ALOHA ʻĀINA & ART · In this episode, Lily Māhealani Mitchell invites us into the in-between - between Hawaiʻi and England, painting and design, emotions and healing. She traces her path from meticulously painting roses as a kid to creating protest-inspired archival work like a hidden-ink Kumulipo typography piece that questions who knowledge is really for. Living abroad sharpened her awareness of aloha ʻāina, water, urbanization, and what it means to carry culture in spaces that don’t always reflect it back. We talk murals in underground markets, research as resistance, and why sometimes the message chooses the medium, not the other way around. This conversations is about staying rooted while roaming and becoming the sun wherever you land. Mahalo for tuning in!

Learn more about Lily's art:

Website: https://mahealily.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madebymahealily/

Episode Highlights

00:00 meet lily māhealani mitchell 🌺

01:49 a multi-medium artist — why pick one when you can do it all? 🎨

03:22 home: oʻahu, hawaiʻi island, england & choosing leeds beckett university

06:25 storytelling, culture, and the heartbeat behind the art

06:51 roses, realism, and learning to really see

08:58 letting the message choose the medium

10:37 inspiration abroad: missing hawaiʻi, aloha ʻāina, and community contrast

14:58 reforest leeds: water, biophilic design, and reconnecting people to ʻāina 🌿

19:12 save our surf (sos): archival posters, shoreline protests & urbanization 🌊

21:36 research as healing: archives, primary sources, and cultural continuity

25:04 kumulipo typography project: hidden knowledge, reverence, and decolonizing text

30:21 making the work: emotion, therapy, and the leeds market tunnel mural

33:37 art is for everyone

36:30 leo rising ♌

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Credits
🎙️ Host & Producer: Molly Mamaril
🎸 Guitar: Amund Gismervik

A Diversity of Experiences: Guests on Heartbeat Narratives share their own perspectives and experiences. Their views do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. We invite you to listen with an open mind and enjoy the joy and insight offered from many different vantage points.