Meet Aniqua

My Kinda Thing is a company that uses imagery, usually in the form of crochet hand made doll designs, to celebrate and highlight those physical attributes that have historically been made to seem less beautiful. Through doll making and now branching out to illustrations, it makes a noticeable difference in the self esteem of Black Children (and Adults) to see images that resemble them! Next will be beautiful and unique stories to accompany those images. They will serve as relative tales that are more about us and our culture in a way that can only be accurately told by us.

Meet Nyasia

She opened with a personal story of loss, the death of her mother. It goes without saying the life-altering loss of a parent can really affect a young woman’s sense of being, of artistry. For Nyasia, the death of her mom reminded her to really live with purpose. And to be present.

So she started shooting with purpose. We got to see some of this.. and hear about the deeper meaning behind her photo work. She “tells stories for us and by us”. That’s what Nyasia is about.

Meet Jenn

Jenn’s talk was memorable AF. She spoke from the perspective of a Black female designer who lived and worked overseas in Asia for several years.

The format for her talk was super witty and fun, just like Jenn is IRL. During the making of this talk she was waking up for us in the US at early/late hours to connect with us. During the creation of her talk, she actually moved back to the U.S., after 3+ years in Tokyo. Talk about transitions! I loved laughing along as she told us how she got job, (or not), during the course of her courageous career.

Meet Harold

We got Harold’s submission video for Black Designers Ignite early on, and as someone well into his career we loved how he shared the full picture, on what his purpose in creating was.

“Through my work, my mission is to highlight the impact design, art and media has on our daily lives and be a positive force in turning ideas into reality.”

Meet Steffi

Steffi is growing into entrepreneurship and currently designing her brand, Holistic Spaces. Black Ignite served as a huge catalyst for her to get this off the ground and we are loving all the work she’s putting out! Be sure to check out Holistic Spaces on Instagram!

“Right now I am working on getting that dream job and establishing my business. I want to do more talks. I am the Co-chair of the Greenbuild 2020 Legacy Project at Olivewood Gardens in National City, CA and now booking speaking engagements.”

What Black Designers need..

Black Designers Ignite 2020, the theme was transitions. 35+ Black designers shared their truth and ideas for those hiring for more diversity and inclusion. Hint, hiring a black person doesn’t make you diverse.

Origin Story

Read the brief origin story of how Heatherlee started Black Designers Ignite after being called to action after attending the Where are the Black Designers conference.

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