What is the best thing that I love about my work? I love that my work is honest. After years in my studio, deep reflection into my past and into my soul, I was able to pull out of myself artwork that is true to who I am, not only as an artist, but also as a person.
What is my idea of perfect happiness? Perfect happiness is the ability to paint daily and to be surrounded by loved ones.
What is my greatest fear? I fear death without truly fulfilling my greatest dream.
What is the trait that I most deplore in myself? I am not a confident person. I deplore my constant self-doubt.
Which living persons in my profession do I most admire? I truly admire Pamela Wilson. She is not only talented, but she is also kind, hardworking, and humble. She is a practicing artist and professor, and still finds time to be supportive of emerging artists.
What is my greatest extravagance? Probably, my coffee addiction
On what occasion would I lie? Never. In my mind there is never a reason or an occasion to lie. If I do lie, which is extremely rare, I feel as though I failed and I strive to never do it again.
What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work? I am a perfectionist, which can cause me to hold back at times and can create anxiety and fear. I would love to let go, go bigger, go bolder, and lose my trepidation.
When and where was I the happiest, in my work? To be honest, right now. I feel excited in my studio and that makes me happy because I know the work is growing and evolving.
If I could, what would I change about myself? I wish I had less self-doubt and more self-love.
What is my greatest achievement in work? I think I am still striving for that “great” achievement. I believe that with art, there is never one singular moment; there are thousands of small moments that are constantly changing and shifting our perception. We use all of these to keep propelling our work forward and pushing our limits of greatness.
Where would I most like to live? I love where I live currently, which is in Philadelphia, PA. It is an incredible place for a practicing artist. However, I have always secretly dreamed of living in a quaint coastal town in New England, where I could have a big studio, lots of nature for inspiration, and a small tight-knit community.
What is my most treasured possession? My house, I live in an old row home in South Philly, and I literally love every inch of it.
What is my most marked characteristic? I am extremely talkative, for better of worse.
What is my most inspirational location, in my city? I love Old City, which is an incredibly beautiful section of Center City, Philadelphia. The architecture, galleries, parks and history fill me with inspiration.
What is my favorite place to eat and drink, in my city? There is a local restaurant called Hawthornes, which is close to my house and is full of good memories.
What books influenced my life and how? I love to read, and I have many favorite books, however the most influential are the Outlander series, by Diana Gabaldon. I love the history aspect of the book as well as the inclusion of a strong heroine.
Who are my favorite writers? I love Jane Austen, John Green, and Diana Gabaldon.
You Only Die Once. What music would I listen on my last day? If I am being honest, I love musicals. I would probably want to be listening to the soundtrack from Les Miserable.
Who is my hero or heroine in fiction? I love Claire Fraser because she is smart, strong, brave and self-confident.
Who are my heroes and heroines in real life? I would have to say Lady Gaga, not just because she is incredibly talented, but because she stands up for the marginalized.
Which movie would I recommend to see once in a lifetime? One of my favorite movies of all time, that I believe everyone should see once, if not a thousand times, is The Princess Bride.
What role does art play in my life and work? Art is my life, my world and everything I am.
Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime? My husband is all of the above and then some.
Whom would I like to work with in 2018? That is a challenging question because I am truly open to work with a variety of people, such as: other artists, new galleries, writers, etc. I do not have anyone specifically in mind.
Which people in my profession would I love to meet in 2018? I would love to meet Pamela Wilson in person. We have spoken online but I have yet to meet her in the flesh.
What project, in 2018, am I looking forward to work on? I have several, but all involve oil painting constantly in my studio
Where can you see me or my work in 2018? A little early to tell, but so far I am scheduled to show throughout the year at Gristle Art Gallery in Brooklyn, NY.
What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me? Everything. I hope to be painting and showing until my last breath.
Which creative heroines should Peter invite to tell their story? My good friend Velvetmush, Michelle Konczyk, has an inspiring story.
How can you contact me?
I have a website, www.ginaaltadonna.com
My email is: gca5007@gmail.com
Instagram @ginaaltadonna
Twitter @ginaaltadonna
Here follows a message of Peter de Kuster, founder of The Heroine’s Journey
Spring Journey
Wednesday 14th March – Sunday 18th March
The best of The Heroine’s Journey condensed into a single, unforgettable week.
The Heroine’s Journey is a global organisation dedicated to teaching skills not covered by the regular education system – skills that develop storytelling intelligence and encourage psychological well-being for creative professionals. The Spring Journey brings together the very best in our storytelling.
We will cover such themes as how to make money doing what you love, how to promote your business, which is you, how to choose our partners more wisely, how to make relationships last, how to find and create your dreamjob by meeting your rolemodels and making testdrives, how to manage your time and organize yourself creativitely, how to focus on our creative goals, how to have the financial freedom to create and how to more regularly experience creative flow and happiness.
You’ll embark on a rich and enlightening voyage, discovering how to make lasting, meaningful change across every aspect of your creative life. By working within a fixed group led by Peter de Kuster over the week, you’ll dive deeper than would be possible in any single daytrip. You’ll be challenged to think deeply about the issues that matter most, and provided with a space to share your thoughts, ideas and experiences.
The Journey is ideal for those seeking a more meaningful, transformative vacation; for attendees of our daytrips who now wish to take a structured journey through our expertly curated material; and for those wishing to save time in the long run by working through the dilemmas of creative life, business, passion, and your own story in a single, high intensity week.
Blending tuition, exercises, meeting with stories of rolemodels, and discussion in journeys in a world city, each day of the Spring Journey will equip you with tools and strategies to help you find answers for your creative life’s big questions.
Join us for a truly transformational vacation for the mind in Rome
Ticket costs Euro 1250 excluding VAT per person, includes all teaching, materials, light refreshments & additional activities.
You can reach Peter for a skype meeting about questions you have by mailing him at peterdekuster@hotmail.nl
DAILY TIMETABLE
09.40 Tea & Coffee on arrival
10.00 Morning Session
13.00 Lunch Break
14.00 Afternoon Session
17.00 Drinks
Read on for a detailed breakdown of the Spring Journey itinerary.
“You are the Storyteller of Your Own Creative Life. You can Create Your Own Legend – Or Not” – Peter de Kuster
Spring Journey Itinerary
Day One: The first day of the Spring Journey is designed to equip us with the core skills of The Heroine’s Journey and Storytelling. We will learn the power of the story we tell ourselves, why our minds have a hard time understanding themselves, how to map and understand our passions, and how and why we characteristically respond to them.
Day Two: The second day of the Spring Journey takes us on a structured journey around the power of your story as creative professional. Creative flow is always in essence a mental phenomenon, it is a result of ideas- and a story you tell yourself therefore relies on having to hand a raft of enriching stories about your business, your money management, your self promotion and your time management that can be called upon in moments of truth. The day begins with a Heroine’s Journey Breakfast – considering what three of the greatest creative heroines of all time have as story about the art of creative living wisely and well.
Day Three: The third day of the Spring Journey teaches us how to choose our clients and business partners wisely and make our relationships last. One of the gravest errors we make around business relationships is to imagine that they aren’t things we can get wiser or better at. On this day we will learn to practise and rehearse our skills at working with the people who can help you further your creative business (clients and business partners like agents, publishers, marketing professionals etcera). In the evening, we will attend a Storytelling Dinner in a local restaurant – learning to overturn small talk and master the art of opening up our deepest stories.
Day Four: The fourth day of the Spring Journey teaches us how to achieve our creative career potential. We will employ storytelling tools to be better able to understand our creative talents and to move forward using the opportunities that are open to us.
Day Five: The final day of the Spring Journey explores new business opportunities and markets for you to as creative professional. Many of the challenges we encounter in modern life require us to develop creative solutions to complex problems. And even when we’re not tackling big problems, continuously improving the way we live using invention and imaginative strategy is deeply important.
You can reach Peter for a skype meeting about questions you have by mailing him at peterdekuster@hotmail.nl
The Heroine's Journey 