Meet Anastajia Louise Miller. She is a vintage and thrifting extraordinaire. She is a ray of sunshine and I think Chic Vegan readers will love her. Anastajia is just honest about her veganism, her thrifting, and her fashion. She has a vintage Etsy store and a YouTube channel.
Chic Vegan – How long have you been vegan and how did you discover it?
Anastajia Louise Miller – Growing up my mother only cooked chicken and fish on occasion, we never had dark meats in the house so I was never fond of it. When I turned 17 I found out I was lactose intolerant so that eliminated all dairy from my diet. After not eating dairy for a year and a half I noticed how healthy I was not only looking, but feeling. I became interested and curious as to why this may be, so naturally I turned to my best friend… the internet. Now, I wasn’t a teenager living under a rock, I was well aware of what being a vegan consisted of but I had the idea that they were crazy health nuts who would kill my family and I before even touching a spider, I was very wrong. Researching I became very interested in the vegan LIFESTYLE (yes, lifestyle) watching documentaries, reading blogs, and finding so many advice and informal videos on the internet. I was completely blown away and shocked with all this information, I knew this was the lifestyle for me. I have been vegan for going on 5 months, and I do not plan but I know that this is going to my lifestyle until the day that I pass away.
CV – What motivated you to become vegan and was it an overnight switch or more gradual shift?
ALM – What motivated me most to become vegan were the health benefits. I have done so many horrible things to my body and my body was starting to let me know that it didn’t appreciate it. I was up all night with stomach pains I couldn’t describe, feeling dizzy all the time, and often feeling really depressed and sleepy. I knew I had to do something to stop this, and the answer was to give my body what it needs. Turning vegan and committing to the lifestyle happened pretty quickly for me, I had a few accidental slip ups from not being fully aware of what ingredients were in the food that I was putting in my mouth. Companies and restaurants can be tricky, my friends. But I feel like you have to make mistakes along the way, in order to learn and grow.
CV – You have a history with eating disorders, how does veganism keep you healthy and in check with your body?
ALM – People say that being vegan is so similar to having an eating disorder because you’re restricting your diet and calories. This statement could not be more false. At the age of fifteen I became anorexic. Trying to fit everyone’s definition of perfect was what my life revolved around. I was starving myself, killing myself day by day. My body became skin and bones, I became weak and depressed, and I had lost myself. Being a vegan changed my life for the better. I am not only extremely healthy physically but mentally and emotionally as well.
CV – Tell me more about your YouTube channel and what inspired you to create it?
ALM – I started my YouTube channel two years ago out of boredom. I was a socially awkward teenager with no friends and no summer plans, so I came up with the brilliant idea to talk to a camera… a girl needs her social time, don’t judge me. I loved how I could be myself while talking about/sharing things that I had a passion for. My channel started out with being mainly beauty and fashion related but has now expanded to more than that. I started making videos about my personal life, my struggles, and my rough past. Through my YouTube I’ve become so much more comfortable and confident with who I am. I am not ashamed of my past, because I love being able to help others by sharing my stories. I love being my goofy awkward self, and having such wonderful people who are just as goofy and awkward as I am supporting and watching me.
CV– What about your etsy shop? What inspires you to share vintage shop finds?
ALM – My name is Anastasjia Louise and I have a thrifting addiction…whew that took a lot out of me. Thrifting is something that I have always adored doing, the joy of finding a treasure through all the trash is unreal for me. I have always been a huge fan of everything vintage, vintage clothing especially. There is something about wearing a vintage dress that gives me so much confidence. The fact that it has a story and past gives the item such life to me.
Sharing my thrift finds on youtube I got a lot of questions as to where I shop, how I find such lovely items, and how I style the items. People were loving the beautiful and unique pieces I was finding, so I figured I would share the joy and open up a shop! Etsy.com/shop/annalouiseshops
CV – Do you have any advice to those of us who are going thrift shopping for the first time? How do we find good finds?
ALM – When thrifting you have to have an open mind and you definitely can’t go into a thrift store with negative energy. When looking for items, remember that you can change and style them to fit your own personal style. Quick thrift shopping will most likely lead to an uneventful trip, give yourself time to look through everything in the store. You never know what is waiting for you!
CV – Walk me through a day in your life.
ALM – My life is rather simple. The first thing I do when I wake up is drink a glass of water, it not only wakes me up but hydrates me. After hydrating myself I push myself to put my workout attire on and go to the gym! I know if I didn’t get my workout in first thing in the morning, I probably wouldn’t workout all day. After my 30-45 minute workout I eat a huge bowl of fresh and delicious fruit! Then I spend the next few hours editing, filming, and working on my Youtube and Etsy shop! After typing my fingers off I usually get hungry which means snack time! For a snack I usually munch on carrots and humus or different fruits. The rest of the evening consists of family time, and social time (playing with my cat). When my tummy starts getting excited I know it’s dinner time which usually consists of lots of yummy greens! The rest of the day is spent on relaxing. I give myself 30 minutes to an hour of alone time each night before bed.
CV – What do you typically eat in the span of a day and are you a snacker?
ALM – For breakfast I always have lots of fruit. I eat half a cantaloupe, a lot of watermelon about 20 tablespoons full, a handful of grapes, and a delicious apple! I snack throughout the day usually on fruits or carrots and hummus. For dinner I either have a large bowl of salad with kale, spinach, tomatoes, corn, peppers, and a homemade dressing made from peaches, tomatoes, sea salt, and pepper or I will make a large bowl of cooked kale, spinach, and broccoli with either a baked potato or carrots and hummus. With my dinner I always drink lots of water, and I always have my favorite, edamame. I usually have “dessert” which consists of two bananas and a spoon full of almond butter.
CV – What is your favorite vegan indulgence?
ALM – My favorite thing to eat is bananas and almond butter, I could literally eat it every day for the rest of my life and die with the biggest smile on my face. No jokes were made in the process of answering this question.
CV – When people learn that you are vegan, what is the #1 question they ask and what is your response?
ALM – When I tell people that I am vegan they immediately ask me, “how could you give up meat and cheese?” The answer is simple to me, why eat something that wasn’t mine to begin with? I couldn’t imagine ever eating an animal again in my life. Not only were they once breathing and living like us, but the fact that you take away a life just to please your taste buds makes me terribly upset.
CV – What vegan product could you not live without?
ALM – Almond butter and fresh fruits and vegetables!
CV – In your wildest dreams what will your life look like in 5 years?
ALM – In five years I want to be living a happy, healthy, positive life fulfilling my dreams of helping others by sharing my story through music and fashion.