Everyone has their struggles. Some more than others. Some face it, others don’t. Some decide to document every aspect of it and use that footage creatively to help them pursue their dream. Célin Do is one such person, and their six-part documentary series, dubbed Crazy Broke Asian, is their way of becoming the artist they’ve always dreamed of being.

We came across Célin’s project while doomscrolling on Instagram, and it instantly caught our attention. It was a trailer-like video that threw us straight into Célin’s life story through the struggles they’ve faced as a queer North American of Vietnamese descent, having failed out of medical school and wanting to pursue their dream of being an artist. Perhaps familiar to many, whether you’ve faced these challenges personally or know someone who has.

It was the candid nature and that aforementioned familiarity that kept us watching, wanting to discover more of what this video was about. It was, at the end of the day, a snippet to help market their full project, which is still in its crowdfunding phase. But it was also raw, honest, brave, fun, poignant, and relatable. It’s a story we know of but haven’t seen enough of—and that’s why it needs to be made.

And it’s all DIY. Célin and their team have self-funded the project up until they raised enough to produce the first official episode. Célin has admitted that they had no idea how to make a film, let alone a six-part docuseries, and took it upon themselves to learn it all, from shooting to editing to animating the artwork they create, to marketing it. Well, they’re doing something right, because it’s garnering attention and support.

Check out the official trailer for Crazy Broke Asian below, and find out more about the project through their Backerkit page, as well as Parlous House, a production house, record label, and marketing company helping Célin and their team bring all this to life.

Cover image via Backerkit.