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

Hi Alya, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I attribute my current success and the success to come, off of what I like to call: My three P’s to become what I want to be. The first, and most important, is prayer. I cannot build upon this career without its proper foundation. It can become difficult somedays in taking credit for my own success or how far I’ve come. When in reality, the only reason I am where I am, is because of God. Every idea birthed, every story developed within my thoughts, and every word written, was brought to fruition after prayer. I pray for Him to guide my thoughts, bless me with opportunities, and provide me with the tools to bring my words to life. The second “P” is patience. This follows directly after prayer because not all of the time does God answer when I want Him to. One major key lesson I learned throughout my process in building my brand as Alya Skye, is that He tested my patience through my failures. How bad did I want this? What was I willing to sacrifice to achieve my goals? Would I be willing to work at this every day? Did I have the drive to keep pushing when the light at the end of the tunnel seemed dim? There were many nights were I allowed negativity to get the best of me. I wasn’t growing at the pace I wanted, I wasn’t seeing the results I thought I had worked hard to earn. But I remained rooted. I was planted in my season of patience. During this season I was tested, I learned, I grew wiser, I asked questions, I recieved assitance, and I created. What I know now, that I didn’t know then, was that I was being built in the shadows. In my seasons of pateince, come my greatest pieces of art. Lastly, the third “P” is persitency. The way that I view it, is that you can pray and remain patient all you want, but if you are not capable of repeating your process, then you’ll only see success once. This whole adventure of finding my own space and creating my own avenues, is a process. A successful process repeats itself over and over again. I mentioned in the beginning, that these three P’s are what assist me into becoming what I want to be. So who exactly is that? Well, I want to be Alya Skye: Author, Writer, Poet, Film Creator, Award Winning, and Inspirational Speaker. I will achieve these things through the process of my prayer, my patience, and my persistency,

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My Background: Dominique Alya Lewis is the creative genius behind the phenomenon, Alya Skye. After graduating from Houston Baptist University with a degree in marketing, I wanted to follow my life’s calling by entering into the world of writing. I gained inspiration from my childhood creative outlets such as dance, theatre, and band. Falling in love with the works of Lauryn Hill and the late great Maya Angelou, inspired me, even more, to create stories from my love of words. Before releasing my first book, (My) Pain is Beauty, I shared my passion on multiple platforms of social media under my alias Alya Skye, where I released poems, original quotes, inspirational pieces of my writing, and more. Now being a published author, I hope to continue on this path of creativity and have my sights set on greater goals for my career as an author, writer, and poet. My Journey: The vision of becoming an author was one I chose to be blinded to for many years. I stifled my creative thoughts and placed stories that developed within my imagination on back burners. I did not want to walk a path that I couldn’t see for myself. I didn’t allow myself to dwell within an emotional space long enough to create. I never allowed myself to discover my love of words. That was until I sat in my bed, for nights straight, writing my first poem for the funeral of my father. I felt such a sting to express every emotion I was feeling. It was as if my soul thirsted to feel that pain, allow my words to heal, and to release it. Dwelling within that moment, birthed my first poem ever written, Daddy Help Me Understand. From there, began what I consider to be, the becoming of Pretty Bird. “A bird’s beauty doesn’t end with the color of its wings. Its beauty continues within the weathered feathers by its inner storm. I am Pretty Bird.” My Goals: I want my words to be a portal into my soul and touch the souls of others. Whether it be to heal, speak my truth, show my scars, or bring someone to peace. I want to take my readers on an experience with me to see the world, its objects, its meanings, its purpose through my eyes. I want to write about my own reality, for no one else can tell my story.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I personally love a day that consists of food, shopping, movies, pampering, and an active, engaging, and fun activity. So my ideal itinerary would begin with brunch at Snooze, followed by a manicure/pedicure, and going back home to watch a movie (preferred categories are romantic comedies, action, or a good soppy love story). Nine times out of ten, we would probably take a fat nap then wake up and be ready to have more fun. We would hit the mall to either browse or spend money (then complain later about how broke we are as we take that new outfit out in the town). To end off the day, we would go to a nice bar and lounge spot, have a couple of drinks, and party, Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost, I give all credit, appreciation, love, and gratitude to God. My book, (My) Pain is Beauty, was built upon the faith, creativity, and gift He instilled in me. He provided me with the words to write my story. Secondly, is my late father, David Wayne Lewis. It was because of his life’s (taught) beauty that strengthed me to fight through my pain. His passing was the sole reason I picked up my pencil and began to write. His funeral was the first moment I recited my first ever poem and fell in love with the process. My book was birthed from the collection of emotions I felt after his passing. It tells of the journey I was taken through of loss, anger, pain, love, peace, and beauty. Thirdly, is my mother, Doctor Anita Lewis. Aside from financially aiding in the editing and publishing process, she also supported my dream. I am forever grateful for the grace she extended towards me when I needed her to. Fourthly, I thank the man who was the needed heartbeat to my writing. My fiance, and husband to be, Donovan Johnson. He never gave up on me on days where I gave up on myself. He is my go-to and my biggest supporter. I would also like to recognize my brothers David and Daniel Lewis for their support and love. Additionally, I am thankful for the God-fearing women in my life who have been the greatest of friends during my journey. Lastly, I like to recognize my publishing company, Johnson Tribe Publishing. The courses, classes, experts, and support groups they presented me with assisted me in my writing journey, equipped me with the knowledge I needed to grow, and gave me my starting platform as an author.

Website: https://alyaskye.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authoralyaskye/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authoralyaskye
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alya.skye
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCie9Om9sOvWkz4eAojnDgDQ
Other: TikTok: @Authoralyaskye You can find all of my social media under the same username: @Authoralyaskye

Image Credits
Photographer: Iyanau: Instagram @Iyanublasttt

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