Meet Koa Kuroda-McCormick

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Koa Kuroda-McCormick a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Koa, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
Skateboarding is one of the most vulnerable, emotional and mentally stimulating sports I have ever done and still do.

And in order to keep skating, I have to have a strong foundation of trust in myself.

I have to be comfortable with the uncomfortable and be ok to fall.

And from these falls, I view them as lessons.

With these lessons, it shows me what I have room to work on and what I haven’t done yet.

Add in constant repetition of never giving up on an obstacle that I willingly put myself into is what created my confidence and self-esteem.

This showed me that I will never give up on myself. ]

When you get that feeling of when you catch the board just right, and roll away clean. You truly do believe you can tackle anything. These moments reinforce my confidence in myself and seeing this on video even more so creates self-esteem. It showcases that I am competent.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Aloha I am Koa Kuroda-McCormick, an Illustrator, Narrative Graphic Designer, Videographer, and Storyteller.

Long story short, I am from the Waianae Coast and work in the Education Sector where my focus of work is rooted in mentoring students. and working alongside local non profits such as Purple Maia and Creative Mornings. And, community organizations such as World Wide Walls.

Additionally. I work with local businesses where I create illustrations to express the importance of the stories of their organization and the members in their communities.
I am also the founder of Gen Breakers. A community organization that showcases the local skateboarding and creative communities. Where we create content ranging from self care and awareness, art showcase and mini documentaries.

We have projects and interviews lined up showcasing members of these communities sharing their experiences of life and overcoming the hardships of life. Such as. generational trauma, social conditioning and systemic oppression.

We are also aiming to create after school programs for creative skateboarders to create ethical skateparks with human design in mind. So be on the lookout for that on social media, @genbreakers

Mahalo, Koa

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I believe the most important areas of knowledge is yourself, community and network.

As someone who is just passing my early stages, my advice to anyone to develop yourself is to know what your interests, values, and goals are. In addition to what are your strengths and passions?

Delving into these questions helps reconnecting with yourself. Creating a space for us to have task that gives us fulfillment. Which in turn shows to ourselves we are giving time to give back into our own life.

This is utmost as when you know yourselves, it informs where you want to grow and who you want to be surround yourself with.

Whether it be in a community where you live or one you create online. When you do find your community make sure to know the stakeholders.

You can meet them by attending council meetings, workshops and volunteering with organizations such as Purple Maia (local non-profit)

When you are able to meet and talk withe them you can identify what the community needs. By going to these you can build a deep foundation built upon trust. Simply showing up and giving your time goes a long way as it is these actions that give the community that trust to see.

This is where you start developing your network. The people you meet are the connectors between you and your community. Your network are your mentors, support system and friends. That you chose and find, or sometimes they find you. Just as they are giving back to the community, you will be as well. You improve and deepen these relationships by knowing yourself.

Everything always comes back to you. I can’t emphasize more enough how important you are. Take care of yourself and create a life you approve of.

Mahalo, Koa Kuroda

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
Give myself time for a break and not shame myself for doing so.

It’s difficult sometimes to put my work down when I focus on a project to complete it. Due to believing, if I’m not working, I am not as productive. Yet, when I do this I put aside myself and the things I love to do.

I start by asking myself “Are my needs are meet? Am I centered? Have I taken care of myself yet?” These question help make a framework that is grounding and allows for more room for breaks.

Your breaks will allow you to come back to your project with a fresh set of energy.

And I mean it, take your breaks. Do not think “oh I can do this on my project, or this.” Take a break where you rest.

As I write this out I even thinking “I don’t do this as much as I should.”

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.

Sitemap

Categories