I'm gifting you a piece of my art to start and encourage you on your cultural journey!

Kia Ora,

Thank you for subscribing to my website. I aim to share with you what I discover on my creative journey in hopes that It will inspire you to start your own. As you join me on my journey, I will be focusing on two things, the first is techniques and methods of drawing, carving, etching, painting, and 3D lasering and anything I get into, and the second is the stories and history of the native people in Polynesia.

I began my cultural journey when I was 15, living in Melbourne, Australia. Until that time in my life, I didn't see the value of learning about my culture as an Australian-born, Māori, Fijian, Scottish, and British human. I think the reason why I didn't feel that it was important was because I wasn't challenged a lot growing up, as I looked like all the other white kids around me. However, as I saw other Māori kids around me with a deeper understanding of who they were and where they came from, it sparked an interest in me to find out who I am. I can say that I started diving deeper into my culture when I began drawing Māori and Samoan patterns on anything I could get my hands on. I started drawing it on all of my friends and, more specifically, on a colorful ukulele. I know I wasn't the only one doing that. Many kids were looking for a similar connection to their culture, and that was a simple way to show and get involved. For me, this was an essential part of my youth and makes up a large part of what I do today. If you are searching for your cultural connection and hope to find a way to get involved, this might be a place for you to start.

If you have made it to the end of this blog post or just skipped to the end, the good news is that I will be periodically gifting my art to those who are subscribed. Now and then, I will send out an email with a link that allows you to download my art for you to print out and enjoy. Sometimes it will just be art, and other times it will be interactive, like a coloring page; stay tuned!

Ngā Mihi and Kia Ora for supporting my art and process.

P.S Besides my art, I also started another brand called Shaka Tribe which I run with my wife. We do a similar thing where we put Polynesian-inspired art on products. You have to Check it out. If you like what I do here, you will also like www.Shakatribeshop.com

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