Meet Jefa: Naomi Fierro Peña - That Art Party

Discover how Naomi Fierro Peña, the dynamic founder and CEO of That Art Party, is transforming wellness for BIPOC adults through the power of creativity and play. Naomi's unique concept of creative play dates blends mindfulness, meditation, and unstructured play, offering a liberating experience that prioritizes joy over perfection. Our conversation delves into her personal journey from a structured teaching career to becoming a trailblazing entrepreneur in artful wellness, highlighting the ancestral influences and collective energy driving her mission to heal and liberate through creativity.

Shifting from traditional roles to innovative entrepreneurship comes with its fair share of challenges, including cultural resistance and misconceptions about the value of art and play. Together, Naomi and I unpack these hurdles and discuss the importance of staying true to our core mission amidst societal pressures. We share insights on creating human-centered systems that integrate creativity and rest, even in corporate environments, emphasizing how these elements can lead to revolutionary change and personal growth.

Community, self-love, and creative self-care are the cornerstones of Naomi's journey and That Art Party's vibrant community. Our discussion touches on the significance of nurturing relationships, embracing self-worth, and remaining connected to one's purpose to navigate the entrepreneurial path. Naomi's story is a testament to the power of collective work and mutual respect, inviting listeners to embrace creativity as a means of freedom and growth. Tune in to explore how these concepts can inspire and energize both individuals and communities, and perhaps find your own creative liberation along the way.

Transcript

Artful Wellness Spaces for BIPOC Adults

Kita Zuleta 0:00

Hi, jefas, welcome back to the Cafecito con Jefas podcast. I'm your host, gita Zuleta, a brand strategist, jefa coach and photographer in LA. It's season two and, whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, this season is packed with powerful conversations, actionable strategies and the realness that Cafecito con Jefas is known for. My jefa journey has been anything but linear. I've pursued entrepreneurship in many forms over the past 15 years and I'm excited to share my knowledge and use this podcast to host conversations about real life and entrepreneurship, aka jefa life. While our paths may vary, the emotions and experiences we share unite us. We're all the same, same but different. So grab your favorite mug, pour yourself a cafecito and get cozy, because these conversations will ignite your passion, spark creativity, elevate your thinking and fuel your determination. I see you, jefa. Keep going. Welcome to the Cafecito con Jefas podcast. Hi Jefas, welcome back to the Cabecita con Jefas podcast. I'm your host, guita Zuleta. Today I am so excited to be having a conversation with Naomi. We're going to have so much fun on this episode today.

Kita Zuleta 1:14

And let me give you a quick introduction to her, naomi Fierro Peña. She her ella is a soulful artist, engaging facilitator and community curator. She specializes in creating artful wellness spaces for BIPOC adults and, after 10 years of teaching, she opened up her own business, that Art Party art and play for BIPOC adults as a means of healing and liberation for communities of color. Hi Naomi, thank you so much for being on the podcast with me today of Color. Hi Naomi, thank you so much for being on the podcast with me today. Hi, thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited and grateful to be here.

Kita Zuleta 1:52

I'm really excited for your fellow Hefas to get to know you a bit better. So, of course, I gave your official bio, but I would love for you to introduce yourself and share who you are, what you do, who you serve and where you're located. Yes, hi, everyone, my name is Naomi I use she, her, a, a pronouns and who I am, what I do, where I'm located. I am the founder and CEO of that Art Party. We host creative play dates for BIPOC adults to ritualize arts and play as self-care, and we're located in the Bay Area. I'm from San Francisco, living in Oakland, so the Bay and yeah, we're really here to really heal our inner child through arts and play.

Kita Zuleta 2:41

Oh my gosh, I'm so excited because what I want you to share a bit more about your fellow Hepas, and of course I'm going to be asking all these curiosity questions just to be able to have your fellow Hepas better understand what it means to have a creative play date. So talk to me about these creative play dates, tell me about the different types of things, because obviously now you've been doing it for quite some time, and I'll ask about the beginning of your pursuit into this Hefa life. But I wanted you to expand just a little bit on what does it mean to have these creative play dates? For sure, creative play dates, they are a blend of mindfulness and meditation. Then we get into what I call creative playtime, which is really this unstructured playtime with anything that requires, like intentional breath and connecting to your body, use of your hands, mostly in the creative arts. So, for example, we've had things like leather working, we've done things like clay hand building to doodle dates, like we've had all kinds of mediums, because really it's not so much about the finished product, right, which, like in the society, we can be in this pressure cooker to like produce this perfect product, but it's really about enjoying the process and what comes to mind and what fills your spirit and becomes part of your heart as you engage in that creative process and then we end with collective and personal reflection and those are our play dates.

Kita Zuleta 4:30

That is so amazing and I've gotten to be a part of one of the collaborations you did with our Latina Lens and it was just a beautiful time. And I still have actually right here I still have my you know doodle now doodle place, my washi tape, so we'll get into it. I'm sure we'll share parts of what that is, but I absolutely loved being a part of it and, at least for myself, having that moment of just allowing myself to play and being reminded. I remember you had a quote, I believe. Forgive me if I say it incorrectly, but it was just saying play is the opposite of survival mode. And in that season when I got to join that workshop with y'all, it was right when I was mid-healing my burnout, and so seeing that as we were taking time to just doodle and draw and create whatever came to mind at that time felt so liberating and such a tangible reminder of what it means to allow ourselves to play guilt-free. That was something that was so difficult for me to just be like I'm going to waste the washi tape I had been saving it for so long, but it was just such a beautiful, beautiful time, and so I love what you do, I love your mission from the start, and so I'm really grateful to have you here sharing this with your fellow HEPAs.

Kita Zuleta 6:10

And so, speaking of the start, I would love for you to share how long you've been pursuing entrepreneurship and also what motivated you to start that art party. So tell us a story about what brought you here now. Art party. So tell us a story about what brought you here now. Yeah, it's our good little origin story. We started and I say we because I really do believe that this is a collection of, you know, all of my ancestors, all of the good energy that has been poured into me, although I am a solopreneur currently growing my business, right, but that's what I mean when I say we. So we started in January of 2023. So we are approaching two years, which is really exciting. I know I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm a toddler, and how and why was I, you know, prompted to start this?

Kita Zuleta 7:07

I was a teacher for about a decade and I've worked in all kinds of systems private schools and public schools and um governmental agency, all of the things and what was a through line at every single stage was that, one, mostly women of color holding up these systems and making the thing run right. And two, that oftentimes we are getting sick because of the sheer nature of capitalism, grind culture right, we're producing and going and going and yet, as overworked as we are, somehow so many of us end up feeling undervalued. And I just said, enough is enough. There has to be a different way, there has to be a different reality than dreading going where I'm going every morning. And, yeah, I was like nope, this is it, I, this is, my time here has come to an end, has come to an end. And I was like I have to go on an emotional healing journey after all of that experience. And I didn't know quite where to start until I came back to that idea right, that play is the opposite of survival mode and that's actually a really. It's a beautiful piece by another artist of color whose name is Britt Cheetah.

Kita Zuleta 8:48

And going back to the understanding that art and play has always been so healing for me, and I just thought how many of us have really had the opportunity to play or to really make art right, like you were saying, guilt-free, especially as children, I was like my life was not playing. It was a lot of, I think, parentification at a young age and I was like, huh, how do I tap into that again and reclaim that ability to play? Because for me that's freedom. I believe it's such a huge part of healing and I mean, obviously, that is quite literally a part of the intention with that art party and what you're creating. And I love to hear how, even as a teacher and what you're doing and it's not that you didn't love what you did, it was simply how long and the process and the culture that is nonstop you know we are able and I believe this needs to be said we are able to burn out doing something we love, because I was loving the mission that I was doing. Now, mind you, I did have a nine to five that I absolutely dreaded. So fine, the combination of the two didn't help. But it is possible for us to burn ourselves out because of that constant need, supuestamente, to keep going, pushing past our limits right and just having that hustle and grind culture engraved in us. It's so difficult for us a lot of times to take the time to restore ourselves and take the time to heal. So I absolutely love that.

Kita Zuleta 10:53

The purpose here is a mission which actually leads into the next question, which was tell us about your brands? Why Tell us about the mission and purpose behind what it is that you're doing, for sure? Our mission for me is really simple we want to ritualize art and play. It's a ritual of self-care and I want every BIPOC adult to have that experience. And why we do what we do, what our overall vision for that will be, is when we tap into our creative play as a ritual, we disrupt grind culture. Number one. Number two we're able to tap back into our intuition or our inner knowing, which many people say is your inner child. And three, we really get to harness our innate creative power.

Kita Zuleta 11:58

I believe firmly that every person is creative. Creativity takes so many different forms. Right, when people are like, oh, I'm not creative, I'm like did you wake up this morning and decide what to wear? Did you style your hair? Did you decide to put makeup on today? Did you decide what you wanted to cook? All of those things are creative pursuits. And when we are able to tap into that creative power, we're able to realize that like, wow, we really can create our most liberated realities. Anything is possible. Anything is possible, but it takes that realization and that harnessing of that power, and so, for me, the gateway has always been art through a playful lens. And so, yeah, that's what we aim to do. I love that you mentioned that everyone is creative. I believe that wholeheartedly.

Kita Zuleta 13:02

I was actually just having this conversation inside the casita, so we were talking about it as this month in our book club, we're going through the gifts of imperfection like a badge of honor, right, and then just learning to play and be creative and just be able to let those things go through laughter, song and play right, and finding different ways that we can nurture that creative side of things, to let go of that constant exhaustion and need for productivity. And a fellow have always saying like I'm not sure how to tap into that creative side of me when I don't consider myself creative. And I was like no, we're all creative. Like thinking about, and I love it. You were talking about like did you get dressed? And I was like what did you eat? And you're like what are you gonna cook? Like I was like, yes, like each one of these things take aspects of our creativity that we may not recognize that we are tapping into, but these decisions, these preferences that we have really is defining a piece of who we are. Right, you think of your personality or you think of what you like to do, and one of the things that I was sharing and I'm sure you can attest to this too is like thinking of whatever speeds up time for you. Right, like if you can say, oh, I lost track of time because I was reading a book or I was doing I was coloring or I was cooking, like si se te va el tiempo, playing with your plantitas, you're being creative, like that is whatever it looks like for you.

Kita Zuleta 14:44

There are so many different avenues and ways to be able to expand on our creativity, but I highly believe that where we each have our own artists inside of us, even though we may not look at ourselves like this abstract artist that can, you know, sell paintings or put it on a wall. But that's not the point, that's not the purpose, because, again, thinking of an artist as someone who is successful by selling their art again is putting it in the lens of productivity. And what does it equate right when the purpose of what you're doing and the purpose of simply practicing purpose of what you're doing and the purpose of simply practicing, allowing ourselves to play and be creative. That's just for us. We don't have to share, we don't have to show anybody all of these doodles that don't make sense and aren't are imperfect, because one we're imperfect beings in an imperfect world. So why are we trying to measure up to perfection? But, aside from that, we get to just allow ourselves to breathe in whatever space and whatever expression that is, and so I'm so excited that you mentioned that, because it's so true. At least, I agree with you 1000%. Thank you, thank you, I of that.

Kita Zuleta 16:27

But talk to me about these past two years. How has that journey treated you? How has it been? How has it been going from this structured system of you know, showing up as a teacher, to now you're a hefa, now you're doing this and you're trying to get it out there. So tell us about the last two years. Yeah, that's deep. The whole podcast could just be about that, but yeah, I think. What are some nuggets that I want to pull out about this transition?

Kita Zuleta 17:00

I think for me, the first thing is like I was formed in the light of such a noble profession, right, like they're like oh, you're a teacher, oh, my gosh, wow. Like, oh, you're doing the Lord's work, yes, right. And so I was like oh, right, yeah, like there's an element of like, okay, thank you. And then there's an element of like, yeah, I really am doing like you know, thank you, yeah. And so, going from that to trying to explain to other CEOs and other folks in a professional setting that are not used to talking about art or play as a profession, folks often are like oh, when I tell them what I do, when I tell them what I do, or they're like you know, it's this air of like, oh, that's cute. And it's this devaluing right of arts, uh, it's this devaluing of like entrepreneurship, uh, or this.

Kita Zuleta 18:18

I think I've sensed a lot of um assumption, that people have made assumptions about my level of education as an entrepreneur that they didn't make before. And so, you know, before I was like I never talked about where I went to school or what have you. But now I find myself having to remind people like. But now I find myself having to remind people like no, actually I went to Georgetown and I have these degrees and again, not that a degree is equivalent to your worth whatsoever. And yet with some people it is to start off with the assumption that, like I am pursuing my own negocio because I had no other choice. I'm like, no, I chose this full well, and so that has been really interesting, and like trying to not take that personally, right, when folks make assumptions about my value, and that's been a really big thing, right. And thinking about, like, who I am and what I give to the world, when it's not something that is easily consumable, right, like being a teacher, easily consumable, right, like being a teacher, and so, yeah, I think that's like been one really big thing. And then the second thing is learning about all of the systems that I get to create now, not replicating old systems that were harmful to my humanity, and thinking about like, okay, how do I want to design human centered systems that propel my business forward and preserve my human need for rest, you know. So those are really big things that I'm kind of always, you know, holding. Yeah, oh, man, there's definitely.

Kita Zuleta 20:33

Especially I can imagine the difference, like how wide that spectrum of reactions could be from you, right, like even when I remember you were first telling me about it and I think I met you like shortly after you started and so when we were talking about it, I was like whoa, like it was revolutionary, really, because you don't see this right. Like you, I hadn't seen this. Let me clarify I hadn't seen this you know what you're doing or even having this mission of allowing ourselves to play, the permission to play, creating safe spaces for us to get creative and tap into that. I hadn't seen or heard of it, and it's why I quickly became a cheerleader of yours and I was so excited to see you doing it. You had told me about it and I was like yo, she's doing it. These people are showing up and doodling and having it, and it really wasn't until I got to join that workshop that I was like oh, this is it, this is it Like, because until you experience it, or until even you allow yourself to have that time, you know I feel like it's so hard to even try to wrap your head around.

Kita Zuleta 22:08

So I can only imagine the responses that you get, especially, I'm sure, like in corporate settings or people that I know that you bring your workshops also to organizations in order to encourage people who are not typically doing this right or considering themselves creatives to do so, and so I can imagine the probably consistent reactions that you're getting outside of you know, just like our Heva space and community right. Like you go outside of the community to try to sell what you're providing and, although it's powerful, if someone hasn't wrapped their head around it or doesn't think about these things at all, probably then with that I can imagine the types of reactions that you're getting. So I was like ooh yeah, I hadn't thought about that. I'm over here like how's the journey been, just, with the growth that you're seeing? But I can totally see that, especially because it is, you know, countercultural in comparison, like thinking of the culture that is, the grand culture and the hosu culture. It's not like, oh, you end your work and start coloring afterwards.

Kita Zuleta 23:33

Nobody's giving you those types of tips as you're, you know, going through that and let alone even thinking about, sure, the creative aspect of things or the practice that comes with play, but even just a reminder or encouragement to rest. We're rarely getting those reminders as we are in our entrepreneurial pursuit. So I love that you shared that and it's very real behind this life, right, and so being able to talk about those struggles is, I believe, really, really important and really just being able to stand on what our mission and purpose is right. I'm sure those reminders come to you when you have sold out events or when you have these people show up. So how has that been? I'd love for you to share about that experience, because obviously you have, I'm sure, all of these roadblocks, and I love that you're also talking about creating the systems for yourself as a human, y cuidando de ti right Throughout the process.

Kita Zuleta 24:35

But how also have you been able to have those like confirmation? This is why I'm doing this, right, girl? Let me tell you, okay, let me tell you, no, I mean, what you're saying is really resonant and, I think, is common, right, there are a certain number I think a majority of people who don't necessarily understand what it is that I'm doing, right, they're like, uh, you know, and at first I was like, damn, am I not explaining it correctly? But I'm like, no, it's, it's just, it's in my mind hasn't been done in this way before. And so, yeah, people are like what is it? And it's not until you experience it that you then realize, oh, this is not just like art class, it's not just playtime, this is like a healing journey, um, and that's taken a lot of skill and I didn't just, you know, decide yesterday that this is what I was going to do.

Kita Zuleta 25:31

I'm a trained teacher, right, with a over a decade of experience. I'm trained in restorative justice and ethnic studies. I myself am a like, I'm an artist, I'm a dancer, so that I have been practicing for a lifetime, you know. And so all of those things have amounted to these beautiful moments of success. Right this year. I've had more than one, so several sold out events, and that's been really beautiful and exciting. And then I most recently won a pitch competition and, with the investment I won, a $20,000 investment in this company from people who are, like, just investors of color, from all over this country, you know.

Kita Zuleta 26:25

And for those moments of validation, I'm like, no, the tide is turning, this is creative wellness, this is the solution. And I don't, I don't know, I think I really do believe that, like, I have the gifts and the skillset to be able to, to do it in the way that I do it and with the level of success that I've had, um, you know, I was just able to hire for the first time and I'm like, oh my gosh, this is so exciting. You know, I, yeah, I have two team members now and that's huge, yeah, yeah. So you know just like things are moving and they're growing, and I think a lot of people will see me on Instagram right and be like, wow, this just blew up overnight. Um, I'm like, no, this took all kinds of work.

Building Community Through Collective Work

Kita Zuleta 27:23

Um, and people often ask they're like, how did you get this connection with so-and-so and how did you? Da-da-da-da, I'm like that's me, with the eye on the prize and the strategy and also being a very heart-centered person. That's my ability to connect with people and the work and the work, let's name it. And the work and the work, let's name it. You worked much longer than two years, but specifically, ccj has been two years now and I think it's been an incredible last two weeks celebrating these two years as such a big milestone.

Kita Zuleta 28:32

I don't think I've celebrated any other of my ventures this much, but of course, being that it's a community, there's so many people involved also, so then it's like collectively, I get to celebrate, like it's not just me that I've gotten to it, and so I'm sure you can, like you also feel that as you're nurturing your community and but looking at or taking the time to look back at where it started, or how it started, to where we're at now as a community. Right, and I'm like yo this there were. There were big milestones, but behind those milestones there was so much work and so much energy just to get things off the ground or just to get people in a room, like it didn't just happen, like oh bien fácil, le llegan todas las semanas, nah, nah, like I haven't missed a Wednesday in two years, right, like I have showing up like that, consistently nurturing relationships. Like things don't just happen de la nada, you don't get things handed to you de la nada. You don't get things handed to you. And I feel like so many times, because we are in community with fellow Jefas, we're also privileged to be able to see the success consistently and see these dreams come to fruition.

Kita Zuleta 30:05

And I feel like it also needs to be said for especially fellow Jevas who are just getting started, who have this vision Is it possible, 1000%. Whatever vision you have in your head, dale, it's coming. It may not be here now, but it's coming Because you see it. It means you're capable and it's for you, and I believe that. But also it takes work y'all. So let's not be afraid of a little or a lot of hard work to get there. You know what I'm saying and I feel like so many times it's those questions that I was like well, how did you do that? Right, like, or how did you get there? And it's not just a how, but hand me the blueprint or hand me the information, or hand me the connection or cualquier cosa.

Kita Zuleta 30:57

And I do understand that there's a value in sharing knowledge and being able to provide wisdom and closing gaps for each other. I believe that is so important. But also I believe that we still need to teach hard work. We still need to be able to say it takes time and I've been able to work hard for this, simply because we're in community together. It doesn't mean that I what's the word? I'm not required to simply hand over what I've taken so long to build, right For sure. No, I mean to me, it's about reciprocity, that part.

Kita Zuleta 31:49

Did you just show up today and ask me for the blueprint? I'm sorry. Are you showing up, entitled to the blueprint? You know what I mean. No, no. Have you always seen my value? Have you been in my corner since day one? Happy to share, happy to share? Do you send me opportunities? Are you thinking of me? Are you saying my name in rooms that I'm not in? You know, to like, elevate my mission, happy to share with you because you see me, right, like we are, there's a mutual level of respect and just like, yeah, just this level of like, dignity, I think in that, versus someone who showed up to you know, I've had this several times, actually, I've had folks show up and be like, oh, I want to collaborate with you, and in my brain I'm like I bet you do.

Kita Zuleta 32:45

You know I was like, yeah, my events are selling out for a reason, and you know it's not just about like, oh, I want to show up and be in this space, but what is the energy behind that? What's your intention behind it? Is it me, me, me centered, me centered? Or is it, like I said, centering reciprocity and collective growth? And if it's not, then it's not for me. Oh, thank you so much for naming that, because it's so hard to be in the position.

Kita Zuleta 33:28

What ends up being? Denying access, right, like because, or, or, and not even denying access, but but yes to us, right, or to what it is that we're building, um, because we get to decide, we get to say yes, this is a collaboration that's in alignment with our goals. This is a collaboration that's in alignment with our goals, with what it is that we're doing. And it's hard because, especially as community leaders and builders and cultivators right, the goal is to grow together and to be able to support one another does not just mean that everyone gets to eat off of what it is that we're doing simply because they're entitled to it. That's the difference, right, and I feel like you said that, energy, that is whether it's reciprocated.

Kita Zuleta 34:23

But what are people giving? Right, and I have gotten plenty of people coming to CCJ and being like, oh well, if you need someone to host Wednesdays or if you need, and I'm like nobody, ever, nobody's ever hosted Wednesdays. Like we work together and I just say hi to my girls, like I'm not over here asking for workshop facilitators. We do. We're going to launch our holistic entrepreneurship series again. We're going to have HEPA presenters you know what I'm saying. We're going to have that. But those seats have been earned by the fellow HEPAs that have been a part of the community, who have been pouring in, who have been consistently showing up, who've been there for me, who I've learned from.

Kita Zuleta 35:10

I'm not just handing out seats to promote everybody, just because everyone is deserving of it and do. I believe that we all deserve to fulfill our mission to show up in that way. Yes, but show up. If I do the work, let's see you show up. Let's see you put in that work. Put in that time, Let me see you putting in some work. Okay, I see you working. I see you doing it. I see where your heart's at All right Bente, this is totally in alignment. This is something that's going to grow both missions.

Kita Zuleta 35:45

This isn't just something that someone's asking for the marketing part or the X part, the X amount of centavitos that you're making off of events. It's not even for anyone who's thrown events. Yes, they could be, potentially you can make some money off of it, but events aren't. That's not where you make money. That's how we're set. That's not where you make money. Like, events are hard to put together, hard to promote, hard to get people there, hard for people to pay their ticket and then, si no pueden llegar because they get sick, they still want a refund and it's like nah, that is all allotted to the work that is putting it together and even still, for the most part, you're maybe, maybe, breaking even on an event. You know what I'm saying.

Kita Zuleta 36:39

And so there's this perception of what it looks like versus what it actually is and the work it takes to create. And it doesn't come easy. And although your mission, my mission is so much about bringing us together, closing these gaps, cultivating play and creativity and having this freedom to live the life we are designing in our head as jefas. We get to rest on a daily basis if we want to. We get to take months off to restore ourselves and bring our energy back to pour into our community, to pour into our work. But that doesn't come without lots of hard work and designing it first and foremost, putting in the work to learn what it takes right, like that part is so important.

Kita Zuleta 37:35

And as we're talking about this on the mic with fellow hip-hop, I was just saying, you know, I want to take the moment to take advantage of encouraging us to put in the work. If you have a mission and you have a vision, don't expect anybody else to hand it to you. For the most part, especially as a community, in our culture, most things aren't handed to us. Let's be real Most of us don't come from that golden spoon. I'm not over here trying to say let's's make it just as easy as every or just as difficult as everyone else has made it for us. Tampoco, no, that's not it. Hence we're bringing accessible workshops to the community. Hence we're not charging for these events the way that we would charge for corporate organizations.

Kita Zuleta 38:21

Do you know what I'm saying? Like the knowledge that we're pouring into, for even for myself, the casita or the you know minis that I've created for my photography. Like that, those are accessible products that I have created for the community that for everyone may not feel accessible today, but branding photography, brand strategy, doing all of that work for anyone else, for big names. I started in the political world, girl. We're talking about big names, big platforms. Those are very different checks right, different numbers attached to those products, to the same work being applied and translated for my fellow jefas. And so what has been created here, although not everyone is quite ready to invest fácil, no, no, no, I'm not saying it's easy to invest in the different services, but also there's still you look at the gap that there is in the price tag for anyone else, or the amount of work, or how difficult it is to even get to this point, to what is now being provided. There's already a gap that we're looking to fill.

Kita Zuleta 39:37

The goal is to bring the accessibility, to bring the knowledge to share and help lift the community up. But, al mismo tiempo, let's put in the work. Let's put in the is a thing. Yeah, you know, we already talk about. You know Instagram and the comparison, and it's not even about having it look perfect, but the perception that is salió de la nada or oh, you're so successful. Now you know people who are introduced to our brands and our communities. Now, it's honestly, it's also a blessing to be able to be looked at in that way. Like yo, I get people being like, oh, when you're big, I was like I'm big, thank you. I. So don't look at myself as big, but I appreciate you, thank you. I'll take that moment. It's just me. It's just me. It's just me doing that work, and I want to acknowledge all of the just me's that are listening, because we're all pursuing our vision. We're putting in hard work, and I want to encourage us to keep going with that hard work and design our lives. Yes, pursue the life that you see, pursue the vision, pursue the business that you want, a tu manera, a tu ritmo. You deserve to create those things, but create it and put the work and put the practice in, because even with creative play, it takes practice, right, like you said you've had.

Kita Zuleta 41:11

How long have you been a dancer and an artist and a teacher? Right? Like those are intersections of skills that you're not now bringing out of your toolkit. You didn't just say, oh, let's just come together and do it. There's still structure to it, there's still instruction to it. There's also creating a safe space that one is not easy to cultivate and create. De la nada, that's a skillset in and of itself. Being an empath and being able to feel whoever's in the room and say, okay, we need to do a little bit more work for us to get comfortable, to be vulnerable, to be able to draw something and doodle something, because most people are trying to break those barriers and break those like. I'm not creative, right? Like? How much harder is it for a teacher to teach someone who's like uh-uh, I don't know how to do it, right? Yeah, it's a skill set to your point.

Kita Zuleta 42:10

You know, and I will say this, I think, a couple of different things. One showing up and doing the work looks different on every person. So just know that, right, like, showing up and doing the work is different, and it's not only different based on every person, but it's also different based on the season that you're in, right. Some days, showing up is literally just like I'm here today and I got out of bed today. I'm alive, right. That is sometimes showing up right. Other times, when you're in a different season of your life, right now, I'm really feeling this Virgo moon energy and I'm organizing this left, right and the other. I have so much attention to detail and I'm like wow, and that's what showing up looks like. Now, you know, and so just know that there is always room for that to look differently, right, like, that's the grace that we get to give to ourselves and to each other, and so I will say that.

Kita Zuleta 43:11

The other thing you mentioned, too, about like somebody telling you oh, wow, you're big. Now, you know, it's so interesting. I think there's two things that come to mind for me. One, when I won this competition, now the number of people that have now decided to say my name right or realize right who I am or what I'm doing, or the other piece, too, has been like oh, you've worked with this organization and this organization and now, all of a sudden, they have room to reach out and to pay attention or to respond. I always pay attention to that because, again, going back to what I was saying earlier, I'm like I should have inherent value as a human being, period, period, and so it shouldn't take all of my accolades for you to give me the baseline, minimum levels of respect, you know and so, but every once in a while I got to pull those out because I'd be like, yeah, I did that, and these are somehow, you know, points of external validation for people. But yeah, and then the last piece I will say too, about like doing it solo.

Kita Zuleta 44:31

I go back to this, to the idea of, like we're in community always, always, even when you're on your own right, like there is, there are fellow jefas to your point, to what you're doing. We have community all the time. And I think, for me, something that I've had to learn is learning how to ask for help, and I can't do it alone. And I used to feel really bad. I'm like, oh my gosh, I can't pay this person right now, but I'm like I have to trust that that person will tell me if it's within their capacity or not, and if there are other ways that I can support them and again reciprocate this exchange, and so, yeah, just like being creative in those ways too. I think it's been important.

Kita Zuleta 45:24

Yeah, no, and asking for help, oh, I struggle with that one as the knots in my throat start building up just thinking about asking for help, and that's something I literally am working on, because we are in community and there is people around us who do want, who do have the intention want to grow with us, want to pour in, want to help our missions grow, and it's simply you know that trust. It's simply you know that trust that allowing people in and also being able to decipher, after myself being burned so many times over the course of just my pursuit Now is probably closer to 15, 16 years when I first tapped into working for myself, right, and those are so many stories. But having all of those hard times or lessons that I've learned or learning, unfortunately, the ugly side of people wanting to take advantage of any aspect of things makes it harder for me to open up and be like, yes, I need help, a ver que me quiere ayudar, right, because then you know, manos arriba, and it's one surprising to see those who want to help, and it's a beautiful feeling to be like, oh really, thank you. Like it's just amazing when it does work like that, but being able to learn to open up to those opportunities as well, and then just navigating, learning how to read the situation and being able to really feel what that looks like. And so I'm really grateful for us being able to be in community, you and I, but then also all of us collectively, being able to say, okay, how can we support one another and how can it be reciprocating and how can we both grow from the situation? What is it that you're going to get? But also, what is it that you're giving right? And have that be the way that we approach any version of collaboration or learning or connections that we make Right.

Kita Zuleta 47:38

And so I didn't expect for us to go down those routes, but hey, there's always lessons to learn, and this is why I love the podcast, because it's for us to talk about the real behind entrepreneurship, not just what we see on IG and it's just the post, because IG is marketing y'all on IG and it's just the post, because IG is marketing y'all it's marketing. So it's literally we're trying to sell, connect, educate those who don't already know about us right, About what it is that we do. So it's comercial, right, like we're not talking about all of this online in that capacity, because this is what happens behind the scenes. This is what happens when we go deep, when we get to connect and talk about this Hefa life, which is real life, and entrepreneurship and what that looks like. So, as we talk about all of these things, what piece of advice would you give your fellow Hefas?

Kita Zuleta 48:38

Damn, I think I was like there's so many things, but I think what's what's top of mind for me is you gotta love yourself. You have to love yourself through this, in the good, the bad, the ugly, the typo that was in the email you got to. You know, like in in the fray. You have to love yourself no matter what. No matter what, and I know that it's so much easier said than done, which is why I got to keep saying it, though you know like it's it's and you got to love what you're doing, and even in the moments that you don't love it, you got to actively make a choice to be like nope, this admin day is going to get me to the thing that I want to do or love yourself enough to be like, actually, I'm going to speak up and I'm going to say that these are my offers and this is what I have, because, if not you, then who you know? And so I just, yeah, I think amor propio is really important in this journey, because it's a journey.

Kita Zuleta 49:57

That part, yes, yes, yes, we can keep going just on that. But, uh, I, I love that so much, it's, it's so important, and although I know, because that, for myself, was a huge part of my healing journey, it's not the easiest thing to just be like, oh yeah, I love myself, right, and so I love that reminder. So, for any hip-hop who are like, what do you mean? Right? Like it's about the work, right, or cualquier cosa, or maybe that's not our initial instinct to be like, yes, I love myself, but that reminder just allowing ourselves grace, allowing ourselves to be able to embrace who we are, knowing that maybe admin day is not our strong suit, right, but, and it's loving what we do, remembering the mission, remembering the why, and as Hefas, we get to take on all the roles, right, until we get to expand and hire others who are in their zone of genius. And love the admin Right, expand and hire others who are in their zone of genius and love the admin right.

Kita Zuleta 51:08

But loving what we do is not just loving every task that we're taking on. That does not equate. It does not mean that we love all the admin or we love to respond to our inbox all the time, or whatever. That is right, depending on our strengths and weaknesses. But loving the mission, loving the purpose, the why, why did you initially start all of this? That's gonna, like you said, push you through that admin day to get you to the creative play dates where people are there and saying thank you and shedding tears because they're going through their emotionally healing thing that does bring that fulfillment or whatever equis is on your business right, like what that equates to getting past those things or having the determination to say I'm going to do this hard work to receive that, to get to that point, to keep going for the mission and the why. So I love that so much.

Kita Zuleta 52:00

So now, before we wrap up, I do want to have you share with your fellow jefas where they can find you, where they can support your work If they want to be a part of that art party or join any of the future events that you may have. Where can they find you? Where can they connect with you? How can they invest their centavitos into their own healing and creative play dates? Yes, thank you. If you would like to join our creative self-care community, find us at that Art Party, on all the socials. You could visit our website, thatartpartycom. Join our newsletter. We send out a monthly newsletter with tips, discounts, what's happening in the area and ways to stay committed to your creative rest, no matter where you are, and so we host in-person events in the Bay. We also host virtual events, and we have products that are available to create your own creative play date in the comfort of your own home. So please find us. We really appreciate your investment in your creative self-care, with us as your guide. Yeah, I love that. So be sure to follow her and support her, as well as checking out her website at thatartpartycom.

Kita Zuleta 53:21

And before we completely wrap, I do have a couple of rapid fire questions that aren't just Hefa and that Art Party related, just to get to know a little bit about you. They're easy, I promise. I promise, of course, you know we are a cafecito loving community, so, whether it's cafecito or tea, what is or how do you order your drink when you go to your local coffee shop? Oh my gosh, it's funny, it just went to one today. How do I order my drink? Today is hot, so I did a iced latte with a little sage in it. I know, I know, they're very cool, and usually my coffee is like after a whole chit chat with the cashier. So that's what happens.

Kita Zuleta 54:08

I am trying to wrap my head around what that tastes like. It was really good. I'm not. I don't like sweet things, so it was very earthy, yes, and I'm like yes, give it to me, I want to, I want to drink the earth. It's why I'm over here, like, mind you, my husband went to culinary school so that we get real geeky about ingredients. So then I love fresh herbs and I love sage, and so I'm like what are you talking? So I'm over here, like how did they make it? What did they do? Did they put other ingredients, or is it just sage and coffee? Oh, I'm now going to need to like go down the rabbit hole to figure that out, but I love that so much.

Kita Zuleta 54:54

And so also, what book has impacted your life that you would gift a fellow jefa? There's so many books that have impacted my life that I would gift a fellow jefa. I mean Rest as Resistance, for sure. Like, if we haven't already read that book. It's by Tricia Hersey. She runs the NAP ministry and it's, yeah, it talks about how rest is a deep act of resistance and it really shapes the way that we do our work here. So, ooh, ooh, I'm going to have to look that one up. I have not read it. So, yes, I will be looking that up.

Kita Zuleta 55:37

Okay, and then, lastly, what is one word that best describes the current season that you're in? I know it's so hard. Spooky, manda, spooky, spooky, that's what it is. That's my season. I know, I know I was going to go something deep, but that's really it is. That's my season. I know I know I was gonna go something deep, but that's really where I'm at. I love the fall. I'm a cozy, activities kind of girl, and so I mean, right now in the bay, this is like, actually, when we experience our summer, like our summer really starts right now and I'm upset, I want fall weather right now. So, yeah, that's what I'm in. I'm calling that in. I love it. Yes, I'm an October baby. I used to have an Etsy shop for crochet. So, yes, cozy season at all things cozy. Yes, she said it's spooky. I love it. I love it. Oh well, thank you.

Kita Zuleta 56:36

Thank you so much for joining me today, for sharing parts of your story and being able to just really encourage our fellow jefas through this journey to play and rest and seek that as freedom, and I'm so excited about all you're doing and how you're going to continue to grow and I'm sure in the future, if I stay tuned, we'll probably have something for you with that art party to be able to encourage that. I would love to have you, but thank you, thank you. Thank you so much for being here today and sharing your journey with us. I really, really appreciate it. Oh my gosh, gracias a ti. I love it, I love it and I'm so grateful that we got to meet in person just a month ago or so. We've known each other now officially on the line for like two years, but just like last month, she was in town and we were able to like squeeze each other's guts. It was amazing. And, of course, have cafecito, so I loved being able to connect with you there. I can't wait to see you again and I'm sure we'll be seeing each other in Cafecito.

Kita Zuleta 57:40

So, jevas, thank you. Thank you so much for hanging out with us today, for getting to hear Naomi's story, and really just would love to encourage y'all to allow ourselves to play and allow ourselves to be able to seek this out. If you are at all curious as to what this looks like, what do we mean? What are we talking about? Able to seek this out. If you are at all curious as to what this looks like, what do we mean? What are we talking about Please go check her out on Instagram, on all the different platforms, at that Art Party, as well as her website, thatartpartycom, and be sure to support Naomi and her work. Thank you again so much for being with us and hanging out Until next time. Thank you for listening to the Cafecito con Jefas podcast.

Kita Zuleta 58:23

Well, jefas, that's a wrap for today's episode. I hope you're leaving with fresh ideas, encouragement and inspiration to keep going. Being a Jefa isn't about having it all figured out. It's about showing up, learning, growing and taking imperfect action towards your vision. Remember, jefa, you are not alone. This community is here to support you, cheer you on and celebrate your wins, because we go farther together. So let's do it. Scared pero juntas. If you enjoyed today's episode, show some love by leaving a review and sharing it with a fellow jefa, be sure to hit that subscribe button so you don't miss the incredible stories we have in store.

Kita Zuleta 59:03

If you're looking for a place to connect and focus, join our cafecito and co-working sessions. Sign up to our email list to get those invitations directly into your inbox. Come as you are when you can and surround yourself with your fellow jefas. I can't wait to connect with you at a future Cafecito. Connect and follow along with the community on Instagram at CafecitoConJefas, and you can reach yours truly directly at La Jefa Quita. If you're ready to grow your brand online and looking for guidance, book a free consultation with me and together we'll develop strategies that are in alignment with the season you're in. I'd be honored to walk with you on your jefa journey. Before we go, remember that being a jefa is an ever-evolving journey. There's no rush and no finish line. Just keep going. Pasito a pasito Until next time. I'm your host, kita Zuleta. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Cafecito con Jefas podcast.