We were lucky to catch up with Makala Muhammed recently and have shared our conversation below.

Makala, appreciate you joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

Thank you for having me! I have always been a creative person since I was able to hold a crayon by myself. I did not pursue my creative passion as much as I would have liked until my experience crafting my submission for the 2016 Advanced Placement Studio Art Exam during my senior year of high school. I do not have a formal art education and studied engineering in college. Most of my free time during that phase of my life, was spent decompressing from stressful classes. I gave a portion of my time to my creative practice by designing custom graduation caps. It was not until after I graduated from my masters program in December 2021 and moved to a new city that I started taking my creativity more serious. In the summer of 2022, I filed for and launched my LLC. Since then, I have continued to create commissions and personal art. I have also participated in a few art markets and exhibitions! When reflecting, it can be easy to wish you could change things. I like to think that everything happens for a reason. I started my creative career at the perfect moment for my story. I am taking this journey one day, one artpiece at a time.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Makala Muhammed, but creatively I go by Makala Aayana. I am a Caribbean-American, mixed-media, sustainable artist in Durham, NC. Creativity was a method that built my close relationship with my mom. Our home growing up was a DIY sanctuary. Because of this, I have learned to be resourceful and use the things I have or try to do it myself before buying something new. I like to think this helps me to think out the box more.

I refer to myself as a creative instead of an artist because I like to try new things that may not always be in the form of traditional art. Through my creative business thus far, I have designed graduation caps, a custom pair of shoes, a custom jean jacket, canvas paintings, fridge magnets, and much more.

When I am creating, I create for myself in hopes that I will love it, and if it just so happens that other people like it too, that is a plus. When working on commissioned pieces, I like my customers to feel involved in the creative process and connected to every step. Although a commission is a piece I physically craft myself, I consider my customers as secondary artists helping to create the final art piece, something that they will truly enjoy for a life time.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

In early 2022, I made it a goal to consistently share my art and creations on social media to build a community and showcase the things that come to fruition during my creative practice. The more this was the focus, the less I seemed to create and the less I enjoyed the process. In late 2022, I shifted my focus to create more for myself and worry about how others may perceive my work. I also began to think of every project as an experiment. This thought process has helped me to be more vulnerable with sharing my creations even if I shift directions or end up not completing the piece after sharing on social media. With this shift, I have seen a significant uptick in my social media growth and overall confidence as a creative because I am showing up as my most authentic self, no matter what. Not every great artist has a significant social media following, but that is not and should never be a reflection of their work. My best advice to other creative people is to emphasize how your creations make you feel above all else. Your work will resonate with whom it is meant to.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

There are two aspects I find most rewarding about being creative. First, I get to experiment. I love to try new things. My creative practice has helped me to hold on to my child-like exploration of things and has opened my eyes when it comes to exploring the world around me. Second, my creativity is a means of expression. Many people have different outlets to cope with the trials and tribulations that life throws at us. My creative practice is my most used coping mechanism. Last fall, I experienced my first depressive episode as an adult. Outside of my continued therapy sessions, my emotional state sparked many works of art and my current portrait study of self-portraits from different moments of my life. Put plainly, creating helps me to survive.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.makalaaayana.square.site
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makalacreates/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/makalamuhammed/
• Other: link tree: https://linktr.ee/makalacreates