Episode 1 with Anastasia Caulfield

New York based videographer and photographer Anastasia Caulfield opens up about her life and experiences.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to Raw Talk with Lyrical Agro. Today we have Anastasia Caulfield.

(00:06):
Okay Anastasia, where are you from? What do you do?
Yeah, so from a small tribe by the Black Sea called the Romani to New Jersey at
three adopted kind of a melting pot family there and then to New York about

(00:27):
three years ago and yeah and I'm a creator I'm a writer I'm a musician I'm
an artist. So full-time right now your expertise is in videography? Photo, video
and basically like like spoken word spoken word. So you're a poet you're into

(00:51):
poetry? Well I think for me comes in music like it'll come in free styles and
stuff so like for my last documentary project I've combined both visuals and
audio like the interest in kind of music and you know movies handheld with
Root Note which screamed in Chelsea which was super cool but yeah no I mean so for

(01:16):
me it's all about combining all of my interests with film and photography you
know. So before you came to New York I heard you know predominantly you spent
your life in Jersey right? Yeah yeah shout out to Jersey shout out to Jersey.
How was it like you know growing up adopted over there in Jersey and yeah I

(01:40):
was at the suburbs so Jersey you know for me it's interesting because the whole
blending of cultures and the multicultural lifestyle and kind of these
bigger questions of who am I and how do I fit in and how I feel different. So by
suburbs I don't mean to pry but yeah you're you're well off in a way or your

(02:02):
family was. Well so they were blue collar they definitely were middle class
they worked their way up to middle class and then they had us they adopted us. So
you think that even though financially you know they might have been well off
or whatever did you still feel kind of some kind of angst or some kind of I
don't know how to put it like the satisfaction you didn't feel that. Yeah

(02:27):
I mean there's always a push and pull I think right especially when you know
you're you're here and then you're there you know I think I think they
supported your dreams. It was interesting. My artistry in so much as they can or
could. How is your relationship like with your foster parents? Well so they're

(02:51):
they're my they're my parents they adopted me. They're great they're great.
They're great human beings they've taught me so much they've been there you
know for me and that's what family is you know they've taught me kind of like
the medium family and at the heart what I think tribe means but certainly there

(03:11):
is always these translations you have to do I think. How old is your foster
parents your dad and mom? So they're older they definitely had adopted us
older. How old were they when they adopted you? So they were in their like 40s and
you know I have a brother who's five years older than me I'm 29 so it was just

(03:35):
a lot of mixing of like generations cultures legacies and. Did you feel like you
disconnect at times? I don't mean to also. Are they the same skin colors you or? No so
we're all mixed so my brother's Mexican with. Your adopted parents are they? So
they're white they're straight white and then my brother's Mexican tribal with

(03:58):
Mayan like a little bit of Mayan and I'm very much tribal too with the Romani so
it's interesting because yeah I think that like what you're getting at is
like getting culturally and ancestrally taught like that's something that we had
to do independently you know for sure. So all this like. In many ways. Stuff about your heritage about the Romani stuff this is things that you had to seek for yourself.

(04:28):
It wasn't like your parents were like hey you're from Romania like this is tribe
like they didn't come out. So it's not Romania they gave me a baseline history
right because they're intelligent people and for us education is super big
like history and our history is big so that's something they did give us is
that foundation of like caring about who you are and where you come from and

(04:52):
blending that you know with now so that is the foundation they gave me for sure
you know so but as far as just the culture that I come from it's only now
starting to emerge. Would you trade that like the security or the money
security that they have like I mean to know have an actual relationship. It's

(05:17):
interesting because I think like people always say like money is everything you
know if I have money I'm happy just that and the third. We definitely were like
middle class but like but you know struck like you know so so but but as far as
combining like those different realities right we're talking you know on the

(05:41):
outskirts of Bulgaria and and pretty you know harsh conditions then to New
Jersey in a suburb where you know we're the you know cultural. How important is
money to you. It's you know what it is it's freedom and I think that a lot of

(06:04):
what I do and am able to do for my ancestry is because I've had a lot of
those doors pushed open so it's not that they're automatically pushed open right
but I think like for me it's like you know in in the history Vermont the
Romani have traveled westward on the most west this is the American dream right

(06:29):
so it's kind of like for me with the keys that I have with the resources that
I have the tools that I have now is the time to start telling our stories start
healing the lot you know the line start healing the community start combining
the curiosities. You are a videographer and a photographer you feel like you're

(06:52):
drawn to that because in a way it completes you it in a way it allows you
to capture you know certain things that I want to say that there's anything
missing in you but yeah no it definitely speaks to the wanderer and me
because I think like you know I think the the the blessing that you that I

(07:16):
personally have found through trying to navigate identity and culture and all
these things is that you know the magic is in the unknown and is in the mystery
because that's where the potential is and so for me photography has allowed me
to literally go to the streets just very much like my ancestors observe on the

(07:36):
ground from the ground with the people and now just also capture it too in a
way that is serving us that you know before this you know it wasn't serving
us the timeline either excluded us you know historically or depicted us in a
pretty negative light so this is kind of like showing us at the best part of us

(08:01):
you know. So even though you were separated from you know your culture
and your parents your life or passion is dedicated actually to unveiling or
unveiling your culture and kind of putting it on the map so more people
can see and understand. Yeah I mean I think that the idea that the Romani

(08:24):
don't have a homeland you know is really great because you're so dedicated
because you feel some parallels. It's like yeah we finding a home everywhere we
go and I think that that's what the beauty like within not only the culture
I come from and I'm trying to you know shine a light on but also the fact that

(08:47):
that's like all of our stories in so many ways is just trying to be safe and
find home and I think the camera really captures that or unveils that or reveals
that. I like how everything is kind of interconnected. For sure. From your personal
pain and struggle to what you're looking for and what you're trying to show other
people yeah you want to feel seen and be alive but it's in your own way right. Yeah

(09:12):
I mean I was you know I would say that for me the reason why I sought higher
education the reason why I seek to educate others is because I was searching
for resources that I could you know find and cling on to and read and
understand and you know understand really you know because I needed to feel

(09:35):
connected to the bigger picture. It wasn't there so that's why you're doing
what you do. Right right right I mean it's not that it wasn't there it's that
it's been so hard to find like because I want to give you know people the credit
like the legacy. You're 29 now right. Yeah. And how do you feel now do you feel like
you know yourself like your mission is clear. Oh I love that. Yeah that's a

(09:58):
great question. I think that through like and you know New York's great through
New York's harmony through New York's heartbeat I think I have really found my
purpose in my path with the camera with with telling people stories with
combining it with music poetry the engineers the writers the the researchers

(10:24):
the teachers you know by combining all of that with my camera with my music with
my intention to spread more knowledge and and and peace and unity. Yeah I think I
have found my money like you said earlier it's a tool to open doors but

(10:44):
what you want to do is express your art and your pain. Yes that's what you want
to use money for. Because the thing is I understand the spectrum of it. It's
very much a here there type of situation. I mean even now like you know the fact
of the matter is in other parts of the world there's things going on you know

(11:08):
outside the doors that are keeping them from you know creating freely. We're
here right now in America in New York City you know creating freely. That's
that's my point. And you know yeah I mean we took a train to get here you know
people need to eat you know it does take money to exist in this in this

(11:33):
paradigm but that shouldn't be the enemy what it should be is that you know
we're able to use these tools whether it be money or the camera or our words to
inspire and uplift our people around us our tribe. And so you know projects that

(11:57):
I'm doing now that I take on our tribe talks you know where we get to sit down
we get to discuss just the real things of life you know. Who are you what made
you where are you going what do you aspire to. Because you know that's what I
want to capture that's my dream is that we all can come together and when the

(12:21):
shutter is released you know we'll all be in the family picture. That's dope so
let me let me take this to a different angle because I feel like we've been on
some serious. What do you think about what do you think about someone doing
OnlyFans have you ever dated anybody who's you know slaying meat or you know
I remember personally dated OnlyFans. What do you think about that you think

(12:46):
that you could be in a relationship with them like a guy who slings meat. It's
interesting right because I feel like there's a shift like because personally
though you are you very jealous or I feel like I personally I'm not a jealous
person but I really I am a traditional you know funny in a funny way I'm

(13:10):
traditional in the way that I conceptualize family or try but no I don't
think inherently I have a problem with it I think it's just like I for me and
and where I don't think I would personally invite that. What's one of the
craziest situations you've been in with an ax or something. You know it was funny

(13:35):
because on my apartment in 26. Just name it one store we don't got to go to do
what's some of the craziest. I we had this we had this falling out right and my
little old neighbor Kathy shout out to Kathy and the you know walls are thin
and stuff so we have this little you know disagreement and months and months

(13:56):
and months later like I heard that like some crazy shit like he had lost his
leg and I was just like oh shit like that's wild and so I mean honestly so
you ain't have really have to do anything you feel like karma comes or
whatever one not yeah like why you know I have a lot of Indian ancestry like I

(14:20):
believe in karma but as as cool as you are as lady like as you are you've
definitely lost oh I'm definitely cost out yeah somebody and that's just part
of growing up in inhuman right but I but that's that's it I think you've hit
the nail on the head for me it's like you know I think a lot of the

(14:40):
relationships I've been in have taught me all these lessons so like and I'm not
perfect and I never will be and I know like you know you don't want to get too
deep into that stuff but I think I remember maybe something you said it's
maybe it's the way you're raised or how you live like yeah because you felt like
you weren't worthy of love so that's why you continue to put yourself in these

(15:08):
abusive situations where you know you can do better where you know it's not the
best thing for you but you're looking to mirror and you don't know who the fuck
you are or you don't feel like you're working but now you have your passion
you have your work and this is something that you can spill into and then
nobody else can take away from you do your work and you have your worth you
know what I'm saying so for me it's like now that I know who I am no one else is

(15:34):
going to take you to find it 29 29 fucking years yeah I'd say so I mean we
we here now I mean and as a videographer and as a professional do you feel
discriminated against because you are you know rather attractive and you are
female right do you feel like people don't take you seriously because most

(15:55):
of how you are most of it I think that you know a lot of times women I mean now
I think it's the age of women I think that the right you know the wave is women
woman right now that's the age of woman whether it's the earth we're talking
about whether it's our sisters it's the age of woman but there is still this old

(16:16):
patriarchal old style of life where a lot of times women are underrepresented
not seen harassed you know what I'm saying there's definitely been times
where I've been at work trying to do my job you know and and you tell me about

(16:37):
that one situation I remember you said you were doing an event and someone just
yeah just snagged the microphone out of my hand and and it was crazy because you
know like we were in a professional setting doing a job and you know getting
my way or taking the thing out of my hand and it was just accepted because we

(17:00):
had to do something quickly or whatever the case was and again it's just that's
not how we treat people on a team no matter whether you're a woman whether
you're whoever you are but I do find that you know more and more women are
being placed in positions of of power which is great you know and the

(17:23):
microphone is being handed to us back again but and in that situation I
literally did get the microphone handed back to me which was great but again it
takes kind of the tribe right like a brother coming in and say hey that's not
cool you know just because they are bigger it's it sucks that we're in that

(17:45):
you know timeline right now but I do think it is getting better I do I mean I
see more and more women out in the field for sure but there are those douchebags
out there for sure who try to test you and you're like listen I'm ascended but
I'm not ascended enough to not cuss you out but it is important to you know keep

(18:11):
ahead and let the people know what you got working on what your yeah
Instagram how people can reach you you know what what you can do for them so
let's make videos you know I'm into documentaries music videos podcasts
tud talk stoop talks all the above I'm ready to make amazing dope visuals tell

(18:34):
amazing dope stories I want to hear you your story if you're a painter if you're
an engineer if you're a woodworker if you are anybody who does something that
you're super passionate about come hit my line you could reach me on Instagram
that would be anastasia a and a st a si a underscore Caulfield C a u l fi e l d and

(19:02):
reach me there and the email is attached in the bio so there and then catch
me at the same anastasia Caulfield on threads and tiktok thank you so much
anastasia thank you so much man