Meet Suhaylah Hamzah of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Suhaylah Hamzah.

Hi Suhaylah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always been a creative at heart, but my journey as an artist wasn’t a straight line. Like many people, I spent years balancing work, family, education, and life’s responsibilities while continuing to create whenever I could. Art became more than a hobby—it became a tool for self-discovery, healing, storytelling, and community connection.
What began as a personal outlet evolved into a practice rooted in storytelling, healing, and community engagement. Through painting, sculpture, and immersive experiences, I explore themes of identity, spirituality, history, and social impact. Along the way, I’ve had opportunities to collaborate with fellow artists, engage communities through public programs, and use art as a catalyst for dialogue and civic participation.
Today, my work lives at the intersection of creativity, culture, and community. I’m continually growing as an artist while helping others discover the power of their own voices and stories.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, but every challenge has shaped who I am and the work I create today.
I grew up in Cleveland as the middle child of eight children in a family that often faced financial hardship. I was homeschooled until eighth grade, raised in a household deeply rooted in faith, discipline, and service through the Nation of Islam, where my grandfather served as one of the ministers under the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Those early experiences taught me resilience, responsibility, and the importance of community, but they also came with their own complexities and personal struggles.
As I got older, I learned to navigate challenges that many people don’t always see—growing up in poverty, working through family dynamics, finding my own identity, and balancing expectations while trying to build a future for myself. Education became one of my pathways forward. I transitioned from homeschooling to an honors high school, graduated in the top five of my class, served as class president, and later became involved in leadership roles throughout college. On paper, those achievements looked impressive, but behind them was a lot of perseverance, self-discovery, and learning how to keep moving forward even when things felt uncertain.
As an artist, one of the biggest struggles has been creating space for my creativity while balancing the realities of adulthood. I’ve worn many hats—professional, student, community organizer, and single mother—and there were times when art had to compete with survival, responsibility, and the demands of everyday life. There were also moments when I questioned whether my voice, perspective, or work belonged in certain spaces.
What I’ve come to realize is that those experiences are not separate from my art—they are the foundation of it. My work explores identity, spirituality, ancestry, healing, civic engagement, and the power of self-determination because those are the themes I’ve had to wrestle with in my own life. The obstacles taught me how to build opportunities instead of waiting for them, how to create community when it didn’t exist, and how to use art as a tool for both personal transformation and collective empowerment.
Looking back, I wouldn’t describe the journey as smooth, but I would describe it as meaningful. Every setback, challenge, and lesson has contributed to the artist, mother, and community builder I am today.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a multidisciplinary artist, creative facilitator, and community collaborator whose work exists at the intersection of art, culture, identity, and civic engagement. While I work across a variety of mediums—including painting, sculpture, mixed media, and installation—I don’t limit my practice to physical objects. Some of my most meaningful work has taken the form of collaborative projects, public programming, and community experiences that invite people to reflect, connect, and engage with the world around them.

Much of my creative process is informed by my cultural foundation and the teachings that shaped me. Concepts rooted in the Supreme Mathematics, Supreme Alphabet, and the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and self-discovery influence how I approach both art and community work. I am interested in helping people recognize patterns, uncover meaning, and better understand themselves and their relationship to their communities. Whether I am creating a visual artwork or facilitating a public experience, I see creativity as a tool for awakening thought, encouraging dialogue, and inspiring action.

Projects such as “Free Your Thoughts, Free Your Voice” in collaboration with Cleveland Votes and “The Art of the Earth” community event during my residency with We Are Deep Roots, reflect that approach. Rather than focusing solely on the final product, these experiences were designed to create space for reflection, expression, and civic participation. I am especially passionate about using art as a bridge—connecting personal stories to larger conversations about community, responsibility, and collective growth.

One of the works I am most proud of is “Universal Convergence”, a collaborative sculptural installation created with my best friend and fellow artist. The piece explores balance, interconnectedness, and the relationship between opposing forces through a shared creative vision. I am equally proud of my current series, “Star Dust: The Art of Letting Go”, which emerged from my self exploration after my father passed, uncovering the depths of identity, spirituality, self-realization, and the importance of release. Whether working independently or collaboratively, I strive to create work that encourages people to look beyond the surface and engage with deeper questions.

What sets me apart is that I don’t view art as separate from life. For me, art is a process of building understanding—of self, of community, and of the systems we exist within. My work is less about providing answers and more about creating opportunities for people to think, question, participate, and discover their own voice. If someone leaves one of my projects seeing themselves, their community, or their potential differently than before, then I consider the work successful.

What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me is creating a meaningful impact—helping people reconnect with themselves, recognize their own power, and understand that their voices and stories matter.

My life experiences have taught me that knowledge, creativity, and community are powerful tools for transformation. Coming from a background where resilience, culture, and collective responsibility were deeply important, I learned early on that we all have a role in shaping the world we want to see. That understanding continues to guide how I approach my art and my work with others.

As an artist, I care deeply about creating spaces where people feel seen, heard, and inspired. I believe art has the ability to do more than exist visually—it can challenge perspectives, preserve stories, spark conversations, and bring people together. That is why I am passionate about creating experiences that encourage reflection, expression, and connection.

My family, my community, and the generations before and after me matter deeply to me. I think about legacy often—what we inherit, what we heal, and what we choose to create for those who come after us. A lot of my work is rooted in that idea: using creativity as a way to honor where we come from while imagining what is possible moving forward.

Ultimately, what matters most to me is contributing something that outlives me. Whether through my artwork, community programming, mentorship, or simply the conversations I create space for, I want my work to remind people of their value, their creativity, and their ability to influence change.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://suhaylahhamzah.myportfolio.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/suhaylah_theartist
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/SuhaylahHamzah
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suhaylah-hamzah
• Other: https://linktr.ee/suhaylah.theartist