Happy Mōhalu!
First things first: I hope you all voted!
ok...
I’ve taken a break from social media this past month and I have been using this time to re-focus my goals. I’m currently working on putting a patreon together so that I can move more of my work online. I’ll have different tiers for subscribers and I will be doing livestreams, cover videos, workshops and more. I’ll be sure to update you all as soon as it’s up and running! For now, you can catch me on episode 6 of Ho'ola Hawai'i singing my song "Insomniac's Lullaby". I'll be on two other episodes so be sure to check back on their website to see those performances!
Part of re-focusing my goals included learning more. I’ve started reading a few book on Hawaiian mythology, navigation and history so that my music and art can be better informed. The books that I’ve started to read are: The epic tale of Hi’iakaikapoliopele, Nā Inoa Hōkū, & Reclaiming Kalākaua: Nineteenth-Century Perspectives on a Hawaiian Sovereign. I've read The Epic Tale before but never in it's entirety. The parts that I've read inspired my song "Re-Creation". My goal is to finish it by the end of the year. I’ve also been spending some virtual time with my good friend, Kimie Miner. We’ve been doing some songwriting for Na Kama Kai, a non-profit organization that is working to epower keiki by connecting them to kai (sea) & ‘āina (land). This is such a wonderful organization. Please consider making a donation to them here!
I’m still spending a lot of time in the water and appreciating the abscense of the crowds.For this month’s Spotify playlist, I’ve decided to keep the songs from the past two months and add on songs that have been the soundtrack to my drives to the beach to surf. I'll leave you all with two short interviews that I recently enjoyed. Isabella Aiona Abbott is the first Native Hawaiian woman to earn a PhD in Science and Puakea Nogelmeir is an award winning songwriter, kumu hula and Associate Professor of Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai'i. Click on the links to listen and enjoy!
Until the next Mōhalu,
-Izik
The Strawberry Moon rising above Lē'ahi, July 4 2020
Comments