Home Is Here: Finding Inspiration All Around Us

We are surrounded by art in all its shapes and forms. From ancient to vintage to modern, one’s passion for creating and keeping tradition alive often manifests itself in a true masterpiece.

Jana Lam in her Kaka‘ako studio. Photo: Courtesy of PBS Hawai‘i

“As a kid, I loved art,” says designer Jana Lam. “I was always doodling. I was always drawing.” But the idea of being a designer and owning her own brand was never top of mind, until an opportunity presented itself, and slowly but surely, Jana Lam Hawai‘i was born.

Photo: Courtesy of PBS Hawai‘i

“My design process is pretty, pretty simple,” Lam explains. “I would say I get inspiration from everywhere… A lot of it, obviously, is inspired by nature, by Hawai‘i.”

Desmond Thain holds a finished gyotaku art piece he created. Photo: Courtesy of PBS Hawai‘i

Inspiration begins in the ocean for gyotaku artist Desmond Thain. “I like to think of it as an entire fish’s body fingerprint,” he says. “If you separate the word, ‘gyo’ means fish and ‘taku’ means to rub. So the kanji symbols are fish rubbing.”

Desmond Thain paints a fish for a gyotaku art piece. Photo: Courtesy of PBS Hawai‘i

The ancient Japanese art form of gyotaku dates back to long before photography existed. It was the way Japanese fishermen documented their prized catch by rubbing the fish with ink and placing a piece of mulberry pulp or rice paper over it to get the print. For Thain, his art is a source of pride and a path to evolving his craft and learning something new each step of the way.

An old locomotive that was part of the O‘ahu Railway and Land Company. Photo: Courtesy of Hawaiian Railway Society

Preserving the past requires passion, perseverance and patience. For more than 50 years, railroads helped shape life across Hawai‘i. The Hawaiian Railway Society makes it its mission to restore, maintain and operate the preserved railroad system and educate people about its significance and history in the Islands.

Photo: Courtesy of PBS Hawai‘i

“It seems that very few people born and raised here in Hawai‘i…aren’t really aware of how important and what a major player the railroads were in the development of the economy, of the state,” says Jeff Livingston, Hawaiian Railway Society Historian. “We would love to improve that. We are slowly starting seeing people becoming aware…and the more history you learn, the more important these pieces of that history become, right down to the little, tiny things.”

Home Is Here

Wednesday, March 25, 7:30 p.m.

Broadcast and streaming on pbshawaii.org and YouTube

SEE ALSO: Home Is Here: How Passion Becomes Purpose With a Ranger, Stargazing and Palaka

Every month, HONOLULU publishes a blog written by the folks at PBS Hawai‘i, the only locally owned, statewide television station in Hawai‘i that receives support mainly through donations. Visit pbshawaii.org to learn more about exceptional, locally produced shows and the most prominent provider of educational and national programming. Explore music and the arts, discover in-depth documentaries and learn what makes Hawai‘i so special. Follow PBS Hawai‘i on all platforms: @pbshawaii