Meet Maia Alexander | M.S.A. Creations founder

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

Hi Maia, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.”-Soren Kierkegaard Life is such a surreal experience. It is filled with its own set of ups, downs, and sideways difficulties. The significant moments when one might feel like it’s the end of the world…or they’re on top of it. The wins and losses, pain and love, and so many more aspects; but life must continue to be lived. No matter how hard one may try, we inevitably only remember the moments and never the days; ironically, we continue to allow ourselves to hold onto the perceptions of good and bad days. Attempting to figure it all out, especially at one time, would be a complete waste and would drive one insane. All we can ever really do is live and learn from the past, so it is up to us to choose how we utilize the lessons from it. Remember life is to be experienced, and I managed to take this approach within my business. Anyone who makes rugs knows just how difficult the process can get if you do not know certain tips and methods. For example, applying the right amount of pressure to the cloth while putting the tufting gun needle through, but not too much because you may put a hole in your sheet that fast. Certain processes likewise can get discouraging, and it feels like you’re not meant for such a journey. Yet, tackling it head on, learning, and getting through the experience is what really matters because now guess what? The next time I’ll apply the right amount of pressure. To be fully transparent, there were many moments in my rug business journey where I felt were extremely overwhelming and I was ready to just throw in the towel. A project did not come out right, a decrease in customers, and many other problems that I constantly stressed over getting right; and all it did was put me in a deeper hole. Until I realized, life is to be experienced and what I will be approached with in due time will be handled at that time.

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.
If one asked me if making a rug was easy about a year ago, I would simply laugh at them. Today, I would give them a slight chuckle. When it comes to my art even though some portray me as “far” into my path, I’m honestly learning something new always. Whether that be wondering how the rug will feel and come out using a new yarn, how I do my lines, or shifting something in my backing process. What I’ve learned throughout my time is that I cannot and will not be embarrassed by constantly learning. I would rather that then feel like I have all the answers in the world and develop a minimized mind to the things I do not understand or haven’t experienced. One of the lessons I learned along the way is to be proud and appreciative of the little accomplishments, if anything a little more than the bigger ones. Ironically, these are the ones I cherish the most. I have some big things in store for the business, as I’m attempting to incorporate some new materials to the mix and have recently built a new 6×8 feet frame from scratch. I’m a simple ole college girl living in Texas, but I’m on to some big things in my life as I’m taking on another career path in mortgage loan origination as well. I say that to say you can be an artist in any way you’d like to be, as long as you make it yours and believe in it then it should always be a success. Also, the things you believe in can interchangeably play a part on other aspects in your life. M.S.A. Creations stands for originality, passion, and drive in all things created no matter the particular field. I want the world to know this is what I stand for and I absolutely thank everyone from the bottom of my heart who have supported me since day 1, 2, 3, and so forth. I love y’all for real!

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.
This question is so funny to me because I am such an introvert, and my best friend is too. When we do go out though, we look for low key and chill spots but of course we like to have fun every here and there. Some restaurants I would definitely take her to are Brenner’s for brunch, The POST for midday snacks and treats, and Prey-Houston for dinner. These places all get five-star ratings in my book because I’ve had such great experiences at all of them, and they all carry their own styles/varieties of food options. Island 1515 is most definitely a fun hang out hookah spot with really good music and a live DJ on some nights. Of course, anyone visiting to Houston has to visit the Turkey Leg Hut for their environment and great food. The Natural Science Museum is free on Thursday, so you already know we’re seeing those butterflies in the dome habitat placed there. K-1 Racing Go karts are really fun and they have interesting tracks that make you actually want to get involved to be number one at the finish line. Everything indeed is bigger in Texas and there are honestly so many places I could choose from, but these are some selections that make my cut.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
If I have to give a shoutout to anyone it would most definitely be my grandmother. She’s honestly the reason I got started in any of this. If you all understood how nervous I was to invest in myself, then you’d understand just how serious this is. I always knew I could do great things in life, but with yarn? That sounded absolutely absurd, until I did it. My grandmother, Sella McLain, saw my potential in it and reassured me that it would work out in its own way if I just went for it. Her word was important to me because I knew she genuinely only wanted what was best for me. We talked on the phone moments before I purchased my first rug kit, and that conversation changed my perspective. it is crazy to think if I just shook her words off, I would not even be participating in this right now. This was just about a year ago, what you can do in just one year is truly unexplainable, you just have to be willing to go for it. I was hesitant due to all of the materials I would need, the start-up costs, and simply because an introvert like me was attempting to create a brand for the first time ever. I will forever be grateful for myself for starting and sticking with it. I would also like to give a shoutout to my family, my beautiful group of friends (Dom, Eric, Amari), my extremely supportive girlfriend Kyla, everyone who has supported me by either purchasing a rug or liking a post, and last but not least God. I wouldn’t be anywhere without him.

Instagram: @msa.creations

Linkedin: Maia Alexander

Twitter: @msarugcreations

Image Credits
Eric Taylor-one photo (supreme rug mash up)