Moewai
“Express yourself as a woman you want to be. Embrace the things you love. Wear whatever makes you happy. Be inspired by other women. But most importantly, have women in your life that bring out the best version of you.”
Moewai is an incredible artist and a passionate learner. Her paintings offer a window into Te Ao Māori (the Māori world), and she is dedicated to learning more about Māhi Toi (Māori Art) and Māoritanga. Painting is Moewai's therapy; she paints to protect her mental health, and to connect to her culture, mind and soul. Moewai has endured loss, and she has experienced heartbreak. But she is who she is today because of it. She is a compassionate creative who is her most grounded when she’s immersed in nature, near the sea, surrounded by flowers. She has a warm heart, a big imagination, and never gives up on her dreams. Meet Moewai. This is her story.
P: Please introduce yourself!
M: Kia Ora!!
Ko Moewai Rauputi Marsh toku ingoa.
I’m 23 years old living in Dunedin, Aotearoa (New Zealand)
I am currently working at a shared studio space for people within the mental health community, improving mental health and well-being through creativity and art!!
It is such an amazing space to be in and I’m so grateful to be able to help people through something I’m super passionate about!
I graduated from Art School in 2019, majoring in painting, and have been developing my practice since leaving the institution, doing my own mahi on the side of my job. Mahi Toi (Māori Art) has always been something I’ve loved and I’ve spent the past 2 years studying more about it, trying to learn as much as I can to help my own practice evolve and learn more about my Māoritanga.
I’m obsessed with learning. I feel like I’ll never know it all, but if you don’t start somewhere then you’ll never start at all.
My paintings currently focus on themes of tangata whenua, Māori taonga, whakapapa (genealogy) mauri, (life force) and identity. My paintings have helped me grow so much as a person. It's forever evolving and I’m excited to see where my art will take me.
P: Describe or define yourself in your own words.
M: My name Moewai Rauputi means 100 flowers on sleeping water. I feel calm when I’m near water. Content and free. Flowers make me happy. I see myself as a flower trying to bloom everyday. Getting ready to flourish. I am a creative. An artist. A Māori wāhine navigating my way through life by the guidance of my tīpuna (ancestors). I’m a daydreamer. My head is always in the clouds. I’m an introvert. I’m also an absolute weirdo around people who I’m comfortable with. I’m a bit of a loner sometimes, but I know I am very loved by the people I care about the most. I love being alone but I’ll never be lonely. I’m a lover of nature. Adventures. Walking to the top of a big hill with a beautiful view. I love that feeling of accomplishing something challenging. I’m always making the effort to touch the Earth with my feet and listen to my surroundings.
I love art, I love buying it, I love looking at it, I love making it, everything about it makes my heart happy. I believe in chasing dreams. I fight for things that are important. I never give up. I’m a sensitive soul with a kind heart. I navigate how I see the world through art, through people and through nature. Without these things I wouldn’t have a purpose.
P: What is your favourite thing about yourself?
M: I love that I’ve always had a tool for expressing my thoughts and feelings through writing/journaling. It's another creative outlet for me. And it's great for my mental health. Writing everything down has strangely got me through a lot of hard things in life, and good things too. It's something I feel really good about when I’m doing it. It helps me be more attentive of other people's feelings, it helps me be a better listener and it also helps me understand my emotions so I can control my reactions. I think it’s really important to process whatever you’re feeling. I always try to tell my friends and family to write down their thoughts and feelings as much as they can. I believe it makes me more caring and understanding towards people and their emotions.
P: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that has defined you or made you stronger?
M: There’s been two experiences that have made me stronger as I’ve grown up.
The first was losing my Koro (Grandad) when I was 16.
This was hard. Especially not having a Dad growing up, my Koro became my Dad. He would do anything for me. He taught me how to ride my bike, he would tell me to never stop trying even when I’d fall off. He’d tell me stories of every single horse he had in his life, gosh he was a great story teller. He made the best jam and cheese sandwiches and he’d always share (sometimes I’d steal them) but I learnt the importance of sharing from him. He loved cowboy films and Elvis. Home became not so much about where we lived but the people I was surrounded with. That was my concept of home. People. He was always there for me. He taught me so much and gave me so many lessons I cherish every day. Grief is a horrid emotion but processing those feelings contributed hugely to who I am today. I can think of my Koro now and look at how far I’ve come since he’s been gone. He's made me work hard. Because of him I chase my dreams. Because of him I have such a big heart and always try my best to spread love wherever I go. Koro was the kind of person who was content with the people in his life, a cup of instant coffee and a stolen magazine from the fish n’ chip shop to do his crossword puzzles. He had a whole lot of knowledge and aroha to give to people in a room.
He inspires me. He’s made me stronger.
The 2nd experience was my boyfriend breaking up with me. It felt like death, my first heartbreak. This feeling is a painful emotion for any human to experience.
Everything that was happening to me at the time was changing who I was as a person and how I was treating people wasn’t good. I’d lost myself. At the time I wasn’t being a good girlfriend and I wasn’t taking care of myself either. I’d hit rock bottom.
I forgot how to be alone. I forgot how to take time out for myself. I thought that the world was ending and I was going down with the ship.
I had no job when everything happened so it was time to do some serious reflecting. What did I want in a partner? In friendships? What do I want to achieve as an artist??
I had a lot of time to think and slowly stitch my broken heart back together again. It took a lot of time. I was very fragile but I slowly started to heal.The most important thing was that I had to truly put time into fixing myself.
Me and my boyfriend started talking again slowly and things started to change. In a good way. I got back together with my partner and I was so happy. We just hit 2 years the other week and I always look at everything we’ve been through together and I realised that you can’t take things for granted, because it could all be gone at any moment. I learnt to appreciate the small things in life. To appreciate him, us!!
I understand now that I’ll never be perfect but I will always learn from these experiences.
I became someone so much stronger and it makes me think of my Koro, he would always fight for things that are important and this was something worth fighting for.
When things are hard, you’ve got to keep going because there’s always going to be something or someone good waiting for you on the other side.
P: What is one piece of advice you’d give your younger self?
M: Stop comparing yourself to others girl! And NEVER stop chasing your dreams.
P: What does being a woman mean to you?
M: Being a woman means caring for others. Caring for your heart. Caring for the land and everything that surrounds us. Women are gentle, kind, strong, soft, sensitive, brave and they work hard! Express yourself as a woman you want to be. Embrace the things you love. Wear whatever makes you happy. Be inspired by other women. But most importantly, have women in your life that bring out the best version of you.
P: Who is one woman that inspires you?
M: My Nanny. She knows this too hehe. She's been through a lot and she's so strong because of it. She is always there for me, always guiding me, supporting me, and loves me through my highs and my lows.
The most inspiring lady in my life. I love her tremendously.
So many women inspire me in different ways, but I’m very grateful for my nan. I’ve learnt so much from her.
I believe the universe isolates us all to find your soul purpose. Along the way I’ve lost friendships and relationships. But finding my path, my passion and purpose in life is worth so much more than that. Where my soul is, is where I’ll find myself blooming into something beautiful. That's the greatest treasure of all.