Having grown up idolising The Hulk and Michael Jackson, Ali Cowley spent his youth surrounded by the great forces of creativity. His Samoan father also taught him the craft of drawing and sketching. After a colourful OE in Australia involving dance performances and working in a Chicken Farm, Ali trained in animation and went on…
Tag: creative
Why did the chicken cross the road?
Why did the chicken cross the road? To help you reflect and ponder your existence. Okay… more on that later. Last Saturday I took my mum and partner to Ngā Tohu o Uenuku (Mangere Arts Centre) to see the fantastic new play Still Life with Chickens by Samoan writer D.F. Mamea. The slice-of-life story focuses on…
Life is precious
Wow. Only one month into 2018 and it’s already felt like a period of learning and introspection. January was full of the usual summer frivolity; beach, sun, eating copious amounts of watermelon, and contemplating whether or not to switch on the air-conditioning. But then a couple of things happened that made me step back and…
A ship named Pearl
Last year I blogged about my experience cruising through the Pacific Ocean. What I totally forgot about was the poem I wrote during my cruise and I stumbled across it today. I wrote a limerick containing 20(!) verses, all describing the cruise ship journey. It was amazing to see how easy and natural it…
Pacific pride in Aotearoa
As a child of Pacific heritage growing up in 1980s/90s New Zealand, I can honestly say that a diverse range of Pacific role-models was not obvious or well-known. High profile role models tended to come from the sporting arena; Michael Jones, Jimmy ‘Thunder’ Peau, Rita Fatialofa, Olo Brown, Ana Noovao, Pat Lam to name a…
Day 24: Reminisce. Oh and Merry Christmas!
Wow. I made it to day 24! The past month has made me realise how many great things there are to do, that help contribute to positive health and wellbeing. Sometimes people think you need to be doing something big, showy or expensive to have a great experience. This is not true at all. A lot…
Day 21: Think about your word of the year
According to The Public Address the word of the year is Jacindamania, with the runner up #metoo. Other notable mentions are “fiscal hole”, “Metiria”, “let’s do this”, “te reo”, “covfefe” (one of my faves), and “alternative facts’. Yes, politics well and truly dominated and influenced our vocabulary this year! So here’s my challenge for you…
Day 19: Track down some street art
I love art in all it’s subjective glory. How lucky are we to be surrounded by a symphony of colours, shapes, symbol and images. Art is now so accessible that it truly has moved beyond the confines of galleries and house walls. There is a plethora of street art in Auckland that I encourage you…
Going back to school… fresh start in 2018!
Next January I will officially begin my new job as the lead Careers Advisor at St Peter’s College in Auckland. This also happens to be my old high school, so I will go full-circle and return to my educational roots! To love and to serve. It was serendipitous as to how I ended up pursuing…
Day 13: Be inspired through real stories
Have you heard of the Auckland Humanity Project? If not, then I’m mighty glad that you’re reading this now! The Auckland Humanity Project features videos of Aucklanders responding to a single question. The responses are shared via their Facebook page and other digital channels. According to their website: together your experiences tell a bigger story and…
Career Coffee Chats 