Meet Makina Table: Handmade Artist, Doula & Public Health Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Makina Table and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Makina, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I’m naturally a very practical and pragmatic person, so “risk” is a word that I haven’t always loved. Weirdly enough, I would say that I’m a calculated risk taker; my preferred style of risk is more “jump and see what happens” (probably because I need to do it quickly before I reason myself out of doing it!). My relationship with risk has shifted in the last several years as I’ve been intentional about pushing myself outside of my comfort zones and through that, I’ve learned just how resilient I am. Taking risks has opened doors that I never knew existed–professionally, creatively, and personally–and for that, I’m a more confident woman.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My background is in public health and I’ve worked in sexual and reproductive health for the past 10 years, so thinking of myself as an “artist” or a “creative” is something I’m still getting used to. I’ve always been crafty, but I never saw a throughline between that and my career. Honestly, I still don’t know if a throughline exists, but I’ve learned to embrace all the parts of me without needing them to all make sense together. I would say that lesson has been the most challenging and the most pivotal for me on this journey – that it doesn’t always need to make sense (not immediately, at a least). As Black people, I think that we experience that obligation to choose between our identities way too often. It’s a big part of our survival as a community. Black Like I Never Left is about not needing to choose between ALL the parts of ourselves that make us who we are. My handmade coasters tell those stories. I think that what sets my work apart is the fact that it reflects that truth.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Assuming that the world is open, we would definitely visit some of the restaurants that I’ve discovered during quarantine. The one that I am most excited about is Rock Steady, an Afro-Caribbean restaurant off of Marietta Street. We’d also stop by my favorite book store, For Keeps and swing by the John Lewis mural on Auburn Ave, before grabbing coffee and beignets from Cafe Bella. I love nature, it’s one of my favorite things about Atlanta so there would be lots of Beltline walking, exploring the city parks, and maybe a little hiking north of the city.   Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people that deserve shoutouts in my journey! I am blessed to have an incredible community of supportive family and friends around me. If I had to choose, I’d actually pick two people that I’ve never met before – my grandmothers, Florine Table and Lillie Bell Smith. I often think about their strength and it inspires me to keep going. There have been several times where I’ve thought about what they would say to me or how they’d handle a tough situation. I walk a little taller because I know they’ve got my back.

Website: www.blacklike.shop
Instagram: @blacklikeineverleft
Facebook: facebook.com/blacklikeineverleft

Image Credits
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