We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Asha Salim a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Asha, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I feel like I have always known I wanted to be a multidisciplinary writer\scholar, I simply hesitated about it. Coming from a place, from a country where there were not a lot of people like me in these careers, or aspiring to be in these careers, it took me a while to understand that this is what I wanted. It took me a lot of reading, traveling, and ultimately listening to myself. Finally realizing that my passions were my gifts, that “my gifts”, what I stood for, what I was passionate about matched with skills and competence could become a tangible path. Both creatively and professionally.

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

So where to start. My name is Asha Salim, I am an Italian\East African woman, born in Napoli (Italy), and raised across, Napoli, Dar es Salaam and ultimately Milan in my adult years. A daughter of diaspora in some ways.
I am a multidisciplinary writer, scholar & researcher, poet and creative consultant and also a Fulbright scholarship recipient. I currently reside in Philadelphia where I am pursuing and MFA and continue to practice all the above.

As a multidisciplinary writer and scholar, I have always been drawn to the diverse nature of different mediums and stories; which translates specifically in my writing, research as well as consulting services. I am interested in the intersection of things, wether it is about the potential success of a product, or narrating a story or creating event. My aim is to build relationships, conversations between things. What helps me to do that, is certainly my multicultural background, as well my work experience in the luxury sector and the arts. I like, I cultivate it daily beauty, and i believe beauty is often found in the most unlikely places. I look for these places, I build them; with words, as well as through, events and consultations.

I have a newsletter called Unraveling Culture on Substack that serves as an amplification of the principle of weaving different stories. On Unraveling Culture, I explore critically and personally, the themes of: identity, politics, race, and business as well as womanhood, sexuality and aesthetic. All by way of global pop-culture influences, moments and literature.

Furthermore I am the founder of The Creal Club, a physical and digital platform that aims to promote conversations, culture & creative wellness from the perspective of black and POC women across the diaspora.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

As a product of the diaspora. A woman with different identities who is finally in a place in which these identities can all coexist, the goal, or better the purpose that drives my creative journey is to narrate, build, tell. To serve as a producing vessel for the stories and the identities of the many women, mothers, friends, who haven’t had the opportunity to have their story seen or heard, including my owns.

The Afro Italian experience, the Afro Italian Southern experience, the Neapolitan one, it is a very specific one. Especially when you add the the fact of having Somali\East African Lineage. These are regions that have strong ties with Italy because of colonial history.

I want to tell and explore the stories of women who look like me, my story. Daughters as well as sons of the diaspora who are raised in beautiful as well as complex countries. An experience that results in a double, often, multiple identity. With my work and practices, I want to serve as a testimony, that the beauty in our stories and histories are the fertile ground to create, more and more ecosystems. More and more worlds.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Well, I would say the power books. It may sounds clichè but books do change your life. Of course if read with interest, witt and desire.
Something I wished I knew earlier, mh maybe the importance of network. And by network I mean firmly surrounding yourself with likeminded people, people who you admire, are inspired from and that you can constantly learn from. I will quote Issa Rae on this. In an interview she talked about the importance of networking horizontally. Speak, build, make with the people you already know, oftentimes these people are your friends. That really stuck with me.
Last but not least, is something I have always knew actually, but it is important for me to say this. Kindness is your biggest asset.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3NJIEMIkso/?img_index=1
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asha-salim/
• Other: https://ashasalim.substack.com/

Image Credits

Camilla Mecagni