Rising Stars: Meet Susan Davis- Morales of Phoenix

Today we’d like to introduce you to Susan Davis- Morales.

Hi Susan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Yes. Thank you! My story hasn’t followed a straight line, but it has always been guided by purpose.

For many years, my work centered on service and systems. I worked closely with people experiencing homelessness and with vulnerable adults in behavioral health, alongside a career in HR leadership, employment law, and consulting. It was demanding, meaningful work, often rooted in crisis and survival. I was good at navigating complexity and advocating for others, but over time I realized I was living almost entirely inside urgency — helping people endure, while rarely pausing to ask what it meant to truly live.

Be You. Always. began during that season, long before it was a business or a book. It started as a message of hope shared with people who were struggling to hold on to it. Working with individuals who had been stripped of stability, identity, and worth by circumstance made one truth unmistakably clear: each person was the only version of themselves this world would ever have. That alone made them inherently valuable. Be. You. Always. became a reminder — not a slogan, but a lifeline.

When I eventually stepped away from crisis-driven systems to live differently, that philosophy took physical form first. Tie dye began as a grounding, creative practice and grew into Be You Always, an online, Phoenix-based, small-batch tie-dye shop. There was never another name it could have carried without losing its integrity — each piece is intentionally one of a kind, reflecting the belief that authenticity doesn’t require fixing or refinement.

About two years later, writing followed. The same message that lived in color and fabric found its way onto the page, becoming my memoir, Be You. Always.: The Colorful Path from Breakdown to Peace. The book gave language to the experiences, lessons, and unlearning that had shaped both my life and my work.

Today, my work as a maker and an author reflects where I’ve landed. Whether through wearable art or storytelling, the message remains the same: be unapologetic, be authentic, be as loud or as quiet as you wish. There is no correct way to exist. There is only one requirement — be you, always.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road, though not in the ways people might assume.

From a business standpoint, the logistics were fairly straightforward. Obtaining my EIN, securing my TPT license, waiting the six months required for my USPTO trade name approval, and building my e-commerce website from the ground up myself were all procedural and manageable. Those steps were clear, defined, and familiar territory for someone with my professional background.

What wasn’t straightforward was the learning curve. Moving from the Nana who tie-dyed with her grandkids as a hobby using the cheapest dye kits I could find on Amazon into a skilled, purposeful, professional dye artisan required an intense commitment to learning. It meant hours upon hours of instruction, experimentation, failure, and repetition. I sought out experienced dye artists, reached out to the masters for guidance, and kept pushing through the gap between what I envisioned and what I could actually execute with my hands.

The biggest struggle, though, wasn’t technical. It was internal. I had to reposition my own identity. I am a legal consultant in employment law matters, but I was never truly the office-going, suit-wearing, every-hair-in-its-place person. I question whether I was ever authentically that person at all. Giving myself permission to step fully into my authentic form meant defining who I was without external rules to lean on, and that kind of freedom can be surprisingly uncomfortable.

Today, I no longer see these identities as separate or conflicting. I am a dye artisan. I am an employment law consultant. I am an author. All of them exist within the same person. An authentic, colorful, not-always-perfect human who has allowed herself to grow into who she actually is.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
At its core, my work is about authenticity made visible.

As a dye artisan, I create small-batch, hand-dyed wearable art through my online shop, Be You Always. My work doesn’t fit neatly into a specific tie-dye genre, and that’s intentional. I don’t chase trends or formulas. Some days my work is bold and saturated, other days it’s quieter and more restrained. When I’m creating freely, the art reflects exactly where I am in that moment.

The same philosophy guides my writing. My memoir, Be You. Always.: The Colorful Path from Breakdown to Peace, doesn’t sit comfortably in a single category of memoir or education. It lives in the space between science, lived experience, reflection, and truth telling. That overlap is where I do my best work, both on the page and in fabric.

What truly sets my wearable art apart is how I approach custom pieces. When someone commissions work from me, I ask for one thing beyond the technical details of the order. I ask for their favorite song or songs, depending on how many pieces I’m creating. Music carries emotion, memory, rhythm, and energy in a way few things do. Their music, their vibe, becomes the foundation of the piece. It intentionally removes me from the equation and places them at the center of the work.

The colors, movement, and flow are driven by their energy, not mine. It’s the only way I know how to create something that genuinely belongs to the person who will wear it. The result isn’t just a garment. It’s a reflection.

Every dye artisan brings something special to the craft, and I have deep respect for that. What I know for certain is that this is the only way I can work authentically. Whether through fabric or words, my goal is the same. To create something honest. Something personal. Something that allows people to see themselves more clearly.

What I’m most proud of is the integrity behind that choice. I stopped trying to fit myself or my work into preexisting boxes. Instead, I built something that reflects who I am and leaves room for others to do the same.

That matters to me because I believe deeply in the resilience of the human spirit. I’ve seen what happens when people are marginalized, stifled, erased, and made to feel invisible; when they’re told, directly or indirectly, that who they are is too much, not enough, or somehow wrong. I’ve also seen what happens when people are reminded of their inherent worth and allowed to take up space as themselves. If my work helps someone feel seen, affirmed, or reconnected to that inner resilience, even briefly, then it’s doing exactly what I hope it will.

Be you. Always.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
That’s a tough question for me because I’m a San Diego girl at heart. When I moved to Phoenix in the late 1980s, I experienced real culture shock. The people, the services, and especially the weather all gave me pause, and for a long time I questioned whether Phoenix would ever truly feel like home.

Today, I see the city very differently.

What I love most about Phoenix is its people and its diversity. Over time, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for the richness of cultures, histories, and communities that coexist here. I also love the desert itself. It’s both simple and complex, understated and dramatic. I’m no stranger to beautiful sunsets, but the variety of weather changes in Phoenix creates sunsets that are constantly changing and unexpectedly stunning. Believe it or not, I enjoy the weather changes here more than anywhere I’ve ever lived or visited.

I also genuinely appreciate how navigable the city is. Phoenix’s layout makes it easy to understand and move through. I can look at an address and immediately know where I’m going, which feels like a small but meaningful kindness in daily life.

What I like least is probably no surprise. The heat can be intense, and I will always miss the ocean. I was raised in a city where the ocean was an imperative, not just a vacation destination, and I still miss the greenery and coastal air of my hometown.

That said, Phoenix has its own beauty. My husband helps me see it through his eyes. He’s a Phoenician, born and raised right here on the west side of the valley, and his connection to this place has deepened my own. Our neighborhood is rich with culture and community. For a long time, before the climate around belonging began to harden, I loved that I could sit in my backyard and hear mariachi bands practicing, family gatherings filled with music and laughter, and the easy camaraderie of people living their lives around me. Even without sharing the same language or background, it felt like home in a way that was deeply grounding. I’ve lived in several neighborhoods in and around Phoenix, and that sense of community and diversity has remained consistent wherever I’ve been.

Ultimately, diversity is my favorite part of Phoenix, followed closely by the beauty of Arizona itself. It’s a city that taught me what belonging can feel like when difference isn’t something to overcome, but something to live alongside.

Pricing:

• Ready-to-wear tie-dye pieces vary by garment type, size, and design and are priced individually in the online shop.
• Custom wearable art commissions are priced based on the number of pieces requested and the scope of the work.
• Each custom commission includes a personalized creative process centered on the client, including music-based inspiration.
• Books are available through standard retail channels, with signed copies occasionally offered directly.
• If you see a piece you love but it isn’t available in your size, you’re welcome to contact me by email with the item and size you’re looking for. I can create a piece almost like it at the same price.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.beyoualways.shop/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyoualwaystiedye
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeYouAlwys
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FLVWHGH5