What is the best thing that I love about my work? The freedom to create whatever I want. If I’m happy that day it may be something light and cheerful. If I’m depressed it will be something on the darker side. There is no right or wrong in art to me.
What is my idea of perfect happiness? Being with my family and friends in a world with peace where people and animals are not harmed.
What is my greatest fear? Never seeing my family again in life or in death
What is the trait that I most deplore in myself? I am my own worst critic and I feel things too deeply
Which living persons in my profession do i most admire? I admire so many artists. Too many to name. I admire any artist willing to show their art in public ….it can be such a vulnerable feeling.
What is my greatest extravagance? Art supplies, getting my hair done and lipstick.
On what occasion would I lie? I would lie to keep someone from being physically hurt.
What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work? Composition is the hardest thing for me with my art. I’m also not fond of painting backgrounds.
When and where was I the happiest, in my work? I’m never completely happy with my art. I guess it would be when people reach out to me with letters or messages telling me how much my art touches them. It makes up for the feeling that what I do doesn’t matter.
If I could, what would I change about myself? I would change my confidence level if I could and not be afraid to get myself out there more.
What is my greatest achievement in work? When a person tells me that my art made a difference in their life. When they tell me, they feel connected to a piece I have created, or it reminds them of someone they know.
Where would I most like to live? I would like to live somewhere peaceful and warm. A house on the beach would be my dream house.
What is my most treasured possession? This is a tough one. I can tell you that if my house was burning I would want my family, pets and artwork saved.
What is my most marked characteristic? People compliment me most on my eyes and my smile, so I’ll go with that.
What is my most inspirational location, in my city? Meigs Point Madison Connecticut
What is my favourite place to eat and drink, in my city? I love to go to the shoreline and eat seafood especially lobster
What books influenced my life and how? I’m not much of a book person but when I do read it is usually a self-help type of book or vampire romance.
Who are my favorite writers? C.M. Owens and J. R. Ward
You Only Die Once. What music would I listen on my last day? Anything Stevie Nicks or Chris Cornell I have found their voices to have a very soothing effect.
Who is my hero or heroine in fiction? I really enjoyed watching Zena warrior princess
Who are my heroes and heroines in real life? My real-life heroes are parents who spend time with their children even after divorce. And anyone who has had the courage to get away from an abusive situation.
Which movie would i recommend to see once in a lifetime? Braveheart is a movie I think everyone should see
What role plays art in my life and work? If I did not have art in my life I think I would have went down a dark path and possible not came back. Art has saved me from severe anxiety and depression. It has saved my life.
Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime? My greatest fan without a doubt is my mom. My partner in crime. Oh, the stories I can tell!
Whom would I like to work with in 2018? I would love to have the confidence to try and get my art in a gallery.
Which people in my profession would i love to meet in 2018? I would love to meet my art friends who I’ve interacted with online for years!
What project, in 2018, am I looking forward to work on? I am just looking forward to painting and creating. I will keep trying to improve and get myself out in the world more.
Where can you see me or my work in 2018? My art can be found on
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheArtOfReneeLLavoie?ref=seller-platform-mcnav
https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-renee-lavoie.html
https://www.prod.facebook.com/ArtofReneeLLavoie/
What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me? God willing, I will never stop creating.
Which creative heroines should Peter invite to tell their story? I think a couple art artists that might enjoy this interview would be Holly Durr, Molly Harrison, Rebecca Sinz.
How can you contact me? Contact reneelavoie@sbcglobal.net
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 