alternative School, I doubt that you won't know it. I was very lucky to be the head of marketing at Pork for about a year. I better have was their main designer, art director for I think close to a decade before we moved here to Miami, Pork will always be like my found family wherever I go. At the pork warehouse, I have some of the best memories during crazy Black Friday campaigns, everyone rushing around to fulfill like 1000s and 1000s of orders within 24 hours, some of my best memories with some of my best friends. Shout out Pork. Will love you always and forever, no matter where I am in the world. 

10. BEST PLACE IN YOUR COUNTRY

Well, now that you mentioned it, we are here at H Gap. Studios, and creators live here. This is a beautiful space. Creators of all career levels, any art form, any medium, can come collaborate, be in community, in a very like alternative school way of thinking, come together, and build together. If you're Romanian, watching, come to Miami. DM your girl. I'll bring you here to H Gab, my favorite place in Miami and second home. 

11. MOST DISTURBING CLICHÉ ABOUT ROMANIA, IN THE MEDIA OUTLETS OF THE WORLD IS 

Honestly, I've heard a lot more good than bad recently. I've seen Romania on the BBC recently, because a genius engineer who was like front row at Rosia Montana protests like 13 years ago, is our president now. Also, we had a turnout of 30,000 people at this year's Pride, which, for post communist, heavily orthodox Eastern European countries, is massive, right? I've seen a lot more positive than negative lately. And in the US, it's not like in other countries. In Western Europe, Romanians aren't judged as much as they are in Western Europe. Romanians are like, as they say, “exotic” here, we're like the vampires. We're like the, you know, interesting people, but I did want to acknowledge that it's not a disturbing cliche, but it is a reality that needs all the media attention. The heartbreaking femicide epidemic in Romania right now is real. Please reach out to local organizations like Centrul Filia, Asociatia Vulgar. There are so many really, really dope organizations in Romania who are working to bring attention to the femicide epidemic that's going on right now in the country, and also offering resources to victims of sexual violence and domestic abuse, which sadly, we know is a big problem in our country. It's not a cliche, but it's a reality that we can't just cover with rose colored glasses. Support the organizations that are putting a stop to this. Please. 

12. ROMANIA SHOULD BE KNOWN FOR

Romania should be known for bad ass, young, brilliant, amazing creatives. 

13. YOUR VIEWS ON SPIRITUALITY

Of course, my views on spirituality can be reflected in my music. Name Energia. Spirituality is energy. For me is being a good person. Give out good energy more times than not. You'll get it in return, but don't give it out to get it in return. Does that make sense?

14. YOUR VIEWS ON MONEY

My views on money? It's just a tool, it's a means. That sounds like the most privileged thing to say. I don't come from old money. I was not born with a silver spoon. Won't get into details, but let's just say I put in a lot of work to be in the privileged position to say that I now view money as a tool and as a means. The reality is that it's not like that for a lot of folks. It's a survival tool. And I wish we lived in a society where it didn't matter as much, and where we could exchange creative projects like these rather than money. But it is what it is.

15. AN INSPIRATION SOURCE YOU RECOMMEND FOR A YOUNG CREATIVE

Instead of saying, like the online tools thing, y'all, y'all are fucking smart. Y'all can Google that shit. Everyone's on Pinterest. If you're not, what are you doing as a young creative outside of that would argue that the best inspiration source for young creatives is your community, the people around you, with whom you connect and collaborate. For me, it's my found family here at H Gap, it's my found family at We Are Family Foundation, all of my best friends, my close collaborators, and community, I would argue, is the best source of inspiration. It's one that money can't buy. It's equitable, accessible to everyone. It doesn't matter where you were born. If you can find your people, find your community, I can almost guarantee that it'll be the best source of inspiration for you.

The article is part of the #YoungLadies series, recommended by RSM, empowered by Ursus.