Happy Holidays All, I posed my unique cartoon character in a holiday setting. That's right! I invented him.
The little round guy is Maka from my original children's story, "Maka and the Impossible," which is a parable of ambition. My little rock leaves his village and goes on an impossible journey. Reflecting his creator (me), he has an ISLANDER FLAVOR to his style. To read about his adventures, please check out my book :) Hardcopy: https://www.amazon.com/Maka-Impossible-Ruby-FaAgau/dp/1257795236 Ebook: http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/ruby-faagau/maka-and-the-impossible/ebook/product-17355034.html #polynesianstory #polynesianchildrenstory #polynesianwriter
0 Comments
http://www.gofundme.com/suttasfchurch Fundraiser: Please donate online to support a dynamic and loving Polynesian church - Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga of San Francisco. Their program has contributed to the community for 31 years through youth mentorship, community outreach, and even feeding the homeless. Giving money to this church is an investment because they are a living, breathing community resource. Any donation amount will be appreciated. Just an idea: if 1,000 people - islanders and allies - each contributed $30, then the church would meet its goal. #San Francisco #Community Support #Polynesians #Tongans #Polynesian Church #People Power Thank you. Ruby I grew up in San Francisco :) Surrounded by friends of multiple cultures, exotic food, and eclectic entertainment. San Francisco will also have a special place in my heart for empowering me to think openly and bravely. In addition, I grew up knowing that my people are Polynesian because my father is Samoan and my mom is Tongan. As a result, I feel tethered to the South Pacific in a spiritual sense which means that I'm never lost because my identity works as a compass. Because I know who I am, and where I come from, I have the confidence to travel very far. To no surprise, when I began painting - and I'm self-taught - a Polynesian flavor popped up despite my American upbringing. For instance, in my "Water Window" painting, I tried to snapshot a village in the distance from a surfer's point of view. Check it out: In another painting, I tackled the subject of Akaka Waterfalls which I enjoyed visiting when I lived on the Big Island. After growing up in San Francisco, I knew that I had to live in the Pacific in order to blossom. The journey was so worth it! Hawai'i challenged me in ways I didn't expect and didn't know I was capable of meeting head on. Here is the "Waterfall" painting: Last but not least, below is my painting that marries my identity as a Polynesian and as an American. I call it, "San Francisco Jungle" because the title and subject captures my eclectic upbringing. Although it's a concrete jungle, the locals - like my family - keep the city exotic and fresh. You can support my work and ensure that I continue creating by purchasing my art. Prints available in my cafepress shop. Decorate your home or kitchen with my unique designs. http://www.cafepress.com/rubysdaydreams Enjoy!! "Maka and the Impossible" is a Polynesian children's story which I wrote based on my own experience as a Polynesian American. The message is universal in that it's a parable of Ambition. Maka is a little rock, and he decides to travel up a hill. The problem is that rocks are not mobile - no legs nor arms. Starting with that problem, I chronicle his impossible journey up a hill. Similarly, I know what it's like to decide to travel up the career ladder in California. After spending many years working and going to school, I've made progress in a field that I don't see too many of my peers: Law. That's right, I'm in law school :-) I know for sure that I'm standing on the shoulders of giants - my family - who empowered me to move forward. So I am grateful. Like Maka, my journey towards becoming an attorney was not easy. Many would say that my dream was Impossible because I did not have the financial resources to pay for law school nor the mentors from whom to model myself. Yet, all it took was Initiative. By continuing to believe in myself and putting in the work towards higher education, I gravitated towards the right people who answered my questions. Although I didn't have Samoan or Tongan attorneys from whom to follow, I reached out of our community and asked Latino attorney mentors for assistance - who were happy to answer my questions, and direct me towards scholarships. My children's story character - Maka - has traveled much further than I. But I look forward to catching up with his greatness in my near future. To read my Polynesian children's story, "Maka and the Impossible", you can purchase a hard copy on Amazon.com. For the ebook version, go to Lulu.com. Wish me luck! The journey continues. Ruby I am a Polynesian woman, and that message is communicated in the natural dark curls of my hair, the broadness in my features, my community interests, and subjects of my art. A recurring image in my first children's story and in my paintings is the Bird of Paradise. While I'm unsure whether this flower has its origin in the South Pacific, I do know that I saw these flowers all over the place when I lived in Hawai'i. The flowers seemed just as much of an inhabitant as the locals. Now that I live in San Diego, I noticed bird of paradise flowers being a favorite in residential front yards. These flowers make my journey in life all the more enchanted. Check out my art below. See what I mean? "Being an Aquarius, I always feel 10 years ahead of my time, and 10 years behind." ~ Ruby 's Daydreams #AquariusQuotes #Visionary #RebelWithACause "The Offputting Duckling," is an illustrated story about a NONCONFORMIST duckling. It's available in ebook form. Buy your copy today!
http://www.lulu.com/shop/ruby-faagau/the-offputting-duckling/ebook/product-20080759.html Welcome to my blog, Ruby's Daydreams. My name is Ruby, and I'm a Polynesian writer and artist from San Francisco.
Having been born and raised in the bay area, I am very Californian. Many of my favorite artists, writers, comedians, are American. At the same time, my parents' pacific cultures retain a strong influence on me. My Samoan dad and my Tongan mother (who has Fijian heritage) raised me to practice pacific values for community support, family responsibilities, and church. So while I was born and raised in the American diaspora, the diaspora is Not all I know. You can see the influence of both American and Islander cultures in my art and writing: 1. Paintings: My first collection of paintings (windows) has a lot of water, beach, ocean, tropical flavors. Three of those paintings are based on San Francisco. The second collection of paintings (smiles) were based on faces. Some of those faces are American celebrities. 2. Books: I tend to write Parables that I repackage as children stories because I like discussing life lessons and illustrating them in simple forms. My first original children story (Maka and the Impossible) is based on my Polynesian American experience in higher education. It's kind of American Dream meets The Alchemist. It's a parable of Ambition. The character, "Maka", traveled further than I have, but I hope to catch up with his big dreaming. The second original children story (The Offputting Duckling) was influenced by my hometown of San Francisco. It's a parable of Nonconformity. I took the old story of The Ugly Duckling, and asked the question: What if the duckling never grew up to become beautiful? What if the ugly duckling stayed ugly? This train of thought leads to self-celebration, self-acceptance, and self-love. Some of us blossom on the outside (like the swan character in the original story of the ugly duckling), and some of us blossom on the inside (which I think is a more beautiful story to explore). I use my writing and art to talk about experiences from a Polynesian American perspective. |
RubyPasifika Writer and Artist Archives
May 2020
Categories
All
|