Shar Tuiasoa
6.6.22
“My name is Shar Tuiasoa. I was born and raised on O’ahu, and have live most of my live in Kailua. In 2015 I graduated with a BFA in illustration from Laguna College of Art and Design and shortly after graduation I moved back home to Hawai’i. In 2018, with the help of my partner Keali’i, I started an illustration business called Punky Aloha Studio. It was incredibly scary and even with a degree in my pocket I felt like I had NO idea what I was doing. I worked my okole off taking every and any illustration job that came my way and it seemed like we were barely staying afloat. Now, 4 years later, I’ve had the privilege of creating artwork for companies like Apple, Facebook, Disney, Pixar, AT&T and more. I am even about to release my debut children's book with Harper Colins that features a little Polynesian girl growing up in Hawai’i…just like me!”
My favorite Polynesian food? Hands down…ice cold poi. Mango otai is a close second.”
“After high school, I kinda lost my direction. I became a young single mother and I was lost and terrified. I feel like I stayed in this really empty limbo for a while and I didn’t know how to get out. One day, I just sort of snapped out of it. I took a look at myself and decided that I had more to offer. Even if I didn’t see it right then, I knew that if I just got out of my own way, I could create the life I had always dreamed about. It was that very day that I decided to move forward and stop standing still. I began taking my art studies at my community college more seriously and started to apply to art schools. From there, every small success felt monumental to me. Getting accepted to art school, passing my classes, graduating, starting a business and getting my first paid job…every single success was one step up the ladder and the feeling of accomplishment was empowering!”
“My ancestral ties are in Tonga. My father came to Hawai’i from Ha’akame when he was 14. I was born and raised here on O’ahu surrounded and enriched by the Hawaiian and local culture. My husband is Kanaka Ma’oli and the entire Punky Aloha team is proudly wahine and Kanaka Ma’oli as well. As a Tongan, raised within and surrounded by Hawaiian culture, but not being Hawaiian, I often found myself reflecting on the connectedness of all the different cultures of Polynesia. I recognize and celebrate the uniqness of each of the cultures throughout Polynesia, but I focus much of my energies on also celebrating our similarities. I am always looking for ways to activate our pasifika artist community, whether it be as simple as online introductions and forming friendships, or as momentous as participating in art events that host creators with heritage from all across the Moana. I think that we all have stories to share with one another that can strengthen our Pacific Islander community. The ocean is not a mass of water that separates us, rather it is the Moana that carries our histories and ties us together. I believe that creating community through art, with voices from all over Polynesia, will build strong and lasting relationships that could activate our cultures in fresh and exciting ways.
My advice to the Polynesian and the whole pasifika community is to embrace your culture and embrace all the cultures of the ocean. Share your story, share your perspective, and create honestly. When you show up authentically, the right people and energies will find you. Grow with the heartbeat of your community and we will all thrive together.”
“Share your story, share your perspective, and create honestly"