Brandi Nicole Williams (b. 2000) is a Chinese-American photographer based in San Diego. Her work revolves around themes of beauty within fleeting ordinary moments, natural or man-made. Her main drivers are her own family history and her continuing interest in shared experience throughout her communities to show the truth of the way of the world today.

The name Anaya belonged to her paternal family serving as their original surname prior to her grandfather Mel’s decision to change it after longterm experiences of discrimination at work.

After discovering this secret, Brandi became inspired to use “Anaia” as an artistic alias to connect even further with her ancestral lineage.