Hub Coworking Hawaii

Hawai‘i's Best Coworking Space

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Member Spotlight: Jeffrey Eliasen

Today we’re sharing another member spotlight for one of our long-time members, Jeff Eliasen. You’ve probably seen his smiling face (and bare feet) around the space. Next time you see him be sure to say hello and ask him to chat about coding, technology, puzzles, and/or anything related to pirates.

Jeff is a software engineer, working remotely for companies on the mainland. He’s been ‘enamored’ with computers since he was a little kid, and learned to program before his tenth birthday. He’s passionate about algorithms and data structures, and loves solving data problems. His career choice was easy. He says, “It just seemed natural to spend every day solving problems for pay.” Hard to disagree with that!

I asked him a few questions about how someone new could get into coding. He says that if someone wanted to become a developer or get started with coding, it’s a good idea to start with a coding bootcamp (which didn’t exist when he was learning programming), and determine if you like the kinds of work necessary to complete the course. He also recommends seriously considering a degree in Computer Science or Mathematics if you want to do data work (analysis, machine learning, etc.), or maybe a degree in Design if you want to design and build websites or other digital applications.

Some of the largest changes in the coding world are the availability of powerful tools to people of all skill levels. He believes this democratizes data analysis, e-commerce, and communications (and many other areas). He says that in the next few years we’ll likely see a lot of ‘pulling back the curtains on monolithic business and government entities’ and probably upsetting the current power structure.

In addition to his own coding work, Jeff is a co-founder of the group PyHawaii, the local Python meetup (to be clear, it’s about website coding, not snakes). Python is one of the most-used coding languages in the world right now and is very easy to learn. The meetings typically involve a lesson at a beginner level, a lesson at an intermediate or advanced level, and solving a puzzle as a group to learn problem-solving skills. The group meets the first and third Wednesday of every month and he encourages new and experienced Python users to join!

Jeff loves working at Impact Hub HNL because it’s well-situated around restaurants, coffee shops, and a theater, because it’s near the mall but not so close that traffic is an issue, and (most importantly, we think) because it’s filled with people that make him excited to come to the “office” every day.

Thanks, Jeff, for your time and energy! We’re excited to see you at the office everyday, too!

ImpactART 2019: Interview with Visual Artist Boz Schurr

We are so excited to announce our second ImpactART event featuring local artist Boz Schurr.

Boz is a Honolulu local artist, muralist, and teacher known for her brightly colored large murals throughout the city. This event will be held March 15, from 6pm-8pm. It’s a free reception with pupu and drinks provided. Learn more about the event here.

We got to chat with Boz ahead of the event to learn more about her history…. and her future!

Andrea B, Impact Hub HNL (AB): Tell us a little bit more about yourself and your work, both as a prominent local artist and as a teacher at Kamehameha Schools.

Boz Schurr (Boz): I feel so very lucky to be able to not only share art with the community but with these amazing kids I get to teach. It really keeps me busy, and when you see that “ah-ha” moment when a kid tries something new or gets to express themselves in a new way, it’s the ultimate reward. I really enjoy getting to teach the “fun” subject (except, like probably every teacher, I hate grading, no one told me about the grading!).

As far as art in the community goes I am so happy to finally be in a position where I can give back when I want to. I do have less time than I’d like (but who doesn’t?) and now, when there is a passion project, I can focus on what’s important and how it makes me feel, rather than how much it will cost. I still charge fees – I am still running a business – but it’s more about beautifying spaces and building relationships and figuring out how we can come together and make an idea a reality.

It’s tough having two jobs, but at the end of the day it’s the best problem to have.

First large mural commission for Island Distillers in Hawaii Kai in 2016

AB: This event features new works that are pretty different from your other body of work, which tends towards colorful, bright, and whimsical. Can you talk more about the shift that you felt happening that is allowing us to see this other aspect of your capabilities?

Boz: The look, feel, and concept of my work has been in transition for a while. When I was younger I felt very strongly that I would not allow anyone, myself included, to see my mental difference as a weakness, or as something I was “overcoming.” It was really important to me that I was seen as not being successful “in spite of” my situation. In fact, I would go so far as to say that how I think and feel has really been a helpful influence and inspiration on my process. So in previous work, that is really what I tried to focus on, the fact that differences are challenging but also beautiful and necessary. I would often refer to myself and other individuals as falling anywhere and everywhere on the spectrum (referring to the visible color spectrum). You can’t pinpoint an exact greens, or reds, or purples and say yes, THAT’S purple, when there is a perfectly good purple right next to it. It’s all one shifting, overlapping and subtle color gradation. How could you say your green is healthy (right) and mine is sick (wrong)? They are both okay, just different.

So my older work has often included bright colors, fun creatures, and rainbows to highlight what I believe are the benefits of living with mental difference. However, in the summer of 2017 I was at an artist residency in Iceland and I experienced a severe depression and had frequent and severe anxiety attacks with I had not experienced since college. But it was also the first time I really understood what was happening. It was a completely surreal, almost out-of-body experience to be aware of what you’re going through and still be completely unable to change your feelings in the moment.

So the current work is addressing that experience – the ebb and flow of our mental stability and how it really affects everyone. The earlier work was celebrating the sunrise – the rainbows and the joy of the experience. This new work is learning to embrace the sunset side and to acknowledge that both are equally necessary.

“(Ísland to Island) Korpúlfsstaðir and The 23hr Sunset” in 2018 at the Honolulu Museum of art Spalding House, was the first exhibition that started to address the sunrise to sunset experience of living with mental difference.

AB: What are you most excited about for this event?

Boz: I am excited and nervous to talk about some personal things that I haven’t addressed before. In the last few years I realized that while I might have reached a healthy understanding of myself and how I operate, it’s not enough. While we’ve made great strides in de-stigmatizing the conversation surrounding mental health there are still gaps in the dialogue. So while I have a fear of speaking honestly about my experience I also know it’s necessary because someone else might need to hear it in order to find the courage to speak for themselves. I can only speak for me, but if my voice can cause a tiny ripple or encourage someone else or shift the preconceived notions, then it’s worth it.

I’m also very excited to make new connections and hopefully continue to build my community. There are good people out there and I want to meet them!

AB: Tell us a little bit more about the partnerships you have for this event – why are these important to you?

Boz: The collaboration I am most excited for is the live mural! I’ll have set up a station with a wall that’s ready for audience participation. The colors, brushstrokes, how you paint – the choice is yours. I’m hopeful for this project (which is the first time I’ve tried anything like this) because it’ll be a fun bridge to chat about our own experiences. Plus you get to color stuff and I don’t have to grade it, how great is that?

AB: What other big events are on your horizon for the year? 

Boz: There is a lot going on! I’ll be doing a mural for Aloha Beer Co, a mural in Kailua, Ewa Beach, and Kaimuki! Plus upcoming collabs with Beanabouttown, Pena People, Friends of Haiku Stairs, UHU Conservancy, and AXIS Chinatown. Also, I am going to be a speaker for Civil Beat’s Storytellers series all about mental health February 22 at Ka Wai Wai (currently sold out). And I have a hope for a new coloring book I’d like to put out before the beginning of summer. Whew! It’s a lot but at the same time, I get to make work with amazing people and talk about art and design all day long. Like I said earlier, it really is the best problem to have.

If you want to keep up with what I am doing please sign up for my mailing list HERE or follow me on instagram HERE. I am always ready to find time for coffee and a collaboration chat. Cheers!

What is ImpactART?

ImpactART supports Hawaii’s artists by creating an equal exchange of artwork for studio and exhibition space. Co-created by Impact Hub HNL and Honolulu Biennial Foundation in 2017 to address the need for art studios and the proper valuation of artists’ work. Last year we hosted our first ImpactART event with Lauren Hana Chai.

Anne Weber, Impact Hub HNL Community Manager, explains, “The idea for ImpactART was inspired by our commitment to creating community impact. When we opened in August 2017, we had huge blank walls and wanted to figure out a way to beautify the space, support local up and coming artists, inspire a new audience of art lovers, and show the business community how they too can support local arts in a creative way. It is a win-win.”

To inquire about art space or to learn more about Impact Hub HNL, email us.

 

Meet the Women’s Personal Finance Group

Do you have a retirement plan? How do you manage your holiday spending? Does your budget and balance sheet align with your core values?

No doubt, these are really big questions, and something that many people – especially women – don’t talk about often enough. Our Women’s Personal Finance workgroup is a casual bi-monthly meetup for any woman that wants to learn more about finances, better understand their own financial habits and needs, and get more comfortable asking questions and learning about this big subject.

The group started in mid-2018 with a few financial professionals as an expert-led session, but has shifted into a workgroup format: using books and worksheets from popular finance books, apps, and blogs, the group together discusses ideas about and solutions to common finance issues. All are chosen to help attendees on their own financial learning journey, wherever they might be starting!

The group is facilitated by our Marketing Coordinator Andrea, who’s passionate about learning everything about finance. We are lucky to have Tania Fukuda as a member of the group. Tania is a professional financial planner who brings years of personal insight and passion to the group.

Some of the books, worksheets, and tools that we’ve used previously in workshops include:

  • The Art of Money: The Life-Changing Guide to Financial Happiness by Bari Tessler
  • You are a Bad** at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth by Jen Sincero
  • The Heart of Money: A Couple’s guide to Creating True Financial Intimacy by Deborah Price
  • Overcoming Underearning: A Five-Step Plan to a Richer Life by Barbara Stanny
  • The Compound Effect: Jumpstart your Income, your Life, Your Success by Darren Hardy
  • … along with various tools, videos, worksheets, and excerpts from these books and others.

We are always open to additional books, websites, apps, tools, and ideas for future groups.

And in case you’re wondering why this group is just for women, there are lots of good reasons! Women are traditionally excluded from many investment and finance opportunities, both as professionals and personally. Added to that, women historically (and currently) make much less money than men, and they take more time off caring for families– risking their jobs and losing out on income in vital growth years.

This means that women are in a very different financial situation than men at almost all stages of their lifetime, which means that women have very different financial needs. This necessitates a space where women can learn from their peers as they become more comfortable talking about finances – and we think our Personal Finance workgroup is the perfect place to start!

If you want to join the conversation, please join us on the second Tuesday, every-other month. The next event is February 12, from 12pm-1pm. Check out the Facebook group and join the conversation!

What is Mindfulness & How Can You Begin a Regular Practice?

You might know that meditation can help bring calm and clarity into your mind and body, but have you been able to put these principles into practice?

Mindfulness expert Noah Pomeroy is hosting a 4-part series starting February 5 that allows attendees to experience the expansive benefits of mindfulness for themselves. The series (which can be attended as one class or a series) will help you learn the basics mindfulness training and develop your own practice over the month.

Noah is a certified professional mindfulness teacher by the International Mindfulness Teacher Association and he completed his training in mindfulness facilitation at UCLA. Noah draws on mindfulness teaching experience from a variety of contexts working with individuals and groups, including teaching this practice at the University of Hawaii, UCLA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Halawa State Prison. The classes will be a combination of lecture, discussion, and guided meditation exercises.

I chatted with Noah about his coming workshop so that we could learn more about this practice, his background, and the upcoming classes.

Andrea B. (AB): What’s the quickest way to describe mindfulness to someone that has never heard of this concept before?

Noah Pomeroy (NP): Mindfulness means directing your attention to the present moment experience with openness and curiosity. It sounds simple enough, but it’s not easy. We all have the capacity to do this to some degree, but we can get much better at it by practicing mindfulness meditation.

AB: What originally (or continues) to keep you excited about mindfulness?

NP: Mindfulness is simply the best tool I have come across to actually engage with each moment of life, rather than being passively carried along on auto-pilot as we are so prone to do. This is why mindfulness is such a game-changer for both our personal and professional lives. As we practice, focus improves and what matters to us and our work becomes clearer. We’ve known for decades that training the body is good for our health – we now know that training our minds is critical as well.

AB: Tell me a bit more about your certification? How long have you been teaching?

NP: After 10 years of a personal practice and 2 years of guiding mindfulness sessions at work, I decided to complete a year long training in mindfulness facilitation at UCLA. As mindfulness has become a wellness buzzword, “2-day teacher certifications” are popping up; the UCLA program grew out of a need to thoroughly train teachers to meet the growing demand for mindfulness training. The program is rooted in the growing body of science that supports the benefits of mindfulness and proven techniques for working with different communities. I’ve worked as a meditation guide at the University of Hawaii for the last 2 years, coaching individuals and groups and delivering lectures for UH’s popular mindfulness classes.

AB: What can people expect in the workshop? What if they are totally new to mindfulness, meditation, and other practices like this?

NP: These classes are designed for people who are new to mindfulness practice, and over the 4-week class series, students will have the opportunity to develop their own daily practice with the support of my guidance and fellow participants. While anyone can take each individual class to learn about a particular aspect of mindfulness practice, participants that choose to do all four will get the most out of the series. Beginning any new daily habit (even for 10 minutes) a day sounds easy, but we all know it is not. In order to experience the benefits of mindfulness, you must practice regularly. I want people to actually start a daily practice that will serve them the rest of their lives. I welcome people who think mindfulness is “woo-woo” or “soft–” through this practice one learns quickly that this practice takes courage, discipline, and the spirit of adventure to meet your experience of life exactly as it is… and those who bring these elements to the practice will be rewarded accordingly.

AB: What is the goal of the workshop – after the workshop, participants should be able do what?

NP: After each class, participants will takeaway their firsthand experience with guided mindfulness practice and an understanding of a particular aspect of practice. Participants that are able to commit to 2-4 weeks of the series will have the best chance to establish a daily mindfulness meditation practice that will allow them to experience the benefits of mindfulness in their lives, work, and relationships. They will have a grasp the fundamentals of practice and how to overcome common obstacles. They will have a taste of the freedom and joy that comes from regular practice that will fuel the momentum of practice they have built through the course.

Thanks Noah for sharing your thoughts! Register for the classes here; members can use discount code MEMBER to get 15% of ticket prices for either the full series or individual classes. 

Community Event: East Meets West 2019

East Meets West is THE event for startups and businesses in Hawaii!

East Meets West, created in partnership with Blue Startups and other great local organizations like Hawaii Strategic Development Development Corporation, Hawaii Technology Development Corporation, and Ulupono, is focused on innovation, investment, and entrepreneurship, and brings together experts from Asia, Hawaii, and North America.

This event will showcase global startup trends including cutting edge innovation, influencer marketing, travel, tech, and sustainability.

This is the fifth EMW event, and will be held January 31 and Feb 1. This year features another great list of expert speakers, and features two days of activity. January 31 is a day for ‘Urban Interactive’ activities with sessions in and around downtown Honolulu; the second day offers more formal sessions at the Sheraton Waikiki. See the current schedule and speaker list here.

Tickets are discounted currently – but prices are rising soon. Grab your tickets today at EastMeetsWest.co

Indie Lens Pop-up Series: Join us for Free Films in January, March & April

On January 16 we are hosting our second film in the Indie Lens Pop-up series, which we’re hosting in partnership with Hawai’i Women in Filmmaking, Hawai’i People’s Fund and PBS Hawai’i.

The Indie Lens Pop-Up Series is an opportunity to share riveting, untold stories from around the US, from Maryland to New Mexico to Alabama. This is the seventh year HWF has been a partner for Indie Lens pop-up, and a first for us as a host space.

According to HWF, the Indie Lens Pop-Up series is, “a neighborhood screening series that brings people together for community-driven conversations around documentaries from the award-winning PBS series, Independent Lens on PBS Hawaiʻi. Over the past decade, nearly 6,500 Indie Lens Pop-Up events have brought an estimated 370,000 participants together to discuss issues that impact local communities.”

All films in the series are free and open to the public, and all screenings will be held at Impact Hub HNL from 5pm to 7pm on dates listed below.

Indie Lens Pop-Up 2018-2019 Films and Schedule

The Providers | By Laura Green and Anna Moot-Levin
Date & Time: Wednesday March 13, 2019 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm


Set against the backdrop of the physician shortage and opioid epidemic in rural America, The Providers follows three “country doctors” in New Mexico at clinics offering care to all, regardless of ability to pay. As their personal struggles at times reflect those of their patients, the providers work to reach rural Americans who would otherwise be left without healthcare.

Charm City | By Marilyn Ness
Date & Time: Wednesday April 10, 2019 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm


Filmed during three years of unparalleled violence in Baltimore, Charm City delivers a powerfully candid portrait of those on the frontlines. With grit, fury, and compassion, a group of police, citizens, community leaders, and government officials grapple with the consequences of violence and try to reclaim their city’s future.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? 
Date & Time: Wednesday April 17, 2019 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm

For over thirty years, Fred Rogers, an unassuming minister, puppeteer, writer and producer was beamed daily into homes across America. In his beloved television program, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Fred and his cast of puppets and friends spoke directly to young children about some of life’s weightiest issues, in a simple, direct fashion. Though he may be best known today as a soft-spoken, cardigan-wearing children’s television host, in reality, Fred Rogers’ career represents a sustained attempt to present a coherent, beneficent view about how we should best speak to children about important matters and how television could be used as a positive force in our society.

In Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (Twenty Feet from Stardom) looks back on the legacy of Fred Rogers, focusing on his radically kind ideas. While the nation changed around him, Fred Rogers stood firm in his beliefs about the importance of protecting childhood.

Wrestle | By Suzannah Herbert and Lauren Belfer
Date & Time: Wednesday May 8, 2019 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm

Wrestle is an intimate, inspiring coming of age portrait of the wrestling team at a struggling high school in Huntsville, Alabama. As they fight towards the State Championship, wrestlers Jailen, Jamario, Teague, and Jaquan face injustices and challenges on and off the mat, grappling with obstacles that jeopardize their success, while their coach wades into the complexities of class and race in the South.

Previous films: 

Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World | By Catherine Bainbridge and Alfonso Maiorana
Date & Time: Wednesday January 16, 2019 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm

Rumble brings to light a profound and missing chapter in the history of American music: the Indigenous influence. Featuring music icons Charley Patton, Mildred Bailey, Link Wray, Jimi Hendrix, Jesse Ed Davis, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Robbie Robertson, Randy Castillo, and Taboo, Rumble shows how these pioneering Native musicians helped shape the soundtracks of our lives.