Video: The Social Artist
https://youtu.be/VWgxm5xSDIw Sebastian Gower is living the dream. Passionate about painting from childhood, Gower has found a way to turn his talents into a full-time career. His skill set is traditional but his approach is a modern one. Across all social media platforms, Gower has amassed a following in excess of 350,000 - with Instagram (164K) and TikTok (132K) his biggest follower base. But it all happened by accident. Gower told The Big Idea “I was trying to set up a live stream for my brothers in the second COVID lockdown. I classically didn't quite know how the internet worked and set it to a public stream. “I looked back to the camera at one point and there's 20,000 people there watching me and I just I froze,
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Video: Stage Of Dreams
https://youtu.be/vdy9WpFIkb8 This video is made with the support of NZ on Air Public Interest Journalism Fund. Opportunities like this don’t come around very often. In fact, being part of the biggest choral event on the planet - the World Choir Games - only became a reality for many New Zealand choirs because of its proximity, held in Tāmaki Makaurau for the first time. Among those taking that opportunity with both hands were Manurewa High School’s Rewaken Polycation Choir - a talented group who represent many different cultures and ethnicities, brought together by their shared love of music and a collective desire to express themselves. Student Charlie Miller explains “The choir represents the different, diverse cultures that connect together. We have people in fr
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Video: Homeless – Where The Art Is
https://youtu.be/YwOk6JKuKfM Steve Christian believes he was put on this earth to be an artist. It’s what brings him the most joy - fulfilling the dream he has held since childhood of trying to make a living from his creations. But as Christian puts it “emptying my cup before I could fill it again.” In a relationship where his passion wasn’t supported, Christian waited until after his daughter had grown up and left home and then decided to put his dreams first. He set off on his own to make his art - losing everything along the way. Undeterred, Christian took to living on the street. Being homeless hasn’t been without its scary moments, and he’s been living in his car for years now. But he’s happy. “Most people would say I was doing the wors
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Video: Art Shines During Matariki
https://youtu.be/9Sy8FyrWMF0 Aotearoa’s newest public holiday means more than just a long weekend. Witness how creatives play a crucial part in making Matariki a true celebration of New Zealand’s many cultures in a uniquely New Zealand way.
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