Meet Shannon (she/they) & Anjna (they/them)

We recently connected with Shannon (she/they) & Anjna (they/them) and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Shannon (she/they) & Anjna (they/them), really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

Purpose is really at the core of everything we do at Sā Creative Playscape — in many ways, Sā is another term for purpose.

“The name Sā not only unites our first initials but also represents the tonic note in Carnatic & Hindustani music. Sā is the foundation from which all melodies unfold. In these traditions, the scale is relative, meaning we don’t strain our voices to fit the key; instead, we adjust the music to honor our natural resonance.

We believe creativity can work the same way. Every person deserves to create, express, & live in harmony with their own Sā — their core essence, purpose, and values. When we move from this place of deep self-knowledge and alignment, the possibilities are endless.”

We’ve built our work around helping others find that same sense of clarity: the vantage point, the backbone, the ethos, the value system, the mission, and the vision behind whatever it is they’re doing — even if that thing is simply living.

We also believe that to truly discover your purpose, you have to be willing to step outside of capitalism, traditional job structures, and rigid ideas of what will “pay.” A lot of people get stuck trying to define purpose within a system that was never designed to honor the full depth of who we are. But purpose is often much simpler, and far more expansive, than many people think. It doesn’t always have to be, “My purpose is to be a doctor” — sometimes your purpose is healing people, and that can manifest in countless ways. It’s not about narrowing yourself into one limited field or career ladder — it’s about allowing your purpose to translate across many forms of work, expression, and community impact.

We understand that purpose isn’t static; it shifts depending on so many factors — from our access needs and financial realities, to the needs of our communities, to the evolving state of justice in the world, and even to how our skills grow over time. But at its core, our purpose has remained constant: uplifting the lives, stories, and voices of fellow marginalized human beings through radically joyous and unabashedly authentic creativity. Whether that shows up in how someone dresses, how they present their work, their website, or even their wedding — it’s all an expression of purpose.

For us, finding that clarity came from doing the hard personal work of reflection — both individually and as a couple, and then professionally as a creative team. We asked ourselves: What is the common thread between every moment we’ve ever felt fulfilled? The answers were clear: being in community, making an impact, feeling fully expressed, engaging creatively, expanding our worldviews, and ultimately contributing to making the world a better place.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

We are Shannon (she/they) and Anjna (they/them), the creative duo, life partners, and co-founders behind Sā Creative Playscape — a multidisciplinary creative studio rooted in radical love, limitless creativity, and justice-centered design. Our work lives at the intersection of art, storytelling, and strategy, but at its core, it’s about helping people reclaim creativity as a right, not a luxury.

What makes our work so special is that we don’t just create for our clients — we create with them. Every project begins by helping each client discover their own Sā — their core essence, purpose, and values. From there, we translate that into creative expressions that feel deeply aligned and truly sustainable, whether that’s through brand identity, events, visual design, fashion styling, set design, music composition, or personal creative direction. We serve entrepreneurs, artists, non-profits, movement builders, and everyday folks who are looking to live, work, and express themselves in ways that honor both who they are and the communities they’re part of.

Professionally, we’re not only running Sā as a business — we’re building it as a creative ecosystem and movement. Our sliding-scale pricing model allows us to redistribute resources, making high-caliber creative services accessible to marginalized communities who are often excluded from these spaces, while partnering with values-aligned clients who have more resources to invest.

What’s most exciting for us right now is watching the ecosystem continue to grow. We’ve recently expanded our Sā Creative Collective, which allows us to bring in more collaborators — freelancers, artists, and service providers who share our values — and match them with projects that create both economic opportunity and community care. This isn’t just about scaling a business — it’s about reimagining what creative work can look like when it’s built on abundance, accessibility, and collective power.

At the end of the day, our biggest hope is that anyone who interacts with Sā — whether as a client, collaborator, or community member — feels more seen, more free, and more empowered to create from a place of deep resonance.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Looking back, there are three core qualities that have been most impactful in shaping our journey with Sā Creative Playscape:

1. Deep Listening & Subtextual Understanding
At the heart of what we do is an ability to listen beyond what people say they want, and really hear what they’re trying to feel, create, and embody. So much of our work is helping people move past “what they think they should create” and into the core of what truly resonates for them. That kind of humanity and connection is everything. We often talk about how Sā might look if others were to lead it someday — and while the creative output might shift, what grounds the work is this commitment to connection, communion, and co-conspiracy with our clients and collaborators.

Advice: Practice listening not just for words, but for emotion, longing, and energy. Ask yourself what people really want to feel — not just what they say they want to make.

2. Holistic & Big Picture Thinking
We’ve worked hard to cultivate a skillset that bridges creative vision with logistical execution. It’s one thing to dream up big ideas — it’s another to weave every single detail into a cohesive plan that actually works. Whether it’s understanding how someone’s outfit impacts the energy of their wedding ceremony, or how a brand’s visual identity informs their community engagement, we’re constantly connecting micro-decisions back to the larger vision. For us, creative direction is as much about building roadmaps and strategic frameworks as it is about generating ideas.

Advice: Don’t stop at the concept — practice building the systems that bring your ideas to life. The strongest creative visions are the ones that have been thoughtfully scaffolded into reality.

3. Reverence for Every Role Involved
We hold a deep respect for the labor, expertise, and experiences that go into every piece of a project — from the creative director to the set builder to the person setting up chairs. This comes from our personal experiences: Shannon grew up doing every task imaginable in her family’s restaurant; Anjna’s background in theater taught them the importance of every role in a production. We approach collaboration as collective care — not as hierarchical oversight. That reverence allows us to work within complex creative ecosystems where everyone feels seen, valued, and protected.

Advice: Learn as much as you can about every piece of the process — even (and especially) the parts that aren’t your job. When you understand what it takes for every person to succeed, you become a stronger and more ethical leader.

How would you describe your ideal client?

We created Sā Creative Playscape because we couldn’t find creative spaces that fully held who we are — as Black, South Indian, queer, trans, non-binary, disabled, neurodivergent artists and strategists navigating chronic illness, capitalism, and systems that were never built for us. Our ideal clients are people who understand, resonate with, or honor those lived experiences, and who want to build something that is values-driven, community-rooted, and sustainable.

We work across industries — not just with creatives — and partner with people, businesses, movements, and organizations who are ready to move with intention. Whether someone is building a brand, launching a business, producing an event, or reimagining personal rituals, our work is rooted in co-creation, long-term thinking, and deep alignment. Our clients are often:

✊🏽 Entrepreneurs, small businesses, and startups

✊🏽 Community nonprofits and grassroots movements

✊🏽 Artists, healers, educators, and creatives

✊🏽 Bands, performance collectives, and artistic groups

✊🏽 Values-aligned larger businesses and organizations

✊🏽 Galleries, museums, and cultural institutions

✊🏽 Humans seeking creative expression for personal milestones (weddings, rituals, events, etc.)

We thrive in partnership with folks who are invested not just in a deliverable, but in building creative ecosystems. Our best collaborations happen when clients trust the process, are open to dreaming expansively, and value our role as both creative directors and strategic guides.

Because we’re a multidisciplinary studio, we’re able to work across many forms — from brand strategy and visual identity to fashion design, set design, events, music composition, digital storytelling, and more. But no matter the medium, we move at the pace of care, not capitalism. Like slow fashion, our work is handcrafted, intentionally paced, and built for long-term sustainability — not rushed timelines or quick-fix solutions.

We also know that financial accessibility is essential. That’s why we created our Sā Discovery process, which allows anyone to receive a fully customized strategy, roadmap, and action plan for $600. Whether or not clients move forward with full creative execution, they leave with clear, actionable direction. This allows us to offer high-level strategy to folks at different budget levels, while our restorative pricing model redistributes resources to make full-scale services accessible for those who have historically been excluded.

At the heart of it, our ideal clients are people who want to build something rooted in alignment, justice, and collective care — people who are ready to build movements, not just products, and who want creative partners who will grow alongside them for the long haul.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sacreativeplayscape.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sacreativeplayscape/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaCreativePlayscape/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sa-creative-playscape
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/SACreativePlayscape/
  

  @sacreativeplayscape

  
  https://www.threads.com/@sacreativeplayscape

Image Credits

Make-up: Jillian Wilkey
Photography: Hey Zinah Photography