Symone Salib moved to Philadelphia in 2015 after graduating college with two degrees—one in communications studies and one in public relations—and no desire to work in either field. She turned to art as she was figuring out what was next for her, and her journey as an artist began with painting portraits. “I was mostly doing portraiture of famous people of color that I was inspired by. That kind of pushed me as an artist,” she says.
She remembers the day, in 2017, that she decided to put all of her effort into trying to make a career as an artist.
“I made a portrait of Frank Ocean and it came out so good that I lost my mind. I literally ran outside—I’m friends with people on my block—and was like, ‘Someone else has to come see this!’” She invited a neighbor over to show him the painting and he said, ‘That’s really good!’ And Salib knew it. “After that, something inside of me was set on fire,” she says. “Something really changed for me.”
While working two other jobs, she went from this one portrait, to 10 more portraits, and had her first art show later that same month. From there, she continued trying to get her paintings into galleries for about six months before she realized there might be an avenue that suited her personal values better.
“Galleries started to feel kind of gate kept. Even if you get your work into a show, if it doesn’t sell, you’re kind of stuck holding onto all these paintings, and that was the last thing I wanted,” she says. “For me, art is such a beautiful, immersive experience when you’re making it, so if it’s not being viewed or shared with other people, what is it for? If I’m proud of what I made, and I think it could be something that could be a good experience to share with other folks, I’m like, why not?”
This line of thinking led to another shift in Salib’s art journey.
“I always loved the public art in Philly; I just didn’t really know what I was doing or how to do it,” she says. “But I’m the kind of person who, if I don’t know what I’m doing, I’m going to figure it out. So I was looking into murals and wheat paste because I was inspired by how ephemeral and how accessible wheat paste is. I always tell my students: everything that you are using to make wheat paste today is stuff you can get from the corner store or the dollar store. It’s like five dollars, 10 dollars at most. You just need to get flour, you have water and a stove at your house, and you can use recycled paper! Anybody can do this.”
After concretizing how important accessibility in both materials and audience was to her, Salib started her journey with street art. “I was thinking this is the most inherently anticapitalistic art form,” she says. “It’s for everybody, nobody has to buy it and everybody gets to be a part of it. I had friends at the time who went to art school who would make comments like, ‘You’re kind of devaluing your art because you can’t sell anything you put out there.’ And I have been so glad that I didn’t listen to any of those people! Honestly, giving back to the community in the form of public art has given back to me tenfold.”
The momentum built from there as Salib’s pieces started to gain more and more attention and, most importantly, community feedback.
“People started telling me ‘this is awesome’ or, if I made something more politically forward, people would say ‘I really resonate with this, this is something I also believe in, thank you for putting this in the public space.’ I was making stuff that I wanted people to have a moment of critical thinking with,” she says. “A lot of the stuff I make has text on it, but it’s quick to read, a sentence or two at most. I want people to read it, take it in and think about it for a second. The best art pushes you to think about something and form an opinion. Even if you don’t like the thing! Even if you think it’s ugly. The art that pushes you to think deeper, that’s what we’re talking about.”
Community care, connection and storytelling are Salib’s biggest inspirations. “I am such a people person and so stimulated by conversation,” she says. “And I’m not talking the fluffy stuff; I’m talking the good stuff. I love to hear people’s stories, I love to watch people gush about the things they love and are passionate about. That’s what’s important.”
Because of this, she knows that the themes in her work are always shifting and changing. “It’s like giving the microphone to someone, having them share their story, and then me being able to make something that’s inspired by it, with consent,” she says. “I believe that there are so many stories that should be heard. I could have a singular moment hearing it, which is such a privilege, but, instead of me telling someone’s story for them, as an artist I have a tool to create things that are easily digestible and visually beautiful to share with other folks.”
Salib is big on collaborating with other artists for this reason. And Philadelphia is a place where artistic collaboration and community is possible.
“I love how community-based everything is [in Philadelphia],” she says. “I’ve been to other places where it can be hard to even make friends in an arts scene because it feels competitive. So I love getting to build relationships with all different kinds of folks in the city and it feeling really wholesome and genuine. Philly pushes you to grow and blossom, if you let it happen. There can be a lot of growing pain in the process, but I feel like I know myself so much better as a person now in a way that I feel so proud of and confident about.”
For emerging artists, advocating for pay transparency and equity is Salib’s biggest piece of advice.
“I wish someone would have told me earlier that I was undercharging, because I didn’t know any better and the amount I was selling for seemed like a lot of money!” she says. “Especially as a woman of color, when I’m talking to other artists in the city I’ll say ‘Hey, this is what I got paid on this project, so you should be getting the same amount, if not more, especially if you’re doing more.’ I feel like if we’re all more transparent, having that knowledge can be helpful. We can all win in this.”
Hear more from Symone Salib at #onbrand: Why Branding Matters for Artist-Entrepreneurs, a panel discussion with members of the Philadelphia arts community, on Wednesday March 23 at 6 pm, in Graham Auditorium or tune in from anywhere via Zoom (RSVP in advance to receive the Zoom link on March 22).
