Meet Kastasya Jackson of Naturally Allure

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kastasya Jackson.

Hi Kastasya, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve been an established creator since I was 5 years old. I have creatives in my family and people who are good with their hands and the apple did not fall far from the tree. I have an uncle who is very skilled in graphite and charcoal and his drawings were pinned up in my grandmother’s room for years. I took after him in drawing and started tracing the characters in the books. Boots from Dora the Explorer was my favorite to draw. After I got the hang of tracing, I started to freehand and look at pictures to copy them. I did this for a few years. Alongside drawing, I grew interested in exploring other crafts like pipe cleaners, origami, and knitting. One day my I noticed my knitting needles were warped from frequent use, so I asked my mom if she could buy me a new pair… she came home with crochet hooks instead thinking the crafts were the same (as many people do). I couldn’t convince her to take them back to the store so I kept them. One day, I grew tired of knitting. It took forever and I didn’t like working with warped tools since I never got the new needles I asked for. So, I decided to teach myself how to crochet. I was 12 years old. I started making beanies and scarves and would sell them at school. I was teased for being a “grandma” back then. I was academically inclined as well, and I actually made a wide range of acquaintances back then despite the teasing. I would make hats and scarves for my family too. Always as gifts. I typically handmade my gifts since I didn’t have money, but I had materials to make things so I used those opportunities to my advantage to stretch my skills. I put my hooks down for a while and got back into drawing for a few years. That lasted until my Grad school years at Kansas State University where I pursued my Masters degree in Landscape Architecture. In the midst of the pandemic, I decided to pick up my hooks again and get back into crocheting. I made my first skirt set, short set, shawls and cardigans. I used my advanced design education to help in designing this garments. Beanies and scarves were so middle school to me. I wanted to expand again. To feel creative and wears larger pieces of art! Now, here I am, five years out of college still crocheting and making artwork. I do tailor made crochet garments for myself and others upon request. I make personal care items like face scrubbies and wash cloths. I make adorable accessories such as scrunchies and snapbacks. Even emotional support items have become part of my craft where I make plush turtles. I love turtles, and I had one as a pet when I first started learning how to crochet. Crochet and art making have been a keystone in my life and how I have expanded as a professional due to my values of integrating more softness, love, peace, unity, and empowerment into daily living.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Since I started creating so young, money was the first obstacle. I couldn’t buy my own supplies all the time so I had to work with whatever I was brought home. Which made me have to use what I had before going to buy more which is something I still do to this day. If I absolutely need a color, I will go buy it. Otherwise, I use what I have. Plus, like every crocheter, I have yarn I have “plans” for but still have yet to use! Some yarns are just so pretty and I don’t want to make the “wrong” thing with it. Other obstacles along the way were me being ahead of my time. Crochet wasn’t even couture yet when I first started. It was a niche market. It’s still a niche market, but now ithe market that exists seems over saturated with the same types of products floating around. I always seek to find ways to make those types of products my own. Some do it for the hype, but I seek sustainability in every way. I ask myself if things are worth making repeatedly. Especially as I age, because I used my hands for everything and I want to keep my hands in good shape. I pace myself so I don’t burn out energetically or physically. Sometimes people act like my prices are not worth it but they don’t understand that I’ve been crocheting for almost 20 years with a professional design background and it takes physical labor to make every item on my stand. I was adverse to doing vendor’s events for a few years and only recently started using them as a way to get more visible and find my audience. It takes time to find your people in the creative world. But they are out there. I stay motivated by staying on top of my vision. I want people to know and embrace the importance of softness in a world that is determined to make us harder. I have more responsibilities to balance in life now. I used to have so much time on my hands when I was younger where I could stay up late creating. Not anymore. I have a job to go to, a home to maintain, and the cutest dog in the universe to be a companion to. Having a solid sleep schedule and hard cut off time for creating still is something I’m adjusting to. Especially after having a fainting episode in the late spring this year. I had to change things about my lifestyle to ensure I was truly healthy and living a balanced life.

We’ve been impressed with Naturally Allure, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Naturally Allure is an atelier for creatives like myself: people who think multidimensionally and can extrapolate their skills across different disciplines and cultures to make designs that bring life into what would otherwise be a derelict world. I am the sole proprietor currently, and I specialize in a range of services. Those services are residential landscape consulting, reiki, crochet, and art commissions. I am known for all these services. Reiki is still an up and coming service for me since that is the newest skill I’ve gained over the years. People already knew me as an artist and crocheter for years. What I get asked most for is crochet items and landscape design consulting. I am set apart from other because I seek to understand how to improve the person’s quality of life and wellbeing through what they are asking from me. I ask about their personal life at a relatively deeper level to understand how they expect to live compared to how they’re currently living. I fill that gap. Many people have told me that I’ve been exactly what they’re looking for. I try to be as affordable as possible, however a business must make a profit so I keep in mind what I consider to be profitable beyond the monetary gain. The greatest profit beyond the money is the improved relationship and trust that gets built over the course of designing with my clients what they want their daily lives to look like. And the hugs are always a great bonus, too. What I’m most proud of with my brand is the vision that becomes more tangible with each person I partner with. When someone comes to me, I want them to lay their dreams on the table alongside their current living conditions and allow me to open their eyes to the gap. That gap is what keeps their dreams from being a reality. Once they see the gap, I want them to allow me the creative license to show them the possibilities of how that gap can be filled. It’s always filled with solutions rooted in love, peace, unity, and empowerment. A person wants a backyard that goes from overgrown vegetation to an oasis full of sunshine, color, and tranquility? Let’s walk the backyard together and see what opportunities are there. They want their home to have a beautiful view upon approach when they’re coming home from a long day of work? Let’s cast the vision and pick the plants together. A person feels out of alignment internally because they’re heart and mind are at odds? Let’s sit down, talk, and do some energy work so we can get to the root that’s divided them. A person seeks a comfort item that they can reach for anytime? Let’s talk about what that item should be: a small plush, a shawl, a cardigan. Let’s design it together with favorite colors and explore the meaning of those colors so when the item is chosen, that person feels that energy and receives exactly what they need when they need comfort. I’m a big sister, and I want my clients to feel like a sister’s energy is only a talk, hug, plant, or plush in reach.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I did have mentors for a few years when I was in network marketing. I highly recommend learning the skills necessary for a network marketing business. Those skills are universal and I still use them in the business I have today despite walking away from that environment. Also know that some mentors are for seasons. Not for life. Applied knowledge is power. Simply knowing, but not acting on that knowing leaves you in the same situation. Sometimes it’s not about learning more, but remembering more of what you’ve already learned which means going back and reading books you’ve already read. I highly recommend having books on mindset, personal growth, business, and leadership. They give amazing perspective on how to think like the person you want to be. Regarding that, focus on being the person you want to be right now to become more of that person in the future. What can be directly applied today that will get you one more step closer to who you want to be? Apply it. Don’t wait. Reaction time is everything. Network with people it truly makes sense to network with. Not every connection is going o lead somewhere. Not everyone connects, either. Look for those who are looking for you. It will make handling rejection much easier when you understand that person was not looking for you. These things have worked wonders for me. I go where my business is wanted and that has yielded me many relationships and transactions that have been part of a beautiful foundation.

Pricing:

• Crochet ranges from $10-1200+
• Landscape Consulting ranges from $100-300+
• Reiki ranges from $25-75
• Artwork ranges from $50-1200+

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naturally.allure?igsi=cHdwMHV5cTJ1bzJo&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/191ffixrvs/?mibextid=wwXIfr