Meet Kayla Salisbury

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Salisbury.

Kayla, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always been very observant and in tuned with the smallest of details around me, in my community and in every interaction I was blessed to have. Even at a young age, my very black neighborhood, with all of its inner city aesthetics – I found myself finding so much beauty and uniqueness in US. So I naturally gravitated to the creative side and became a visual artist very young. I recorded everything and everyone – I just wanted to share our stories, our experiences good and bad because we were so extraordinary. I remember being so young feeling like we were very valuable. Sitting up under my grandparents, I learned early on how important it was to be present and build memories with time. My art helped translate these moments.

I went on to study at a couple of different design schools – one in San Francisco and ultimately graduated from a big design school in Pasadena, CA with a Bachelors in Illustration. I attended what we call a “white centered space” – a school taught by majority white middle aged men, with supreme ideals that left me constantly learning and fighting for my voice and my identity as a Woman – Black Woman – Black Woman Artist and then ultimately just a representative for the unspoken. I did so much soul searching – I left that university with not only school loan debt, but a better understanding of who I created for, whose story I wanted to depict, record, and uplift and a wide scope of the different avenues and channels I could utilize to get that art and those stories out. Every story is unapologetically and unique to its black originator, I use my art to create opportunities, create space, tell stories, educate and hopefully heal. My story is no longer just about me.

I am fortunate to teach Art at a small amazing school in Inglewood. I’ve learned a lot, traveled and lived in Europe, worked for Nonprofits, threw and curated community events and many art shows. I’ve connected and grew. I’ve had a roller coaster of life in my 20s that have led me to now working on what’s learned and expressed in my four walls of a classroom and at night I work on my biggest dream – to open an Art Warehouse Studio/Residency where I can teach, employ, organize and curate all in one space – in South Central serving my people – well into old age and retirement.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My largest obstacle was me understanding the art world to be what it actually is. A white-dominated space where I’d have to be judged and critiqued by a white standard of excellence what is decided as “successful art”. I got into this design school I was told I could never get into and I was there to be molded and taught by the greats. It was such a lonely journey, being I was searching for validation from people on a different journey path than myself. We came from different worlds and my stories may seem interesting to them – but they were meant for a certain audience. It’s like they can appreciate the beauty of my work from afar but ultimately I was speaking a different language. Once that light bulb finally went off for me – 3 to 4 years in at Design school – I was set free. I no longer cared about outside critique or ideas of my work and just – created. I created some of my favorite pieces once I rid myself of this idea of creating “good” “sellable” art.

My biggest job was to create with intention, create with a message I could stand by and stand for. When I depict my people – whether in a good or bad light, do it for a reason, and successfully communicate that reason, There are so many examples of bad depictions of colored people in America – I needed to always* tap into the power of visual art and put my soul into my work. That has been, is currently the struggle. There are so many artsy waves and trends with this burst of social media – so staying true to you and your vision is an ever-evolving struggle.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a business. I am a freelance Designer where I can both be employed to bring others’ visions to life – if the project ethically aligns with my interests and morals – and then I design my own products, create my own artwork for the world to consume.

These personal projects include but are not limited to everything from illustrating the pages of a children’s storybook, mural painting in the community and designing a set of hand-sewn hand-painted dolls to a digital comic series based on relationships and real-life lessons learned for us all to read, laugh and relate to. I wear many illustrative hats but these I am the most known for. I create art in hopes that you see yourself in and you then in fact, feel loved. That connection is why I create and sets me apart and I am the most proud of.

I am a teacher where I serve the community of Inglewood with not only foundational Art lessons in a classroom but lessons in critical thinking, self-expression and social consciousness. My kids at first, fight the natural growth it takes to be an artist but then, so smoothly, begin to create amazing pieces and surprise themselves before they leave their time with me. One day, they are creating visuals for a better world, a Eutopia where they design a grid of land and decide just what would a town who has lost it all – want to wake up and see every morning. They are recreating and illustrating a modern day Cinderella story where there is no damsel in distress but an activist who is far too busy saving to wait to be saved. My kids find their artistic voice, and with the tools I teach them, begin to tell their stories. They take back how they are represented in Western Media and depict themselves as proud, strong, and beautifully melanated’ figures of society with substance. We have real world conversations in hopes of them getting better prepared for the world outside of my colorful classroom walls. I create moments where we are learning in new and inventive ways, creating room for all of my students to succeed and grow.

The underlying theme for both – serving the POC community, using Art to communicate important messages and positive representation with black and brown visuals.

The big dream is to create an Art Warehouse Studio / Residency nonprofit and space for practicing artists to create, to teach, inspire and heal with the arts. With community events, Art workshops employed by working artists and gallery spaces to create opportunities to build togetherness and unity amongst a seemingly overlooked masses.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I have many small wins and big doors I have kicked through but I know, when I open up my warehouse, that day will without a doubt be the proudest moment. I am sure nothing else can compare – it feels like everything else has been leading up to that point. It embodies everything I am interested in, the community I want to serve and what I feel is my purpose.

But that doesn’t take away from – every relationship built and impact made with my students are big proud moments in hopes the lessons taught would never be forgotten.

On a personal note, a deeper dive, my late grandfather who was my best friend, raving about my skills to his family and friends. He often jokingly (but seriously) took the credit for teaching me my skills (not my $200k+ of Professional schooling). I’ve always tried to stay humble, but that acknowledgment on that day is forever engraved in my heart and makes me laugh. He was so proud, my biggest fan to this day.

Pricing:

• Poster size prints of any of my pieces on my website start at $50.
• My hand sewn hand painted Dolls start at $400 and can be personalized.

Contact Info:

• Website: kaylasalisburyart.com
• Phone: 3106610716
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @schwarz_asf
• Other: @ksalisburyart , @growd_comic, @mskaysartroom

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