“I know a girl from an island // she stands apart from the crowd // She loves the sea and her people // she makes her whole family proud!”

“Sometimes the world seems against you // The journey may leave a scar // But scars can heal and reveal just where you are!” – I am Moana (Song of the Ancestors)

Moana – I’ve been obsessed with her since watching the Disney film earlier this year. She’s determined, energetic, brave and strong.I can relate to the way she loves the ocean, and I love her sense of adventure! In the beginning of the film, she’s not certain of her identity but over the course of the movie you see her discover who she really is. I love the confidence she has in her identity at the end of the film!

Markay Gallery‘s gorgeous “Aqua” show was the perfect setting for my take on Moana. We incorporated pieces by Nadine Koski and Tina Lindsey, and Megan Quintana of Megan Quintana Artistry, created a beautiful, bronze-y look for our Moana – model Ellen Clark. I love the movement of Ellen’s curls in the wind, and in true Moana style we also incorporated a tropical floral hairpiece created by K. Mike Whittle. I hope you’ll enjoy some of my favorite photos from this fabulous collaboration paired with lines from “I am Moana,” my favorite song from the film!

“The people you love will change you // The things you have learned will guide you // and nothing on earth can silence // the quiet voice still inside you!”

“And when that voice starts to whisper // Moana, you’ve come so far // Moana, listen // Do you know who you are?”

“Who am I? // I am a girl who loves my island // I’m the girl who loves the sea // It calls me!”

“I am the daughter of the village chief // We are descended from voyagers // Who found their way across the world // They call me”

“I’ve delivered us to where we are // I have journeyed farther // I am everything I’ve learned and more // Still it calls me!”

“And the call isn’t out there at all, it’s inside me // It’s like the tide; always falling and rising // I will carry you here in my heart you’ll remind me // That come what may // I know the way!”

“I AM MOANA!”