Ka Wai Ola: A Journey in Motion

Ka Wai Ola: A Journey in Motion

I am at a crossroads. A shifting point. A pivot.

With my blog posts, I am committing myself to transparency. I want to let you in on a bit of what goes on within my creative journey, my healing process, and how I see the well-being of our people here in Hawai’i. This is an homage to the way I put order to chaos—one design and one word at a time.

My journey within my art has always meant more than making money. It’s about learning to understand energy, currents, history, geology, psychology, human nature, evolution, healing, mindful awareness, and the epitome it has brought us to, here in this moment. It is an endless learning journey and up until this point, my lack of courage has led me to share only 2% of what I've learned and what I see in this world within my work, my designs, and my thoughts behind each one. So here it goes.

Ka Wai Ola. This business has taken me to many shores, introduced me to many faces, and has allowed me to be a part of endless amazing opportunities. All of which I learned so much from. Showing me what I have the potential to become and the consequence of what I never want to become. I take precautions with how I hold myself in this world, interact with people, and contribute to our healing. It is a reflection of all those who raised me. These life experiences have all brought me to the same conclusion. I can never grow my business at the expense of our land or our people.

It’s taken me to the roots of why I don’t know how to feed into a capitalist world and contribute to finite materials and production for financial gain. Lots of questions run through my head when iʻve considered new creations. What will my products be made at the expense of? Who is making them? What kind of machines are being used? What kind of materials? At what level are these industries using resources that are unhealthy or being depleted? How long will they last and impact the world after we are gone? Everything has a cost and being that I understand the financial situation of my people here in Hawaiʻi, my conscience would never survive through the stress and anxiety that would become of me, knowing that I would be adding to its demise.

Yes, I drive a car and I buy things from the store, but it has only led me to push further and deeper into what is actually important. The difference between wants and need and what being sovereign truly is. It is not the country that holds our title, it is our ability to feed each other and ourselves. Mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

For this reason, my business has never grown past the purity of small intentional steps. I used it as motivation to heal, to strengthen my mental discipline, the relationships that feed me, to study my ass off to better understand how our minds work, how this world works, how it came to be and where we are heading. What will the state of this world be when my grandchildren are born?

When I was in High School we used to travel a lot sharing testimony in legislative sessions and training sessions. Learning how to facilitate meetings, events, and programs for the pure intent of strengthening our skills and our connections with our peers to widen our perspective. We were handed a torch and tasked with helping others light theirs. This is what shaped Ka Wai Ola all those years ago.

This continued with the support of other organizations after I graduated and took me to shores far across the ocean and our Pae ʻĀina. I quickly learned that there is suffering everywhere. These experiences provided a lens of perspective tracing me to truly understanding raw beauty and the wonder that grows from our creations, adaptation, and evolution. Without struggle, conflict and discomfort there is no wonder, no change, no beauty in simple moments, and no creation. Learning this brought beauty to every experience and every emotion kindled by my body's systems. It is my compass but not my decision-maker. It is my guiding light.

Throughout this journey of life, I am committed to remaining like water. To embody the strength, resilience, and depth that water holds while it travels. There is no easy path that it endures, but it does with strength and courage, while providing vitality and healing.

I am not sure why this happens to be the topic of my first blog post and it somewhat feels like a big fat blurb. But perhaps this is my mind reminding my body to stay on the path in life. To remind me of the words I spoke at Lonoualiʻi when I dedicated my life as a teenager to the next 7 generations, in front of my biggest mentors and thousands unseen. Ka Wai Ola is shifting. I am unsure of how my crazy plans will pan out, but like wai (water), it is within the journey that it finds its way.

I guess that’s all I have to share for now and thank you for reading this far. Stay tuned for my next blog post. I will be sharing my take on motivation and discipline through the lens of different things iʻve learned over the years in overcoming addiction and unhealthy habits. I’ll also be sharing something new to look forward to… something I’ve never done before. It is the sum of all the studies I’ve been doing for the past 8 years and I can’t wait to share it all with you. Mahalo for reading, I’ll see you again soon.

me ke aloha nui a me ka ha’aha’a, xo liko

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