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In the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic in March 2020, while the whole world took a pause, I used that time to my advantage and started creating art again. By the end of summer of 2020,  I decided to seize the opportunity as a new artist, and came up with the name Heaven's Aloha to start my art business. With this name, one of the goals was that when people explore my artwork, that they may never forget that they are the greatest masterpiece, made with a touch of Heaven's Aloha (love).

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At the end of the summer 2022 to summer 2023, I decided to take some time off to focus on my health and family. As 2023 arrived, as any artist would do, I started to review the last 2 years of my art business; looking at what I did well in and could've done better. A good friend and mentor once told me, if you are going to start investing in your purpose in life, make sure you pick the brains of those who are already living in theirs. And that's what I did, I reached out to a selective group of family and friends who were successful in their art business and picked every part of their brain. I then started reading: "ART INC. by Lisa Congdon"; and there were many words of treasure she shared in her book that really took my mindset to a whole new level.

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"As an artist you have the opportunity to create your own unique stamp on the world... it requires you to pull from the deep inside you to find what moves you and to express that through what you create... Finding inspiration means discovering the things that make you excited-even when they have nothing to do with your art practice. Whatever speaks to you, infuse these visual stimuli from your life into your work... Pay attention to your inner compass... and get to know your center and what propels and ignites your creativity."

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-Chapter 1 'You Are an Artist', pg.20-23; Art Inc. by Lisa Congdon

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These words helped me refocus on who I am, what really inspires me and what my Unique Stamp needs to be as an Artist. Around the time of finding all these new treasures in my art journey, a close family member wrote me a letter.

 

 

In their letter they wrote (written in Samoan):

"O lea ua ou iloa po o ai oe...

O lou igoa o FA'ATASIGA 

O lou suafa e aumaia ai se uiga maoae...

E te aumaia moni tagata faatasi, i mea uma e te faia...

O lou igoa o lou faailoga tusi lea i lenei lalolagi..."

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Translation:

"Now I know who you are...

Your name is FA'ATASIGA 

Your name conveys a great meaning...

You truly bring people together, in everything you do...

Your name is your stamp on this world..."

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As if I was sitting in darkness, the light switch turned on; the words of wisdom from Lisa Congdon and words of encouragement from my family member, I realized that my 'Stamp On This World' wasn't so much 'Heaven's Aloha', but it was simply my name: FA'ATASIGA.

 

Fa'atasiga means in the Samoan language: 'to gather/gathering' or 'an event that brings people together'. If my art could do anything, it would be to 'bring people together' to learn from the life lessons of my culture and faith. As you explore my page, you will find an amazing non-profit I've partnered up with and a ongoing project I started in May 2021. More of my artwork that is not posted on my website can be found on my instagram: @faatasigart

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As I shared before, may you never forget that YOU are the greatest masterpiece.