We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elysa DeMartini a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Elysa , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

As a child, I asked to go to museums for my birthday and wanted to be an archaeologist. I was fascinated by design, art, culture, travel, dance, fashion. My head was constantly in books and with a dreamers mind. My mother, a divorced woman with 3 kids in the 70’s, exposed us to as much culture as possible. Often, this meant schlepping us into NYC- going to galleries, heading to whatever music event happened to be happening in someone’s loft or just experiencing Washington Square Park and Greenwich Village. I would dream about one day living a life like that. Where creatives could just be, express themselves and share experiences.

In high school, I was thrilled I could take art classes, express myself in ways I saw and felt inside. This would be my time. That, however, was short lived. I had an art teacher, whose name I still remember, tell me I “could not draw and to put the pencil down immediately.” I didn’t quite put the pencil down immediately but her words stuck with me throughout my life. I did go to an art school in London but it was more business focused as I still felt “I could not draw.” Coupled with the fact that I was raised by a single woman, I went the corporate route to earn a living and support myself. The corporate companies I worked for were always fashion related. I worked my way up from the shoe floor, into the corporate offices ending up as a buyer, where I was completely burnt out and needing a second act. That second act became yoga and I became a yoga instructor.

As a yoga instructor, it fulfilled a creative sense within me. Classes are designed as flow and the body a canvas. In essence, unconsciously, I design for mindfulness, health, balance and a myriad of other aspects. But 10 years in, I felt that I needed something more. Something within me was crying out. It was primal, the need to create, burn, break, recreate. I enrolled in a metal sculpture class and never looked back. I didn’t know how it would look but trusted I was finally on a path to myself. Then one serendipitous day, in a parking lot, I met an artist, struck up a conversation and she needed an assistant. It’s been 10 year as an assistant and I’ve have the gift and privilege of a mentor. Without formal art school training, I’ve gotten real life experiences. “The put your pencil down” no longer plays in my head. I am a late in life artist who recognizes that I needed those experiences to get me to here, exactly where I am.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I became a yoga instructor through the collapse of my corporate career. I had been in the shoe industry. My life hectic and out of balance. I was traveling quite a bit and it was in Las Vegas, at the airport grabbing a magazine, my life took a turn. Usually I’d grab Vogue, WWD or something of that ilk. This time I didn’t. I saw Yoga Journal and article that said “Yoga for Stress.” I devoured that magazine and made a promise to myself then when I got back home, I would immediately sign up for a yoga class. That was February of 2001. I stuck with class as often as I could and made myself a priority. Still trying to maintain the crazy of my life and career.

July of 2001, I lost my job, sense of who I was and what was important to me. Yoga held me like a life raft through it and the very dark times. I became a volunteer at a Women’s and Children’s shelter, then their volunteer coordinator. I volunteered at my studio. I slowly began to “wake up” to myself, the world in and outside me. I knew I wanted to teach children but people said school would take too long. It was at the beginning of an October weekend workshop (2002) that I heard a “voice” telling me I would become a yoga teacher and everything would fall into place. That was Friday night. Sunday morning I told my mentor, I’m going to be a yoga teacher. She looked at me and said “I knew it and am so proud of you. I’ll help you anyway I can.” I got home and there was a Sunday newspaper on my doorstep. I rarely ever bought the paper but felt compelled to open to the Job Listings. There was a job selling shoes on the shoe floor for a large department store. I faxed my resume in that Monday morning, had the job Thursday and started Friday. In the interim, I filled out the paperwork to go to Kripalu for their teacher training. I got accepted immediately and the session was to start February of 2003. I worked every shift, committed as much time as I could to make the money to move, sustain and carry myself until I started to earn an income.

In February 2003, I moved back to the Northeast. I went to Kripalu, certified and came out hustling. I built a solid career teaching yoga to various populations- even fulfilling a childhood dream of teaching autistic children. I built a successful yoga studio with my business partner, made lifelong friends, touched a lot of lives and learned more from people than I ever could teach. But as stated earlier, something was still missing. It was the artistic piece.

It’s been said “You can’t have a message without a mess, a testimony without a test.” My life and journey is that. I could not be the yoga instructor or artist I am without my life experiences influencing how the Divine speaks through me. Everyone of those experiences, influences everything I do. Yoga is about how we live both on and off the mat. I am more present, more aware, more grateful than ever. Not just for myself, my art and my students but for the world.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Every part of my journey has been one of resilience. There were highlights throughout that were wake up calls to make changes or shift perspectives but I wasn’t ready to see because of fear. It was through facing the dark and what stood in my way (ultimately me), forgiving myself and loving the wounded parts. Ultimately, this makes me not only a better human, but a better yoga instructor because I’ve walked in those places. In my art, there is a grace and humility that shines through. As stated before, it’s where I allow the Divine to speak through me. I’m no longer doing but rather being. That, in turn, flows into my everyday life. I can be more present, more aware, more engaged and willing to face everything and anything.

Have you ever had to pivot?

My mother raised 3 children and supported herself on her own and she did what she could to survive. She also emphasized volunteering. Couple that with being a curious person, I was/ am always asking/ volunteering to help, be of service or pick up the slack. Call it codependent, empathetic or crazy, my journey was always non-linear. I’ve had “side hustles” before “side hustle” became popular in our culture. So shifting careers, adding more to my plate, offering to be of service is natural to me. There were times there didn’t appear there was a net to catch me but through faith, a quick mind and a pure heart, I got through.
The example that illustrates this was when I moved to San Francisco in 1988, the job I moved for got cut. Standing on a street corner, my belongings are enroute cross country and I had no apartment. You needed a job to secure an apartment and you needed an apartment to house your belongings. I trusted (after a small freak out) that the net would show. Hit every ad I could find, walked as many streets as I could and finally found a sign. Met with the landlord and convinced him I would have a job that would cover rent but I needed this break. The net appeared and in my boxes was a trade book that I had the information to secure a job with a company that would lead to the next steps.

The key is that a pivot is an opportunity for growth, resilience and faith. It never looks the way we think but isn’t that a wonderful opportunity.!? When we let go, trust, that’s where the magic lives. I have found that in the dark times (freak outs) I now welcome those places. I welcome them knowing I can face them and come out the other side. I can share my story and hopefully help another. I didn’t get this far on my journey alone and I carry those who went before me in each breath with honor, reverence and gratitude.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.elysademartini.com
• Instagram: Elysademartini
• Facebook: Elysa DeMartini
• Linkedin: Elysa DeMartini
• Youtube: @elysademartini2422