Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Aliyah Salmon. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Aliyah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Wanting to be an artist is the easy part, but finding the courage to actually pursue it wholeheartedly is the real challenge. There have been so many moments where it’s felt like the most foolish decision of my life, and running towards it instead of away from it is a choice every single day. Before my Target collaboration, I really struggled with the concept of “making it work” but every now and then you’ll have a big win or project that makes you realize it would be silly to do anything besides this. In the end you have to validate yourself and be okay with your decisions, but the rewards that come with choosing your passion really help keep you motivated.

Aliyah, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a fine artist, working in textile mediums to create large scale tactile work for galleries and interiors. Alongside that, I create surface patterns and graphics on a freelance basis, and collaborate with companies like Target. I call myself an artist first and foremost, and a creative collaborator second. After graduating with my textile design degree from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2018, I jumped into freelancing and art assisting in New York City, and paved the foundation for my studio practice. It’s been a long road, but the work I’m creating now has been a culmination of years of internalizing and processing personal narratives. The core of my work is about my personal experiences as a black woman, child of immigrants, and being a young woman working through different layers of identity in America. Being a black woman has informed everything I do, make, and say, and my work is a direct reflection of that. The moments that make me the most proud upon reflection are when the work makes women like me feel seen and understood. Being able to express these complicated feelings and narratives with a sensory medium feels healing, and incredibly fulfilling when the audience is receptive and engaged in the message.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Unlearning needing outside validation has been the biggest hurdle in my practice, and it’s an ongoing process. Often when working in a very undefined path/career, you fall into the trap of needing other people and institutions to give you the validation and the confidence to move forward, and more often than not you won’t get that. Learning to rely on your own instincts and be grounded in your own opinions of the work is difficult and sometimes challenging to practice, but it’s so necessary when forging your own path.

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

Being able to look back at the end of the year and really put into perspective everything that’s been accomplished is the most rewarding part of it all. Often it feels like there’s no progress or real forward momentum going, but taking a step back and assessing what’s been done in 3, 6, or even 12 month periods really keeps me motivated to keep going. Having a creative practice is so messy and frustrating at times, but having a tangible project or product at the end of it all makes me feel like it’s worth it in the end.

Contact Info:

• Website: Aliyahsalmon.com
• Instagram: Tyrabanks_official
• Linkedin: Aliyah Salmon
• TikTok: @aliyahsalmon

Image Credits
-Alexandra Toy