about me
A woman crushed by expectations.
A soul that held onto the faintest beam.
a dissolution,
a release.
Foundations.
A child in a warm embrace.
A woman standing straight.
A soul blows up all the fathomable space.
Below you can read about me and the zen acrobat brand:
Hey there,
I am Anastasia, a User Experience and Visual Designer with over 10 years of experience across different companies, sectors, and clients. That is to say, I design pretty things that are based on real human needs.
But most of all, I am a woman who has forever struggled with perfectionism and self acceptance.
perfection's slippery slope
When I was little, I was often seen as a weirdo because I coped with the world through poems, art, dreams, Disney films, and Taylor Swift songs. I was a hopeless romantic.
I had my first anxiety attack when I was 15. You know, the one where you feel like you're about to die. Back then, I couldn't really understand why. On paper, my life was perfect. I was always an overachiever, both as a student, and later on in my working life. In my early 20s, I started working out and eating healthily. I had (and still do) the best family and friends one could wish for.
At some point, it felt like my life was just constant self-improvement. I was waking up at 6 AM for strenuous two-hour workouts; I was constantly controlling all of my eating habits to the point of disordered eating; I was overextending myself at work. When I had a spare second, I couldn't just relax; I was listening to complex podcasts and audiobooks.
Somehow, I'd convinced myself that something in me was lacking. And in order to achieve the so-called "happy" enlightened state that all books talked about, I had to adjust my settings to "self-love" improvement mode. A bit robotic, right?
For the life of me, back then I couldn't tell you what I actually wanted or needed for real. And at some point, the burden and anxiety of all of it became too much.
the reset
I had to take a break from everything I left my full-time job and turned to freelancing. I started going to therapy.
I learned to relax and just sit with myself. I gradually found out (and still am) what is like to listen and trust myself. To meet myself with all the patience and acceptance I was giving other people.
the zen acrobat
The idea for the zen acrobat came very naturally to me. I wanted to use all of that experience, both professional and personal, to create affordable digital products that can reach as many humans as possible.
Products to help soothe, accept, love, and embrace.
I've got my eyes on doing an MSc in Psychology next, alongside doing more independent research and gaining qualifications. I want to keep writing, creating, and building. I want to be as equipped as possible to help all humans who feel the same. I want to build a community.
If you recognize yourself in these words, hello, nice to see you, and I hope you stay for the long ride.
my promise
Nowadays the internet is inundated with lot of people without qualifications who offer services and advice.
I've been on that self-improvement hamster wheel. Spending my whole days relentlessly following other people's idea on how my life should be. By mid-day, I'd be so tired of my "self-care" routine that I didn't have much energy for anything else.
What every good therapist would tell you is that you know best. You are unique and your needs are unique.
That's why my products are more focused on finding what you like and dropping what you don't. In accepting you as you are. On appreciating the full spectrum of emotions vs. a one-dimensional strive to happiness.
Rest assured that as my products evolve and dive deeper into the field of mental health, this will always be backed up by relevant qualifications and literature.
female empowerment
My core value and the fire powering everything I do. With every product I create, with every journal, poster and greeting card, I want to make us women feel empowerment and freedom.
I want to empower "allowance", where we allow ourselves to express our needs. Where we allow ourselves to rest, to dance, to create, to be.
affordable to many
The main reason all of my products are digital is so they are affordable and widely accessible. This also gives you the opportunity to control the finishing touches based on your need, to choose your own paper and support a local printing business, or opt for a more cost-efficient online service.
based on real data
As a professional user research and user experience designer, I am used to doing research and creating products informed by human needs and data.
I conduct ongoing surveys and interviews with women across the world, of different ages and backgrounds. I keep reading relevant literature on psychology and behavioral sciences, and I keep looking for ways to get qualifications.
carefully crafted & curated
I always aim to unify form and function with my products. I love beautiful visuals, harmonizing colors, as much as I love putting together things that help and inspire with quality content.
mission & vision
✦ A beautiful and supportive community
✦ Live Meet-ups
✦ MSc in Psychology, so I could be even better equipped to help
✦ More charitable work and finding ways to support women going through mental health struggles
