Meet Christena Shreve-Elza Bender | Garden and container Designer, Yogi

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christena Shreve-Elza Bender and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christena Shreve-Elza, what do you attribute your success to?
I think the success that I have achieved in my business is the never-ending belief that I will be successful and that I have gifts of creativity that I need to share. It is an integral part of who I am and I honor the visions and the endless creativity that I am blessed with. While at times I felt this desire continue to grow, I also know that business fluctuates, dreams can change but I have always known that with my high work ethic that I have no other option but to be successful. I am in the process of rebranding my company, creating bigger visions for myself and dreaming of a future filed with abundance and beauty. . I love sharing my passion of gardening and design with others and continue to dream of ways to share this passion to make the world a more beautiful place. Our home is vital in expressing ourselves and I love to bring that passion alive in everything I do.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Working with plants is an art if you see the beauty that can be created by the different textures, colors and flowers. I see visions of my designs and what I want to create, but the process of designing a garden or container or even wreaths can be filled with unexpected twists of excitement and inspiration. Sometimes the container inspires what plants I would like to use, sometimes it is the plant and how It would work best with other plants. The process of creating can be so rewarding and exciting and fortunately for me I have an endless supply of creativity and passion for what i do. I think everyone who is creative for a living has their own personal touch on how they design if they want to be considered unique and different. I can design a garden or container a certain way and know that if i am being authentic with myself, my individuality is going to be reflected in my work.
I am also working on my first book. Plants Like People. It is inspired by the similarities between the plant and human world and hope to have it published very soon but every time I think I am close to finishing, I get another great idea that has to be written. But I have to give myself a timeline and release it into the world. I love the idea though and have had so much fun writing it!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would definitely make yoga a priority and would introduce them to my amazing yoga friends and take some great classes. A visit to the local Korean spas in the area would also be a must, especially if they have never been to one. I love eating great food so I would take them to some of my favorite local restaurants. The Fickle Pickle in Roswell has been a favorite for almost 20 years and the best fried pickles I have ever eaten.
The Slutty Vegan in Atlanta is so good and worth the wait, Thai House in Roswell, and the Jerusalem Bakery and Grill in Roswell is a must visit. Beautiful food and baked goods.
Of course a visit to the Atlanta Botanical Garden would be fantastic, especially during the holidays.
But I am also a history junky and exploring the architecturally rich areas of Atlanta would also make for a great outing.
The music scene in Atlanta is pretty cool and I love going to concerts, so perhaps a concert would be a great way to take in the city. I am also fascinated with Ponce City Market. The shopping, the food and the people watching are priceless.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Twin Branch Nursery has been my nursery home for over 4 years and I can’t imagine a more perfect place to put down my roots and flourish. I became good friends with the original owner of the nursery, Tommy and he became my mentor in so many ways. He is now retired but his friendship and the opportunities that he has given my completely changed the course of my life. I now have an amazing partnership with the new owners, Kevin Harike and Chris Cash. I love the opportunities to work with them on a daily basis, where I get to learn from them while also being given opportunities to share the decades of gardening experience that I have from working in the industry for a very long time. There is so much to learn and I thrive on the opportunities to continually educate myself in an environment where we are expected to work hard but also have fun and where creativity is encouraged and expected in order to be unique.
I am also blessed with a large yoga community of very dear friends and I love my amazing clients that give me the opportunity to be creative.

Website: Thegoodearthdesigns.com

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