Meet Sala Menaya | Designer/Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sala Menaya and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sala, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was born and raised in Southern California, residing there for over 40 years before I was moved by spirit to head east and down south. I am an only child and was raised by a single parent (my mother) up until the age of 11 when my mother married my stepfather. Being an only child I learned to entertain myself and use my imagination. Although I was an only child, my mother had 11 siblings so I have a pretty large extended family. I spent a lot of time at my grandmother’s house in Los Angeles. My mother, being a single parent, worked a lot, so I spent much of my time with my grandmother and one of her older sisters, my Auntie Kat.

When I look back on my upbringing and how it impacted who I am today, I learned my work ethic from my mother; she worked hard and never stopped reinventing herself. She always had a regular job and a side hustle of some sort. At the age of 12, I assisted her with medical transcription. She also had a catering business, and we would cater events. She was able to purchase her first home in her 20’s and was the first one of her siblings to receive a college degree.

My Aunt Kat was my rock, my stability. Being my mother’s older sister, she looked after me and was a second mother to me. She gave me a lot of love and was the one who stood in the gap for me on many occasions. She was a great role model when it came to loving and helping people. She also was a great believer in me and my capabilities. There wasn’t ever anything that she didn’t think I could accomplish. She encouraged my creative side. But, she also placed me on the path of believing and having faith in myself.

My grandmother sewed. She made beautiful quilts and sewed a lot of her children’s clothing.

As I think back on these women in my life, I can say that they all played a part in who I am today. I work hard and I am not afraid of hard work. I have faith in who I am and I know that my faith in God has brought me where I am today. We tend to follow those who come before us; my grandmother was creative (although that is not what it was called back then), and so am I.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
On my IG page, I share that I am “A creative, who finally realized I AM a Creative”.

WoW! Even as I share this with you, I am still blown away by it. Why? Well, I have always loved to create, it wasn’t something that I ever thought about, I just did it. It was a hobby… something that felt just as natural as getting up and getting dressed every day. It is the first thing I think about each day and the last thing I think about at the end of each day… what I will create. I never thought of it being anything but something that I love to do. As I create, I believe that my ancestors are speaking through me, and I pray that my art is making them proud.

I create statement neckpieces/wearable art based on the African diaspora. I used many mediums when creating my art, from authentic hand-carved African masks that I hand painted with tribal markings, various types of African beads (glass, bone, wood), denim, leather, authentic mud cloth, and African Ankara fabric. I also use synthetic hair on my pieces.

I have added the customization of jean jackets with my art as well as begun to create mixed-media art on canvas. What amazes me is that the ideas continue to come and there are so many other things that I want to do. However, I realize that I can’t do everything. I need to focus on one or two things and do them well. This takes me back to 2022 when I made the cover of Asheville Made. At that time, I was making earrings, handbags, ties, necklaces, and even some household decorations. Honestly, I was all over the place. I was doing too much. The Asheville Made cover and article made me realize that my neckpieces were where I needed to focus. Due to that article, I had individuals travel 3 to 4 hours to an event to see me and my neckpieces. That was when the lightbulb came on, and I realized that I needed to pivot my business and focus on the neckpieces and nothing else. So, that is what I did with the opportunity for customers to have the option for custom orders/add-ons (matching earrings, neckties, etc).

The lesson… you can’t be everything to everyone. Find what you do well and do it. The customers will come, and your “people” will find you.

I also learned that “the price is the price.” I have had people want to haggle with me on my pricing. I politely declined; they walked away, returned, and paid the full price. Most of my pieces are one-of-a-kind pieces. I don’t make more than one of my pieces. No two pieces are the same. My price point is a little higher than most people want to pay, but I have begun to recognize the value of my work and the time and artistic sweat equity that I have put into it. I must stay true to that.

The value of my work became real when I made the cover of Asheville Made in July 2022. Imagine that! I didn’t realize I had made the cover until a friend reached out and shared the news. I was both humbled and honored. I never imagined that. That is one of the things that I am most proud of when it comes to my business.

Professionally, when I think of being creative, it is a journey that I am still on. My art has grown so much from when I sold my first few pieces to where I am today. I am still figuring this out, as this is a whole thing with many moving pieces. Before long, my art will have grown and morphed into something greater yet again. When it comes to where I am today, there have definitely been some struggles. The creation of art can be a challenge, but that is the easy part; it’s all the other things that are challenging. The creation of a website, which is being worked on, the dreaded “m” word… marketing, which is a struggle for me as an artist. I want to focus on creating, not marketing or my social media account. However, those are very important to the success of the business and the brand. I have had three different logos before I finally settled on the one I love now. It is the best representation of my brand and what I offer.

What I would love for people to know about me and my story is that it is just beginning. I will continue to bring to life what inspires me.. what moves me. What’s next? I’m not sure, but stay tuned, I know there is more to come.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As most of you may know, Asheville was devastated by TS Helene back in September 2024. Many businesses were lost and there are many who can’t afford to reopen.

Post Helene, if I had the opportunity to show a friend who was visiting me, I would take them to them to the following places:

Breakfast… Tupelo Honey or Biscuit Head

Hiking – Hooker Falls, I love the water falls there

Lunch/Brunch – Andaz (Indian food)

Art – River Arts District, Noir Collective, the YMI Cultural Center

Dinner – Thai Orchard – Thai food

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?
Where do I start?

I’ve shared that my mother, aunt and grandmother played a role in who I am today, but there are definitely a few others who I want to shout out.

I thank God, for giving me the imagination to dream it and the hands to create it.
My ancestors for speaking and working through me.
My dad, George Scott who purchased my very first sewing machine at the age of 12 or 13. I still have that machine today.
My sons Chris and Kenchasa, they both encourage and uplift me in my work.
Too many to name… but family and friends who have supported me throughout this journey.
alexandria monque ravenel with Noir Collective, who helped me to put on my first fashion show back in the Summer of 2023 at the Foundry Hotel in Asheville
Derrick Duplessy of the Duplessy Foundation, who coached and encouraged me to move out of my comfort zone when it came to my business.
Jeremiah Robinson (formerly with Mountain Bizworks) who was the first person to assist me with the initial funding for my business.

If there is anyone that I have missed, please charge it to my head and not my heart.

Instagram: https://i.am.amiram

Facebook: ItsAmiraM

Image Credits
Photography by Red Angle Photography