Polani Mo'okini

For those of you who are in the space, you might have noticed a little re-decoration besides the sanitizers, uno cards and other COVID-19 precautions-and that’s because we have a NEW Impact Art Gallery!

Meet our resident artist from now until the rest of the year, Dawn Yoshimura.

Born and raised on the Windward side of O’ahu, Dawn is story-based artist. She likes to create plain air paintings where she hears a story about a place (or makes up her own) and paints her response to it. She also has an interest in making ceramic hand-built forms and collaborative projects with other artists or community groups. Dawn has created Straddling Worlds, an art Gallery that is representative of the places she has been to, communities she’s worked with, and stories she has come to discover.  All of her artwork on display at the Hub come with a QR code for you to read more about the story that lives in each piece.

One of her better known pieces are called Color Bridges, which are abstract visual prayers of encouragement. Dawn is actually hosting several collaborative workshops to create these Color Bridges in order to bring forth a sense of community, and an opportunity to mentally/spiritually help people struggling during this time of the unknown. Her Color Bridges are a series painted on mulberry paper while she was thinking about how to fuse her values; absorbed growing up here in Hawai’i and her ethnic heritage of Japanese ancestry. Mulberry paper seemed a good common material to use to paint her prayers for peace, encouragement, and acknowledgement of someone pursuing their dreams. A sense of solitude, gratitude and anxiousness are all represented in these pieces since they were done in between shut downs.

Paint Yourself Happy Online workshops allow Hub members to pickup a complimentary art kit, and paint their own Color Bridge alongside Dawn through an online stream. The first workshop is this Friday Oct. 30th, and they will continue through the end of the year. Click here to sign up for this Friday! 

Meet Dawn!

• What’s your favorite kind of art?

My favorite kind of art is when I see the hand of the artist responding from direct observation of nature.

• In your opinion, why is art important?

Everyone says art is important–but I find that feeling safe and confident enough to express your creativity is the most important mission in life than any artwork ever created. I teach because I find the majority of people have been wounded quite early in life and when I meet them, they are afraid. They need encouragement and skills to even dare to try to make something that is pleasing…for them. My Color Bridge workshops is about addressing this–I present watercolor as something fun and non-threatening but also a glimpse of the challenge, because if something is too simple or easy, wounded creatives mistrust this and themselves. Effort has to be rewarding. Artwork in the end is just a result. it is the making of art at all levels that is essential for a healthy society. I am an artist, as an artist, we are always asking ‘why’ and observing. Sometimes the artwork produced is groundbreaking and at the edge of comprehension and acceptance. Sometimes it is affirming and endless variations of a theme. Sometimes it is private therapy, not meant for other eyes except God’s. If everyone got art training as children from nurturing adults, we would have more skilled problem solvers, innovators, decorators, inventors, curators, caretakers, writers, filmmakers, singers, engineers, lawyers and musicians. Not everyone needs to become an artist to benefit from learning about and making art. But everyone can benefit from learning about and appreciating art.

• When did you become a member of the Hub?

I became a member because I needed a place to rest and work in town. I hate driving and live in Kaneohe, so I would plan my day so I would drive as little as possible and book as many appointments as I could in one day. The hub was perfectly located, felt like my old offices in Sweden at the Volvo Group and I felt like I had a home in town when I needed it!

Tell me about a piece that will be on display at the Hub?

Arrival of the First Nations is an imagined piece about how Kaneohe Bay may have looked after terraforming began with the ProtoPolynesians planting their canoe plants. I come from Kaneohe so I often fantasized as a kid what is was like when it was a Hawaiian village before it got it’s name.

• Why do you think it’s important to showcase local artists?

It is important to showcase local artists because we have a perspective and sense of time here that doesn’t come from the tourist or frequent visitor. A tourists’ eye of Hawai’i is through the filter of the brand of Hawai’i and the filter of the local is informed with their own history but also of those in their community. If you think of art as only a product–then, yes, you can showcase other producers of art about Hawai’i and it would probably sell well–but art, like language, music and food, is an expression of the culture and times of a specific locale. A traveler will appreciate this nuance and seeks out and enjoys sampling other cultures and can be transformed or enhanced by the experience. If people can’t see local artists at work–they will only see the brand of Hawai’i that tourists pay for. For locals, it is also important to see local artists–because we are mirrors of our community and our work acknowledges their existence and POV and experiences. This can be humorous, political, observational, documentary in nature but without showing local artists–we are all invisible.

• Where can people find you online/get in touch with you?

You can find me at @dawnyoshimurastudio on instagram and facebook, my website or email dawn@dawnyoshimurastudio.com

NEXT FOR ME AND HUB COWORKING HAWAI’I PARTNER TO EMPOWER TODAY’S WORKERS

Honolulu, Hawai’i (September 23, 2020) 一 Hub Coworking Hawai’i, a Honolulu-based coworking, office, community, and event space – known as the Hub –has partnered with Next For Me, a media company that publishes books, newsletters, and research on the topics of entrepreneurship, career moves, and what’s next for today’s workers. This partnership was created to empower entrepreneurs, working professionals, and curious individuals to excel in their careers, and reach their goals.  

By virtue of this partnership, Hub members will receive Next For Me books, courses, virtual events, and guides, free of charge. With these resources, Hub members will have access to advice, tips, and group sessions, so that they can actively participate and work towards the next steps in their careers.

There are eight Hub members signed up for the first cohort to work through the course and book  “Next For Me: A Guide To Change For Everybody”. Together, the members will complete video lectures, course exercises,  real-time meetings, and online discussions to build a collaborative cohort of motivated professionals. This is intended to be a “low-lift” program, suited to catalyze new moves for members during this time of change. 

“The Hub team has been actively looking for ways to support our members,” said George Yarbrough, co-founder of the Hub. “After reading “Next For Me: A Guide To Change For Everybody”, I was inspired to offer this opportunity to our collective of small business owners, entrepreneurs and other members who I knew were going through difficult times at the moment. I am hopeful that this partnership will spark our Hub community and allow our members to reach their goals and do the work that they love.”

Jeff Tidwell, CEO and Founder of Next For Me, said of the partnership, “Our company has Aloha in our DNA so we are delighted to be working with the Hub and the innovators in their community. We believe this partnership will drive innovation by sharing our resources and techniques to smooth the way for positive transitions.”

For more information about this partnership, or to find out about how you can utilize Next For Me’s resources, please visit our websites listed below. 

Next For Me: 

Next For Me is on a mission to make your next career move your best yet. The company offers training, online courses, books, newsletters, and research on the topics of entrepreneurship, career moves, and what’s next, punctuated by the impact on work by COVID-19. For more information, please visit www.nextforme.com.

Hub Coworking Hawai’i:

Started by George Yarbrough and Nam Vu, “The Hub” as it is more commonly known serves as a multipurpose space for coworking, events, meetings, studying, idea smithing, and more. The idea is to give Hawaii’s community a non-traditional place to work, share ideas, and grow exponentially. With all of its components and community aligned mission, the Hub forms a diverse and collaborative space that spikes productivity while providing members with a network of other motivated individuals. The Hub is home to a range of companies from startups to national corporations. Memberships range from 24/7 unlimited access, to daily passes. 

For more information on how you can join the Hub community, please visit HubCoworkingHI.com or follow them on Instagram and Facebook @HubCoworkingHi.

Special Mahalo to the members who have signed up to participate in the first cohort of this partnership. We truly hope that this programming helps to launch y0ur next venture and leads you on the path to achieving your goals.

-The Hub Team

Ever wonder who creates the artwork displayed inside the Hub? You know, the dinosaurs, the comics, those abstract paintings?

Each month the Hub chooses a different local artist and exhibits their work, to showcase our community’s incredible talent. We love this because it creates the opportunity to support our local artists, foster new connections, spark conversations, and drive creativity through our ever evolving workspace decor. 

The Impact Art Gallery is our version of an art residency program. This space gives local artists an opportunity to share and sell their work. This month, we will share the art virtually as well.   Past artists have included: Lauren Hana Chai, Boz Schurr, Sheanae Tam, Bai Xin Chen, Ryan Higa, Aria Villafranca and Lauren Trangmar.

Sarah Kawaonahele Opaieie Mapuana Farris is our resident local artist for August.  Farris is a Native Hawaiian artist who is currently finishing her last semester at the University of Hawaii with a degree in marketing. You may have seen her working at Deck Waikiki and Arvo Cafe, and if not, you have definitely seen her artwork in various local businesses around O’ahu, such as Morning Brew Cafe and Beyond Fitness Hawai’i in Kakaako, Sunrise Shack in Waikiki, and on MoistHawaii merchandise –– an environmental awareness clothing brand.

This summer, she volunteered for Mele Murals, an organization that focuses on bringing local artists, musicians, and cultural advisors together to preserve Hawaiian culture.

We had the chance to speak with Farris about her experience with the Hub recently. This is what she had to say: 

Q: What inspires your art? 

A: Before moving to Hawaii, finding inspiration for my artwork was very difficult. When I started focusing on my art career in 2017, I noticed that my artwork was heavily influenced by the Hawaiian environment and culture. In my art classes at the University of Hawaii, my fellow students call me a passion painter. This is a person that relies on their emotions and can portray that through a piece. Upon moving here, I have felt more connected to my surroundings, using what I see and what I feel from the island and people to showcase in my art. 

Q: How did you get in touch with the Hub? 

A: I got in touch with the Hub through Josh, who used to be one of my coworkers at Morning Brew Kakaako. A year or two ago Josh started at the Hub and discussed that they usually look for artists to showcase their art, which led me to send in an application to be featured. 

Q: How do you benefit from this partnership? 

A: To me, The Hub is more than a coworking space for individuals. It is an organization that focuses on bringing different parts of the community together to make one ‘ohana. This concept aligns with what I would like to do with my artwork, bringing different people with different passions together to make a community that helps each other. What I think I can gain from this partnership is a community of people that help others in their creativity. I am hoping that this partnership will lead to many opportunities that will help me give back to my community. I am planning to take some of the profits of the exhibit and donate it to Mele Murals, in which it can help younger generations to be able to connect with their culture and to nurture their creativity. 

For more information about the Impact Art Gallery and to submit your artwork, please fill out this form or contact the Hub team.

Meet Alexander!

He has been a member of the hub for about 2 years, and found his way here so that he could be around other working people, network, and have a place where I could go and focus on his work. He likes that at the Hub, he is able to be around other people who want to be, “productive and smart and who are developing their own companies or working in their own areas in Hawai’i.”

To him working at the Hub gives him a place to go to work and be productive, but also be social and interact with and learn from other people. 

“Everybody who I have met here has been awesome. I really like the other people that work at the Hub and I really like the environment that the Hub team has cultivated.” 

He has worked on a lot of interesting projects, and loves to tell people’s stories. To get to know more about Alexander and to connect with him, visit his website: AlexanderDeedy.com. 

Name: Alexander Deedy

Work: Freelance Journalism

3 Questions: 

1. What work do you do?

I am a Freelance journalist. I work for Alaska magazine as their assistant editor, and also as the digital content manager for Alaska Magazine and a sister publication, The MilePost’s website. The digital content work I just took over fairly recently, within the last month actually, and we’ve been building websites for both publications and we try to update and upgrade our digital presence. Then, I write pieces on all sorts of other topics for other publications. I write regularly for Hawaii Farm and Food Magazine, I have done some environmental writing in the past on various topics. 

1(a) What are your favorite pieces to write?

I really like the long form pieces, so feature stories. Profiles are super fun- I got to write a piece recently about an endurance cyclist who is one of the top endurance cyclists in the world from Alaska. She spent a summer riding around all of the roads in the state. She was just such a super inspirational and driven lady who was really fun to talk to and so I love being able to get to know people and tell their stories.

1(b) How did you get started in writing?

I went to school for journalism. I started off by studying wildlife biology and realized that I wanted to get more into the storytelling kind of thing and be like a science writer, so I added journalism as a major.

       2. Do you have a Passion Project? 

I do have a passion project. I am a filmmaker on the side, and I started really pursuing that when I first moved to Hawai’i. I started with just creative writing at home and came into it as a screenwriter wanting to write screenplays. Luckily I was able to really connect with the film community here both through the Hawai’i Filmmakers’ Collective which is a nonprofit and Creative Lab Hawai’i which is a state sponsored program to teach developing creative entrepreneurs. That was just kind of my cool intro to filmmaking and I just fell in love with the craft, and I fell in love with the people who do it, you know? There’s just so many passionate, fun people who are independent filmmakers. 

I wrote some short screenplays, I started jumping on sets and helping to make short films. In 2018 I wrote, directed and produced a short film, and now I am currently working on a feature screenplay just as a side passion project. I also volunteer at the Hawai’i Filmmakers’ Collective as well, and I am on the board. I am one of the executive team members who helps build up programs to teach various filmmaking skills to various independent filmmakers.

        3. What do people not know about you?

When I was in college I got to go on an environmental reporting trip to India and spent almost a month in Maharashtra outside of the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve. We put together a big multi media project as a team telling the story of the success of tiger conservation in India and how, because of their success, the population of the tigers was starting to grow out of the reserve and come in contact with the nearby communities. We had so much fun. We partnered with local university students who acted as our guides and translators and helped us put together the project. Ultimately it was a cool experience to see a different culture and travel to a different continent and also to practice environmental journalism.