Black Girl Magic
Image by Kayla Wooldridge
By: Maria Manuela
Janell Langford is an artist who creates her own beautiful universe. It’s called Obsidiopolis, and it is all about Black girl magic.
The name comes from the stone obsidian, which is a natural ward against negativity and enhances truth. “Obsidiopolis is a creation and curation of unending black girl magic. It’s for Black women, it’s for Black girls. Black girls and women need to be encouraged to stand in their truth, even when the world is not ready to listen.
“And they need protection too, because people are out here killing us. It is like a utopia I created as a safe space. Often as a Black person you think where is a utopia for us? Where can we go to feel safe and free? I don't know if it really exists.”
Janell has been an artist since childhood, when drawing was her personal form of therapy and a means to escape a chaotic household. She says it set her mind at ease.
She went to graphic design school at Seattle Central Creative Academy, graduating in 2016. She was attracted to the multiplicity of career options available to a trained graphic designer, and she fell in love with branding. At the end of the program, the students showcased their work in an exhibit they referred to as the “portshowlio,” and Janell debuted Obsidiopolis at the graduation event. “I was making jewelry, wrapping paper, tee shirts, bags you name it.” Her classmates were amazed by the brand and encouraged her to pursue it and make it a reality.
“I started Obsidiopolis as a backlash for what I was experiencing in Seattle. Especially in my program, I was the only Black person in the program at the time. And when you are a Black or brown person in white spaces you tend to feel isolated.
“The program was very intense, but (the isolation) adds a layer onto whatever you’re feeling; whether you’re not feeling good enough; or you’re struggling in a class; just the typical insecurities you would have in an intense academic atmosphere. So, I turned to creating something that was for Black women. Something that Black young girls, or women of all ages could look at and just smile.
When you are a Black or brown person in white spaces you tend to feel isolated.
“I was illustrating what I wanted to see more of in my life at the time, which was more Black women, more Black femmes. I wanted to be around and surrounded by a more colorful—and when I say colorful, I mean literally colorful, pops of joy.”
Obsidiopolis is a bright, happy world; Janell jokes that she likes to stick to light subject matter like coffee and ice cream. Her illustrations borrow from retro aesthetics that give them a classic feel. Janell’s illustrations feature fashionable Black women in bright ensembles that match with and juxtapose their surroundings. They’re hanging outside of coffee shops, enjoying popsicles and wearing cozy scarves. She draws Black women doing yoga, reading, practicing self-care and taking baths.
“Obsidiopolis is unapologetically femme and Black and pop and fashionable and colorful. Black women are my muse.”
In 2017 Janell and her partner relocated to Santa Fe when her partner got a job at Meow Wolf. Shortly after, she also began working with Meow Wolf, a partnership which has allowed her to work on Obsidiopolis full time. She says the pairing was an easy decision, because she sees the ethos of Meow Wolf as being close to her own. “Meow Wolf represents the bridge between art and play. When we’re kids, art and play are borderless, one in the same. Meow Wolf kind of reintroduces that for the artists and to the person experiencing the art. When I created Obsidiopolis, that was the same goal for me.”
She’s proud of everything she’s accomplished with her creative paradise, and of the example she sets for young Black girls. Janell is proof that any dream is tangible. “I think this would have been my childhood dream adult job. I have 8 nieces, so it's super inspiring for me to make a living off of something that I am passionate about and I really like doing because it sets a really good example for young Black girls. If I saw someone doing what I am doing when I was younger, I would have been really impressed.”
“Obsidiopolis is unapologetically femme and Black and pop and fashionable and colorful. Black women are my muse.”
Her work was featured in Essence Magazine, a personal high for Janell. “That was obviously a really big deal for me. I grew up with Essence and Ebony all over our house. My mom subscribes to Essence magazine now and ever since the ‘80s it’s been part of my life. And just what that magazine represents, it’s just super inspiring. So that was definitely a highlight.”
Today, Janell is hard at work expanding her universe with a comic book series set in Obsidiopolis. “It literally has Black girl magic in it and other fantastical elements. Obsidiopolis was created as a through-the-looking-glass utopia that is ruled and inhabited by mostly Black women. I wanted it to be a designed universe centered around the Black femme experience.”
**This is a series highlighting black business owners in New Mexico. While were are not able to feature every black woman , we will have a permanent ongoing list of black women-owned businesses on the site.**
Please support the following:
Ayanna Freeman—Leela’s Body Cocktails, Albuquerque
Monique Stefania Carr—Spellbound Syrups, Albuquerque
Janelle Langford—Obsidiopolis, Santa Fe
Ayla Bystrom Williams—Honeymoon Brewery, Santa Fe
Queneesha Meyers—Q’s Cakes, Albuquerque
Shunnae tktk—Flower Loop, Albuquerque
Ebony Isis Booth—Burque Noir, Albuquerque
Chloe Nixon, singer Albuquerque
Asia and Kia—Elle Naturalle, Albuquerque
Dionne Christian—Revolution Bakery, Santa Fe
Iyawo Tintawi Kaigziabiher, 13 Months Imports, Ile Ife, Santa Fe
Neema Pickett, Young Women Rising, Santa Fe
Nikesha Breeze, Artist and Sculptor, Santa Fe
Mi’Jan Celie Biaz, Oral Historian, Santa Fe
Lakiesha Cotton, Activist, Santa Fe
La Gina Glass, Prana Blessings, Santa Fe
Lara Rabkin, Bark Paper Interior Design, Santa Fe
Zippy Guerin—Santa Fe Found, Santa Fe
Sunshine Muse, NM Birth Equity, Santa Fe
About the Author: Maria Manuela is a writer based in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she was born and raised. She focuses on highlighting artists, designers and creative locals in her work which has been featured in publications like New Mexico Magazine, Good Mood, and THE Magazine. She curates and authors the arts section of UNUM, highlighting women who work in creative professions. She is also in the process of writing a short story collection of magical realism folk stories based in the Southwest.