Finding Inspiration

I’ve been thinking about inspiration lately, how it comes to us in different forms and through different avenues.

Pow Wow Hawaii just finished, and Kaka‘ako is back to its sleepy slumber. Last week, it was crowded with local artists and other dreamers from around the world. It was a sight to see, walking through the area among sprawled paint cans and towering scaffolding. Art surely was alive at that moment. 

I'm fortunate to work in Kaka‘ako, so I was able to venture a few days in a row and watch the artists in action. The progression was the most exciting part of it all, as one blob of pink paint eventually became a blooming mushroom, and another the belly of a contorted swimmer. The possibilities seemed endless, and I came back each day eager to see what shape an art piece had taken and what transformation had occurred overnight.

Audrey Kawasaki is my best friend's favorite artist, and it’s no wonder, as her artwork is cheerful, breathtaking and fantastical. Kawasaki depicts creatures and people the way we want them to be: soft, enchanting and flawless. Not only is her craft inspiring, but she is, as well. Her quiet, humble demeanor is a mirror of her work, a reflection of her true self. Knowing this, it makes loving her artwork even easier than before. 

G-Eazy is coming to town next week, and at first, I liked his music because I could dance to it. His songs remind me of college: having fun and worrying about nothing at all. As I kept up with his music these past few years, his newest album seems darker, appropriately titled, “When It’s Dark Out.” It’s almost as if I’ve grown with him, in a way — my carefree college days well behind me. And while G-Eazy knows nothing about my life, I can relate to his in some small part, as well as the attitude he has about change and growing up.

Reading the lyrics from the songs off of his new album, there is growth there. He’s still crass, foul and oftentimes chauvinistic, but he’s mostly a dreamer. I wouldn’t say that he’s fearless, as he seems to have many demons and continues to struggle with a lot of life’s uncertainties, but don’t we all? He’s not afraid to show that he’s human, and if I can take anything from this artist, I’d take that. I want to be truthful with myself first, and then others. I want to live my life knowing that I went for it. While others are unconvinced about G-Eazy, I’m pretty inspired.

There always is something comforting about music and art during life’s most challenging times. It always has been an outlet for me, a place that I could crawl into and stay until things started looking up again. I don’t know if I’ll ever truly be able to explain it, but music always will be my bunker, haven, security. For that, I am grateful.