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Ayshah Almosalam | Episode 753
Ayshah Almosalam received her Bachelor of Art Education degree from Qassim University in Saudi Arabia and her Master of Fine Art from Fontbonne University, Montana in the United States. Ayshah went from a teacher’s assistant to a lecturer at Qassim University (2012-2021) teaching drawing, painting, and ceramics for Art Education undergraduate students, as well as administrative work at the Art Education department. Participated in different galleries in Saudi Arabia (paintings).
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When I think of Saudi Arabia, I would say desert and I would say hot. Are those two words that would accurately describe your country?
Kind of. Yes. It’s so hot. But not all of it is desert. We have the coast and we have mountains too in the south of Saudi Arabia. I was there last year and it was amazing.
Oh my word!
Yes, so very quickly. It moves very quickly. If I don’t have time to trim them the same hour, I would cover them but I only get twenty-four hours because they will dry out even when they are covered.
How do you keep your work from drying too quickly?
Well actually I like it. So mostly now I throw…ninety percent of my work is cups, thin cups, so I throw them in the morning, an hour later I trim them, and at night I can fire them.
So do you ever have a problem with cracks?
Sometimes with bigger pieces, yes.
About your wholesale. How did you reach out to the shop?
Some of my colleagues told me about it. It is a three minute drive from where I live. I went there holding one of my cups. I told them, Is the the manager here? He was there and he was so excited. I told him I was a teacher at the school and I can fire there and here is a sample of my work. At first he was like, Okay, can you give me ten cups that are the same size? I practiced doing that and slowly he kept ordering from me.
Wholesale is typically fifty percent. What are the percentages with your shop?
No, it’s actually thirty percent. He keeps thirty percent.
Is there a growing demand for handmade work?
It is growing very fast. Especially the last year with the coffee cups actually. You mostly see on my Instagram all about coffee. So it is growing and there are coffee shops everywhere now and people are showing off if they have a handmade cup and taking pictures of it. If you type my city into Instagram you will find all coffee. (laughter)
You lived in the U.S. for four years. Do you miss the friends that you made here?
Yes, I do. One of my best friends, Amy, she is still my friend actually. We stay in contact. I met her in Oregon and she came to my graduation in Missouri. And I visited her family in Chicago. We travel together too, so I miss her. I wish we could travel again.
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Instagram: @ayshahart_s