Griffin Bolan

Name

Nominated by

Age

Town/Moku

Island

Leadership Category

Griffin Bolan

Amy Bolan

28

Kapolei

Oʻahu

Culture

Share with us a little about yourself and what you do.

I am a musician who creates here in Hawai'i. I use music and multi-media as a way express myself and tell my stories.

Why is the work that you do important to you? The community?

I believe the work that I'm doing is important because it shows other indigenous creators and musicians that our stories can live in any genre of music. I also believe that the work that I do creates conversations around what it means to be Native & māhū in modern times. I think the music that I create gives up and coming musicians and artists the permission to push boundaries and explore themselves in spaces that we are usually the minority in.

Share with us the qualities of leadership you admire and how you express those in your life.

The quality I admire the most in a leader is the willingness to collaborate with others in order to achieve a result that is greater than any one individual. In my life, I'm always searching the fringes to find artists who don't have a platform or voice to get their ideas heard. Im almost always able to see the potential in everyones talents. In my music it is important to me to collaborate with a variety of artists so that my art isn't tainted by my own singular experience. We are all experiencing consciousness as a collective.

Who has inspired you to do the work that you are doing?

My friends are my biggest inspiration. Without their encouragement over the years my confidence wouldn't have grown.

What is one word that describes something you are excited about for the lāhui?

Joy

What is one word that describes a pressing issue that is facing our lāhui?

Autonomy