Reflections by Zana was birthed in my kitchen. When my daughters, who love drawing, came to me to show me their newest creations—they didn’t reflect them. They reflected who they saw the most. And it wasn’t melanated characters.

 So I set out to change that. I didn’t think that such a simple 3-inch piece of wood would impact black professional women in such a way that it started a movement. I started painting wooden badges for healthcare professionals to wear on the job and showcase their accomplishments, and 12k badges later, we’ve grown to represent more professionals of color while on the job in so many more creative ways.

 I set out to show professional black women how we could be our own muses in today’s workplace – which is something that our generation grew up watching on TV and seeing in movies. The positive representation now seems to be limited or even recycled imagery, rather than regular, mainstream depictions of our creative, cultural, and career-minded diversity. When I created the first set of wooden badges mostly for nurses, I discovered that meaningful, personalized representation of us in the workplace was missing across the board.

 My creations were welcomed with open arms. Our Promise to You: We will continue to push boundaries in workplace representation and be the go-to place for all things artistically made and professionally displayed.