The Silver Lining

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Every dark cloud has a silver lining is a Music, Poersy and Creativity Company that expresses all forms of artistic expression in a very public and socially conscious way. The mission of EhmDee is to bring art to life through film, video, photography and music for social change. We aspire to be an inspiration and encouragement for creative people all over the world to use their creative gifts for meaningful change.

EhmDee is the first woman founded and operated film production company in Canada. The company was launched in 2009 by Niohelani Cypriano (founder, writer and director). Since then, EhmDee has created many short films, music videos, album covers and photography collections. The content of EhmDee has received national and international recognition with nominations and awards from various prestigious organizations.

The silver lining is an app that provides a platform for both well-known and emerging authors to share their personal stories with the world. Each story begins with a major setback—a battle with addiction, a cancer diagnosis, a childhood trauma—but then goes on to offer hope in the form of lessons learned from the experience.

People were touched by my story and inspired by how I coped with adversity. Through them in turn, I found the strength to do what I do now. This is why it's impossible for me not to give back.

I'm sure you've heard the saying "every cloud has a silver lining". But what about when the clouds are dark, and the silver lining is hard to find?

I've been struggling with depression since I was 17. I always thought that I was dealing with it well, so I didn't think it was an issue. I would hide my feelings from everyone, especially my friends, because I didn't want anyone to worry about me. There's something extremely hard about telling your friends that you're struggling with your mental health. It makes you feel vulnerable, like you're opening yourself up to be judged or rejected. Now, don't get me wrong, it's extremely important to tell your friends and loved ones that you're struggling with depression so they can support you and help you out - that's what real friends are for. However, when you don't feel comfortable about voicing your struggles, you tend to isolate yourself from your peers and family due to fear of judgement.

We've all heard the phrase "the silver lining" of a dark cloud or situation, but in life and business sometimes it's hard to see it.

I've always been that type of person that focuses on the positive things, but of course there are always periods where I get stuck in a dark cloud because things aren't going as planned or I'm feeling down about something that happened.

The fact is, there are moments in your life when you'll be surrounded by "dark clouds". They'll be those moments when you feel like giving up. When you feel like there's nothing left to do.

What I try to do instead is focus on the positive side and find the "silver lining".

I recently had a dual citizenship process that took too long, and at one point I thought I would never be able to go back to my beloved country of Italy. I started getting depressed, but what did I do? I kept fighting for my case and eventually it was approved.

In the middle of my junior year at the University of Wisconsin, I was under a tremendous amount of pressure. I was trying to juggle a rigorous course schedule, extracurricular activities, and an internship - all while being a resident assistant. I was stressed and tired, so tired that for the first time in my life, I didn't finish an assignment on time.

It was my first time getting a "C" on an assignment - clear, concise instructions that were not met. As I walked out of the classroom, dejected and embarrassed, many thoughts raced through my mind. Sleepless nights followed as I continuously asked myself:

Did I work hard enough? Did I misread the assignment?

Why is this happening?

Do I deserve to be here?

The harsh reality was that the fault did not lie with me; it was not my fault. The professor had failed to include required elements in the assignment, which left me unprepared when I went to complete