[ HAWAII AT WORK ]
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Playing around
John Sedillo gets crafty with
stuff from his own backyardIt must be the gravitational pull of the sun as it sneaks up on the horizon that pulls me out of bed serenaded by birds greeting the sunrise. Time to start another day.
No handyman work is scheduled, so I'm free to work on my passion; creating and producing old fashion styled board games.
I handcraft each and every board game I make and each day I try to work on a different aspect of a particular game. One day I may be drawing out the game board, another may be spent making game tokens or cards. Some days, when the creative juices are really flowing, I may write an accompanying short story.
I make my board games from the comfort of my backyard deck amid the calm audience of mango and coconut trees whispering in the cool morning breeze. Just can't beat that. Many of the game accessories are furnished by my backyard garden.
I prefer the old-fashioned style and use wood-crafted pieces in my games as much as possible. I also frequent my community craft and hobby stores for supplies.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Being individually handmade, production is slow, so my board games are not extensively marketed. They are available only from me or at Native Books & Beautiful Things in Ward Warehouse. However, each game is an honor and a joy to produce. When stock runs low, things can get hectic. Christmas time I'm starting at 5 in the morning and working until 7 or 8 at night. It takes time, everything is Varathaned wood and it's got to dry. I do everything the old fashioned way. I don't even own a computer. I do it all by hand. It's all pasted up.
My first and best-selling game is Big Daddy Ulua, a fun and educational foray into the waters of Hawaiian shore fishing. Other games include Ka Po'e Kahiko, an accessory-packed limited edition game featuring the ancient Hawaiian lifestyle in an adventure race format. For Ka Po'e Kahiko, I did a lot of research at the library. I love to read. I read a lot of Hawaiian books. I never took Hawaiian classes in school or anything. It's just stuff I pick up at Kailua library. I'm down there all the time.
My newest offering is Sports Shaka Sunday, in which seven popular modern sporting events challenge players to a last second victory.
As a kid I used to make board games on a posterboard and stuff for my family and friends. A lot was sports related. I started to make the Hawaiian themes after I retired from the Air National Guard and decided to market games to the public. I wanted to promote the Hawaiian culture in my own way.
My work fulfills my lifelong goal of making products that bring joy and happiness to people and keeping traditional family values alive.
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