jaha Knight shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning jaha, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Travel. Quick city escapes with my husband have been my reset ritual. I land somewhere new, walk the neighborhoods, duck into little bookstores and museum shops and collect colors with my eyes. I keep a tiny travel kit—markers, my travel coloring books and a pocket watercolor set—and those color studies that often become future palettes. Travel slows me down, reminds me to wander without a to-do list, and fills the well so I come home softer, curious, and ready to make.”
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m jaha, the Brandsmith at dakari Moon—the Black Girl Imaginarium. I build whimsical, culturally rooted worlds where Black girls and women see themselves centered in fantasy and everyday ritual. Think coloring books, planners, and games that double as soul-care—art you can hold, use, and gift.
My path runs from teenage poet to newspaper founder to art teacher to dakari Moon, and I treat creativity like a wellness practice, not a hobby. Right now I’m rolling out travel sized coloring books, corporate Culture & Sip experiences and moving our products into stores.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
My aunt Barbara and my uncle EB shaped the way I see myself. Aunt Barbara was quiet and light—the most reasonable, gentle listener I’ve ever known—iron wrapped in satin. Her boundaries were sacred, and she taught me the lesson I live by: teach yourself. No one can take an education from you; reading will carry you where you need to go. Uncle EB was the counterweight. He believed motion makes meaning—do the thing, and action will move the needle on your goals. I’ve braided those two philosophies together: study deeply, then move; curiosity plus courage. That blend is how I build and lead today—learn, decide, ship—and it’s the backbone of dakari Moon.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
The day I stepped from page to mic. As a poet, my pain lived quietly on paper; as a spoken word artist, I laid it at the altar of the audience. In that shared breath, grief became a bridge. We mourned together, and I stood there, vulnerability, a resolution—not just a wound. That’s when pain stopped being a secret and became power: testimony that fuels my craft and gives others permission to heal out loud.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
Prince. I didn’t know him personally, so what I admire isn’t celebrity—it’s the character you can read in his creative choices: relentless discipline, world-building, and a refusal to dilute the work. He treated making like a sacred daily practice, and that’s my North Star. I’m built the same way with art and writing—I’ll sit with an idea longer than most people will and work it until it sings. Morning, noon, and night, I make. Endurance over ego—that’s the character I admire and the one I’m committed to.
Bonus Question from this stack: Where are smart people getting it wrong?
Smart people get it wrong when they treat creativity like gigs instead of assets. I did it early on—reinventing the wheel for every client, burning time and talent for a one-time check.
When I was teaching entrepreneurs to build brands, I saw the trap: service-only work is a treadmill. The fix is productization. We weren’t made for toil; toil is what happens when we keep building inside boxes someone else constructed. Step out, productize the magic, and let the work work for you.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
I’m laying a foundation of freedom for my daughters.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dakarimoonqr.com
- Instagram: dakarimoon
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@dakarimoon
- Other: Tiktok: https://tiktok.com/@dakarimoon
