Meet Amanda Reaves of Astria Legends in Crowley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Reaves.

Amanda, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
There is so much anger, hate, discouragement and general negativity in our world today. So many people are hurting and living short of their potential, lost in a sea of hopelessness. There are so many influences that bring us down daily with almost nothing to pick us back up. This was the problem I desired to fix.

I have a few artists in my family and in college I had writer and poet friends so creativity was always around me. I dappled in different kinds of art and writing during this time, from human magical girls to romance stories but nothing that really meshed well with me. I remember sitting at my computer one day, tired of all the stories and art I was trying to do and I just wanted something that was all my own. That day, I typed two random chapters of whatever came to my mind. It was a great refresher but not knowing what to do with the chapters they stayed on the back-burner for two years before I dropped the other projects and used those chapters to start building the world I have now, Astria.

I wanted more than just another fantasy world and fantasy story. I wanted it to mean something. Of all the negativity I see daily, the main ones that strike a chord with me were discouragement and discord. I am a firm believer that everyone has something special to give the world, a God given purpose, something that only they can give. Secondly, I believe that our diversity is what makes us great, meaning it’s imperative that we embrace each other’s’ differences and strengths in order to work together. It is this self-love, encouragement, empowerment and unity that I wanted at the heart of my creations and the company that eventually formed out of it. With every story, every art piece, every design, dance, poem, performance and craft, at its very core has the purpose of bringing this kind of positivity and hope back into the world.

Keeping these goals in mind, I formalized the world of Astria to be a world that would be easy to promote positivity (self-love and encouragement) while providing valuable lessons in dealing with the types of negativity we experience daily (empowerment). This takes the form of color-personified angels (Astrians) who need to learn to work together to form UNITY, because not all colors get along. Meanwhile, negative entities such as depression, doubt, anger, jealousy, fear, etc. are also personified, becoming the main adversaries for the Astrians. In this way the lessons, or legends, would all have the deep meanings that reflect the beginning goals.

As the world grew and God wrote Himself more into it, so did the company. In order to preserve the meaning of the brand, the company would take the name of the world and the lessons thereof, “Astria Legends” and its main theme would be used as the company tagline: It takes ALL colors to make a BEAUTIFUL world.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It is very challenging presenting an original concept like this to the public. When people see the colorful characters they instantly think it’s for kids when in reality the messages are geared for young adults and adults. It is also challenging because at first glance people do not recognize what it is. Others think, it is just some popular TV show they haven’t heard of and simply walk away. And even still others turn away as soon as they realize it has Christian foundations. Out of those challenges, though, come some of the most surprising and enlightening experiences I’ve had. It has allowed me to experiment and I’ve met some amazing people.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Astria Legends – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Astria Legends is my Christian Fantasy Franchise, which creates content that inspires and empowers people of all colors to live a purpose-filled life. The content includes both visual and performance arts projects.

Dawn of Unity is the flagship series whose story focuses on the unification of the angels and their battle with the seven deadly SINs. It has published comics, novels, dance and poetic productions and its own handmade merchandise. Secondly, there is Clandestine Dimension whose story focuses on dreams and purpose and the battle is with fear and doubt. This story is the basis for the first video game. The characters of both stories are used to create art pieces with inspirational and encouraging quotes and themes.

Outside of that, we also specialize in cultivating creativity by helping others bring their visions to fruition. It’s another way to help people live a purpose-filled life. We do this through creativity coaching, logo and mascot design, illustration work and other types of custom art and graphic design. Creativity coaching is a one on one sessions with me to discuss the client’s creative goals and helping them move forward to action. This also includes accountability partnering to ensure the client is actively working towards the goals.

What sets Astria Legends apart from others is that we prioritize changing people’s lives over making money. We have a genuine compassion for the destiny of others and it’s very rewarding to help people make their dreams come true. My fondest memories so far have been the ones, where I’ve witnessed someone truly become touched and changed though our content.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
The main future plans I have for Astria Legends is to reach more people by expanding our avenues in more creative ways. One way to do this is by working on live in-character events and more live performances incorporating art, poetry and dance. I will also be working on both a trading card game and a video game.

I also want to collaborate with other businesses to do some really unique creative projects. I mean collaborating in ways you wouldn’t normally put together. How cool would it be to say… collaborate with a fashion design company to do a fashion show with Astria themed looks? Or collaborating with a school to make some original teaching guides/handouts with their own cast of characters? There are so many different and unique collaborative projects just waiting to be done.

Pricing:

• VIP Membership subscription starts at $1/month
• Comic Issues are $10 each
• Logo Design is $100
• Artistic Services start at $50
• Creativity Coaching starts at $75/hour

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.astrialegends.com
• Email: admins@astrialegends.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelicempyress/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialastrialegends/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/angelicempyress
• Other: http://angelicempyress.deviantart.com/

Image Credit:
Amanda S. Reaves

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