Meet Ali Alsaleh

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ali Alsaleh.

Hi Ali, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Like all great stories, my shop “PrintsAli” started with a pun. My name is Ali, and I was born in Baghdad, Iraq. My family and I immigrated to the States (specifically Nashville) in 2000 as political refugees.

Movies have always been my favorite medium for expression and connection, offering me a 90-minute safe haven to explore completely new worlds.

Naturally, I fell in love with Aladdin, as it was the first time I felt represented (besides the name connection).

And ever since then, I’ve enjoyed walking into rooms with the Prince Ali theme song sporadically sung by my eager friends. Let’s just say it got to my head.

During college, I studied architecture, which was a broad and creative profession that included space making, film, and graphic design. During quarantine, I spent a lot of time on my computer at home, and decided to merge my love of film and my skill in graphic design, and created a couple of prints for myself.

One thing led to another, and after a ton of support from my friends, I started the shop so I can connect with other people through the love of film!

Nowadays, my day job is as an architect, but I spend the other parts of my day (and night) pursuing a career in acting and screenwriting while sprinkling in graphic design here and there. To me, it’s all a creative pursuit to share stories and connect, because honestly, what else are we meant to do.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
PrintsAli was born out of boredom and the constant need to create. Because the pandemic offered a lot of time at home, it was easy to fall into the habit of staring at the TV.

I decided to take that habit and photoshop it. Since then, the “struggle” was the process of turning it into something tangible and monetizing it.

Finding a print shop, the right paper, the right size, starting an Etsy, posting up at flea markets and coffee shops; it’s all part of it and it’s all been a fun exploration into the mind of a (very) small business.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My years as an architect equipped me with the most useful tool I can think of: creative problem-solving. It opened up a world of mediums that have inspired me to create.

I find it quite difficult to choose one path when it comes to a career. Every branch is rooted in the same tree; to use every form of art at my disposal to express how I feel, about myself, about you, about the world. My interest in film led me to a career in acting, improv, filmmaking, and screenwriting.

Also led to co-founding Typecast Pictures, a film production company geared towards producing and highlighting minority and underrepresented stories. My interest in graphic design led to PrintsAli as well as contract work for brand design.

And my interest in architecture allowed to me design and inhabit wonderful spaces for my Nashville community for the last seven years. I’ve also recently started a side job in furniture design! (it’s hard for me to say no).

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Google Calendar is probably the best invention. I love listening to the Armchair Expert podcasts as well as many film-related ones. I reread Italo Calvino’s “Invisible Cities” probably once a year.

And I keep Brodsky and Utkin’s Completed Works of etchings by my bedside to spark creativity when needed.

Also, the 4th Wall Acting Studio in the last four years has been the most incredible resource to plug me into the most creative and welcoming community of artists.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ali.a.alsaleh/

Image Credits
Heather Leroy