Today we’d like to introduce you to Asteria Elzea.
Hi Asteria, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve always been extremely interested in how and why people behave the way they do, including myself. This curiosity led me to a degree and early career in backstage theater – the stories of people acted out on stage to engender emotion in others. In my mid-twenties I was more interested in my own personal growth, as well as supporting others, so I trained as. a life coach. Then I took both things into production coordinating for special events: big, immersive parties that create memories for the attendees. Eventually I thought to collect just a bit more information so I completed a certificate as a data analyst as well! I have combined all of these things with my strong social justice orientation and trauma-informed training to create a body of work around the future that I desire to see. I have been strongly influenced by the work of people of color, including adrienne maree brown, Octavia Butler, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Tricia Hersey. My mentor in attachment re-patterning for the last five years has been Carmen Spagnola.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Wow, honestly nothing has been a smooth road in my life but I couldn’t possibly be where I am without all of the struggles. I grew up with a lot of neglect and emotional abuse, and I vowed that I would make the world a softer place because of it. I studied tech theatre (backstage work, like lighting and set design) in college, which is not the most lucrative path, but it taught me problem solving better than anything else possibly could. I’ve spent over a decade gaining the confidence and clarity to be able to teach people about connection, to be sure that I know enough about community and taking care of other people. I would never want to unintentionally cause harm so I keep studying and studying until I feel completely certain that I can answer any questions thrown at me. I’ve struggled with not wanting to be seen or visible because it feels unsafe, so I’ve practiced putting myself out there. I have a message for the world and I believe it needs to be spread. If we all were to do our best for each other every single day, with all choices big or small, the world would be a better place. If we can understand that all people are struggling with similar things, then lead with empathy and kindness, the world will be a better place. If we all focus on being our happiest selves, there’s nothing left to judge others about. All we have is each other.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m an artist at heart, making art out of my life. I have a podcast called Asteria’s Convos where I talk to regular people about what they’re doing on a daily basis to look towards the future with their actions. I’ve had on sound engineers, pleasure educators, mobility aid artists, moms, theatre directors, and many others to visualize our future. I also draw all the flowers for each episode image by hand and sell them digitally on my website. I’ve learned from people like adrienne maree brown that we must move towards the world we want to see or we will never get there. Rather than going along with supremacy culture, we can make choices all day every day to embody the world we dream of. I do workshops and hold classes that teach the skills needed for community building – especially contact nutrition, which is the neurobiological building blocks of attachment within our bodies. Simple actions that we can all take to make better, more secure relationships with anyone in our sphere of influence.
I’m also a painter, a crafter, and I create immersive parties with my friends. We create environments that take people out of their every day life experiences. We’ve all gotta keep dancing to get through this cultural revolution. Not only is dance and joy the reason to keep fighting, it’s neurologically necessary to keep our brains from despair.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I am absolutely a risk-taker, although I try to do calculated risk. The thing is, I’ve never had any choice other than to be wholly myself, whether that was growing up in the rural midwest or trying to adapt to corporate culture. I’ve never been good at adapting or staying small to fit in. I’ve taken so many leaps in my life – moving across the country at age 21 by myself or quitting corporate jobs to freelance or focusing my extensive learning on attachment theory and personal growth. To me, the greatest risk is in staying exactly the same or never moving forward. I wouldn’t go a day without reexamining my actions to make sure they’re in line with myself and who I want to be tomorrow.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stargirlcreative.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asteria.elzea/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/asteriasrest
- Other: https://asteriasconvos.podbean.com/page/1/
Image Credits
Photos by Heidi Marie Photography, Saalika Khan Photography, and Jamie Frost
