Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannen Garza Hakim.
Shannen, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Art has been a strong part of building resilience throughout my life. As a child, I did not feel I fit into many spaces. This made the arts a natural environment to gravitate toward. In high school, I participated in dance, writing, graphic design, and photography. As I moved into college, I expanded on my writing skills in the Communications Department at University of St. Thomas and took photography at Glassell School of Art.
My true self began to form in grad school when I entered a Cross-Cultural Studies program at the University of Houston- Clear Lake. By this time, I’d taken a huge interest in traveling, understanding other cultures, and increasing equity across the globe by advocating for human rights. For most of my twenties, I applied what I learned to helping students of color apply for college and employment opportunities. However, in 2017 I reconnected with a classmate from college who has now become my wife. We had so much in common. She’d studied communications, public diplomacy and also spent much of her twenties traveling. A portion of that time was spent living in Guatemala working for an ethical fashion company that focused on artisan goods. One of our first trips together was to Guatemala, and it sparked a new interest: equity and access for female artisans in Central America.
Womxn on the Moon was developed out of the need to become more familiar with artisan life. I knew if I wanted to make a career change from education into artisan retail, I needed to understand what it was like to be a maker on a deeper level. I knew I wanted my company to have four focuses: female empowerment, diverse and inclusive branding, fair partnerships with artisans across the world, and community involvement that made an impact. And so, Womxn on the Moon was born.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Creating an inclusive brand has been challenging, especially because we exist in a time when so many overlooked communities are fighting to be seen and heard. I knew I wanted my target customer to be women who shared values of diversity and equity. Making those values known requires intentional branding choices that tell others what your company stands for. I named my business “Womxn on the Moon” and used the inclusive spelling of “womxn” to signify to others that my business is a safe space to all womxn. In addition, I wanted to use a play on the phrase “man on the moon” because it reminds us that there are spaces that womxn still have yet to enter. There has not yet been a womxn on the moon. Of course, the goal is not to literally promote equity in space travel but to bring attention to gender inequities and empower womxn to continue to close those gaps as they encounter them.
As an LGBTQ+ Afro-Latina, I worked hard to ensure the spaces I was marketing my emerging brand were owned by womxn, persons of color, and the LGBTQ+ community. For this reason, I became a vendor at Pride Market at Pearl Bar, Houston’s only lesbian bar. In addition, I sought out Latina owned businesses that had a history of empowering Latinx women, which led to signing on as a vendor at Kismet Boutique in East End. Finally, I applied to Blck Market Houston, one of the largest black-owned business markets in the United States. Finding spaces that empower these communities required that I was more intentional with my business planning, and therefore required more strategy, research, and time on my part.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Womxn on the Moon story. Tell us more about the business.
Womxn on the Moon is an online jewelry boutique that focuses on handcrafted earrings. My primary materials have included resin, seed beads, and various natural stones. I have loved having the ability to be intentional about the stones that are placed in my jewelry and to hear the stories of how my customers select pieces that speak to them. Stones are a starting point for a conversation of what humans value, what they are seeking in their lives, and the different experiences they have had.
I have also been proud to incorporate the styles that I have encountered while traveling in Mexico, Guatemala, and other Central American countries, but careful to be considerate of the history and social context of the cultures that I have come to admire. This means being reflective of my own connection to Latin and African cultures and how their experiences surface in their art.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I think that my effort to be very intentional about who I am and what I represent has brought me to all the right places at the right times. I am very privileged to have had the experiences that I’ve had in life and I’ve also worked hard to be surrounded by people that always seem to have the right contact, the right resource, the right advice, or the right words of encouragement. Together, as a collective, we have manifested so many great opportunities for one another. There are many who don’t have access to such individuals and I hope to change that through my community advocacy.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.womxnonthemoon.com
- Email: womxnonthemoon@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/womxnonthemoon
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/womxnonthemoon
Image Credit:
Nadia Hakim
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