Hello everyone and welcome to my page:)

My name is Shani Ealey and I am a writer, visual artist, spirit chaser, and empath living in Oakland, CA, by way of Stockton, CA. I feel best when building authentic, supportive, and loving relationships within the Black community and queer and trans communities. For the last 7 years, I’ve been doing the communications support thing for organizations working toward social and racial justice. And while I learned immensely from my peers, mentors, and supervisors over the years, the structure and interpersonal dynamics within the traditional 9-5 office job just didn’t fit with my spirit. It was this realization that led to the birth of a rhythm centered on intentional spirit-led artmaking.

It started in 2015. After quitting a particularly toxic racial justice org, I started drawing and painting everyday with no experience. AniKweens is what I called them and they celebrated the beauty and wonder of the divine feminine. And for the first time I began intentionally diminishing the value I placed on the external and began to listen within. The second time I came to this realization, I started making zines (What the Spirit Says) which spill out the levels upon levels of anti-Blackness, co-optation and misuse of Black women’s and queer and trans’ work, rampant colorism, and tokenism that is present within social and racial justice organizations.

For me, the process of artmaking, creating, making the intangible tangible has been one of the most healing and nourishing practices in my life. I believe that through art, through creating we have an opportunity to connect with our highest and truest selves. Through artmaking, we have the ability to reach down into the depths of who we are and affirm, heal, nourish, feed, witness, love and hold the parts of ourselves that need the most tending.

Shani Ealey visual artist | writer | spirit chaser Instagram: @ani_kweens