Many say that ‘Validation is for parking.’ After discovering her black girl magic, entrepreneur Neosha Gardner tends to find that quote true. “My magic is being able to live without need for validation. For a long time I wasn't as strong as I am today. I allowed people to manipulate and take advantage - without even realizing it. I found my magic the moment I stopped settling for what never uplifted my life or me. No regrets, and nothing but joy and happiness in living in my truth - even if others hate it.”
And you will love how the naysayers have motivated her. Gardner tells HuffPost to tell us more about the world of stock photos and how she took to her love for photography to build a photo brand for creative women of color called CreateHER stock once she realized there was a lack of image options for black creators available online. Her site, which allows individuals and companies a monthly subscription to a growing gallery of over 1,300 images, has a stockpile of the black experience seen through the eyes of black women.
“The content CHS creates is something I want to always be relative to the black girl magic lifestyle and our everyday lives as women, as creators, and curators of all things that just feel good. Everyday we have to look past what society thinks of Black girls and showing out by being fearless, unapologetic, and REAL women. Black girls do a lot and much of it goes unappreciated and/or we're told we're not good enough, etc.”
The lack of racial diversity in the stock photo industry isn’t new so much as it even affects your learning. A search of almost any general category on stock photo sites produces the common results of white men, skinny white women, or small white children. Writer Rachel Kay Albers reported her findings in a search for diverse imagery on RKA Ink.
“Of the 120 women featured above at the top of search results on DepositPhotos, GraphicStock, iStock, and Shutterstock, 5 were visibly multi-ethnic women. How can stock photography be a useful tool, and not a hindrance, when by and large, the majority of stock photography available represents a single world view, mainly that of young, white, upper middle class, heterosexual, pretty people – all laughing alone with salad? Media plays a huge part in bolstering the status quo and effectively excluding large parts of the population. So much of the imagery we see — online and offline — culminates to send the message: If you don’t look like this or live like this, you don’t belong.”
The young mother of 2 recognized the same issue when she was unable to outsource image content that reflected her audience and self. She’s not alone in building a space for black women to see themselves. The Morillo sisters of Women in Color in Tech (#WOCinTech) witnessed an even bigger disparity in the tech industry and have begun curating photography for African American women in this field. More and more women-owned stock sites like TONL, BRWN, and Jopwell have stepped up to provide more imagery for all people of color while the world’s most viewed stock photo websites fall far behind.
CreateHER Stock doesn’t leave out the full black adult experience either. From young teens to students to grandmothers, the website’s stock collections meet the needs of all marketers even if they don’t want to make the effort or do the work to promote us to us. These photos carry the beauty, strength, and power of black women. “The market for "black stock" isn't valued. I actually feel it's perfectly fine that society doesn't make marketing to us in the industry a priority because only we can market best to those who look like us. In many of our collections you’ll find lots of smiles, excitement, love, beauty, and overall genuine interaction that radiates from what we create. It's rare to catch any image that reflects anything other than something positive - and that's on purpose. ”
And having purpose should always be the plan. Gardner loves the work she is doing with CreateHER Stock and the local creative communities that support her during photo shoots. She shares with HuffPost a sense of solace with her belief in supporting one another is what keeps her going, because there is always a black business out there that can get you what you need with the service you expect.
“I'm a firm believer in supporting others within your niche. Most worry about just being competition but we all create platforms that offer various versions of what's great. If we don't have something someone is seeking, we can refer them to those who may. Of course, not everyone within your own community will be willing to support, simply due to past experiences with others that weren't as great as they hoped. Then you have those who expect a lot more than they should. Those who do support us are all that matter.
Representation matters to Gardner and she is steadfast in making sure that CreateHER Stock is leading in content for black women creatives and and counterparts. CHS works with photographers in Atlanta, Houston, and other major cities to bring together photos with creative spaces as the backdrop and unique people to showcase the theme. As the site grows, Gardner can settle on one thing: that everyone wins when you work together. She ends our chat with, “You can't be everything to everyone but you can always continue to grow and do better. We can all win.”
The #SellingBlackGirlMagic is an independent series profiling black female owned businesses. Each business carries product or offers a service that compliments the magic of the everyday black woman.