What is the best thing that I love about my work?
The sense of mystery and possibility. I don’t usually approach Art or Writing with a set plan. Its as if I am chipping away at an object or idea from across another dimension. IT knows what it wants to be or say. I’m just a channel for that. When I force things too much, it shows and I’m frustrated.
What is my idea of perfect happiness?
Space to create and dream without having to explain myself or shrink into a role. Learning new things, expanding my mind, and seeing the effects of that in my work and family.
What is my greatest fear?
Something tragic happening to one of my loved ones, and not being able to help them.
I also hate flying. Which is strange, because I LOVE luggage. I collect it. ha ha.
What is the trait that I most deplore in myself?
I am Impulsive, and can be morbidly emotional, paranoid, and unfocused. Soooo its a tie between those things.
Which living persons in my profession do i most admire?
Tough question. As far as living Artists, I love the work of Kris Kuksi, Amy Earles, Chris Conn Askew,and Laurie Lipton. Emerging Artists like Charles Q, Allie Hartley, Zack Rudy and Jake Valentine. As a Writer, I love Donna Tartt’s ideas..TIna Fey is the smartest person alive. Mark Manson’s flippant Self Help journalism is great. Neil Gaiman’s Imagination is everything. ‘The Sandman’ series got me through a deep emotional valley when I read it for the first time. Most of my favorites are dead authors though. Hawthorne, Joseph Campbell, Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf.
What is my greatest extravagance? when I drink alone and waste time.
On what occasion would I lie? I’m just going to lie when I answer this, so I will leave it open. ha ha.
What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work?
I am self taught, so although there is freedom in that, There is so much that I still haven’t learned how to do. My inability to create in front of other people. I’ve gotten increasingly private about creating which has actually become a conflict in some ways.
When and where was I the happiest, in my work?
When I discovered the wide range of adhesives. It was like a portal opened over my head showering down pure glory.
If I could, what would I change about myself?
I’d have made smarter decisions earlier. I’d love to be taller, younger, with the wisdom I have now. But we all would. I’d have traveled more, probably. Avoided toxic people that changed me in ways I can’t fix.
What is my greatest achievement in work?
My greatest achievement is probably just the fact that I keep doing it.
Where would I most like to live?
Everywhere. Morocco, India. Portugal. Prague. New Orleans. New England.
What is my most treasured possession?
Anything my Partner, Richard gives me.
I also have an old statue of the Madonna and Child that belonged to my Grandmother. It was always up in her attic and I’d see it when I’d go up there. When she died my Dad gave it to me. I feel she is still attached to it somehow. Its been with me for 20+ years, on a makeshift Altar in my Art Studio.
What is my most marked characteristic?
Physically? Maybe my hair, which is like a civil disobedience explosion. Half the time there’s paint in it, even when its clean. I also have two small moles near my mouth, on the right side.
Marked characteristics of my Artwork are a sort of Eastern European ‘energy’, intended circular blots of paint, ironic or religious titles and a minimal palette.
What is my most inspirational location, in my city?
I love the Creek, with the dead crayfish, and the Cemetery with the Hawks and Bluebirds.
What is my favourite place to eat and drink, in my city?
Bangkok Wok, Cafe 62, Note Bistro, Zeroday Brewing Co, The KITCHEN at HMAC. If things get too fancy I get uncomfortable. ha ha.
What books influenced my life and how?
The Catcher in the Rye, for its awkward honesty.. Being young and smart and realizing the ridiculous pressures of society.… I still refer to it. I also love ‘The Power of Myth’ by Joseph Campbell. It helped me reinterpret my deeply religious childhood in a way that I could accept and not feel guilty. Graphic Novels like “ Ghost World” by Daniel Clowes, and “Evil” A book of 13 Short Stories by Gothic Country Performer Rennie Sparks of The Handsome Family.
Who are my favorite writers?
Chuck Palahniuk, Gustav Flaubert, Sylvia Plath, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Donna Tartt, Stuart Wilde, Mark Manson, Rennie Sparks, Neil Gaiman, and I love the Contributors at Scary Mommy and Thought Catalogue.
You Only Die Once. What music would I to listen on my last day?
Probably The Cramps, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The Smiths, La Luz, or The Pixies. Philip Glass, Erik Satie or Gorecki.
Who is my hero or heroine in fiction?
Esther Greenwood, The Bell Jar, Throwing her clothing off the rooftop of the hotel, has always stuck with me. Not sure why. Enid Coleslaw from Ghost World. She shines in her enjoyment of society’s backwardness. Death in the Sandman Series. Gleeful Detatchment.. so much to learn there. Especially since I hoard things. ha ha.
Who are my heroes and heroines in real life?
Anyone who purposely brings rich experience where there was formerly nothing. People that buck the norm, take risks, and are still clever and polite about it. Leaders who can disarm a heated argument and get people to talk civilly. Rose McGowan. Justin Trudeau. Teachers. They are underpaid in my country. Which is a terrible injustice.
Which movie would i recommend to see once in a lifetime?
Le Samurai, Amelie, The Double Life of Veronique, Liquid Sky, Millions or The Holy Mountain. Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and ‘M’.
What role plays art in my life and work?
Well, I Curate part time at the gallery where I have my Studio, and I am a part time artist, so it gets complex sometimes between the public role and my creative role. I’m still learning the balance to be honest. The Art though, Its like a human, so it grows or shrinks depending on how much attention it gets. I’m finding its healthier to work in a way that feeds it, otherwise things get ugly. My family can verify this.
Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime?
Probably my Partner, Richard. He tolerates things about me they haven’t invented terms for yet. And my best friend, Emily. She is herself a fabulous writer with a killer sense of humor and a b.s. monitor that would put Alexa to shame.
Whom would I like to work with in 2018?
Iggy Pop, OF COURSE.
Also, Working on an Art Youtube channel Idea with my kids.
Which people in my profession would i love to meet in 2018?
If you are putting Artists all under the same umbrella? Amy Earles, she does amazing illustrations. Performance Artists Mary Reid and Patrick Kelly, Photographers Darla Teagarden, Lara Zankhoul, and Kyle Thompson. Bjork, David Lynch. and Iggy Pop.
What project, in 2018, am I looking forward to work on?
I am part of an Invitational Artist Exhibit at the Art Association of Harrisburg in November, Curated by Rachel O’Connor. It means a lot to me, because I will be forty that month, and as we all know, all Hell breaks loose when a gal turns forty.
Where can you see me or my work in 2018?
Always at The Metropolis Collective, the event space and Art Gallery I help curate in Mechanicsburg, Pa. The Art Association of Harrisburg, Pa in November of 2018, Instagram as @sistervinegar and @trashartgallery.
What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me?
Hmm..
Passion never retires, but it can retreat if you don’t feed it. Awareness is as important as Passion. Make room for what is most important to you, no one else will do this.
Which creative heroines should Peter invite to tell their story?
Tattooist and Painter Tiff George, (Mechanicsburg) and Spanish Photocollage Artist Esther Limones, (Spain).
How can you contact me?
info.metropoliscollective@gmail.com
Instagram: @Sistervinegar, @trashartgallery
or through my FB pages: Metropolis Collective
Here follows a message of Peter de Kuster, the founder of the Heroine’s Journey
The Heroine’s Journey Conference 2018 – Rome
The Heroine’s Journey is coming to Rome. We are bringing The Heroine’s Journey Conference to the vibrant city of Rome on 12-14 October with a transformative and properly entertaining three-day event on the most important ideas we teach. Our conference aims to transform lives and build the best kinds of connections. It is designed to equip participants with a toolkit of creative entrepreneur skills that can revolutionise relationships, careers and self-understanding.
What to Expect
Our conference is hugely memorable and distinctive. For a start, you are not being taught in entirely standard ways. Peter de Kuster and his team of coaches on stage don’t merely lecture to a passive audience; they invite almost continuous interaction, getting participants to look inside themselves, to complete a variety of exercises and to share their stories with others.
Talks are peppered with films, art, pieces of literature, pieces of music and visual prompts; all the senses are properly stimulated to keep the mind fresh and receptive. Furthermore, there is an enormous emphasis on friendship. We are not merely seated quietly on our own, isolated from other participants. We are guided to mingle, form smaller and larger groups and reveal meaningful things to one another. It is impossible to leave after three days without having made quite a few firm friends.
Conference Leaders
The Conference, led by The Heroine’s Journey founder Peter de Kuster together with a team of coaches specialized in working with creative people takes participants through a three-day immersive experience.
Programme Details
Day 1 FridayThe Heroine’s Journey: Career Management for the Creative Person.
We begin with a look at what the life and career of a creative professional is, how it can be taught – and what we can acquire of it in the days ahead. We consider our particular position in history: living with the desire for creative fulfilment and career success – and we propose that The Heroine’s Journey has a distinctive set of answers to the opportunities, disappointments and dreams of our time.
We identify that a core task of any creative professional is to achieve self-knowledge. To this end, we take you on a journey around your own mind, paying particular attention to the stories you tell yourself about you, your creative work, your time, your money, your self promotion, your relations. Which of these stories brings you to what you want and which of these stories has to be rewritten, transforming in the process your business and life?
Next we consider your meetings with others – clients, friends, business partners. We admit to our longing for sincere connection with others, but also to the challenges of finding this. We learn about the art of connecting, about ways to listen to others fruitfully and how to overcome barriers to intimacy. We teach strategies that help remove excessive superficial contact from our lives, and put all these into practice at a social event with our newfound acquaintances to close the day.
Day 2 Saturday Morning The Power of your Story
On our second day we study why we have the creative career we do – and how our early experiences give us scripts of what, how and whom we are passionate about in our creative career. We learn that there are always more possible paths in your creative career than we initially believe and that we can broaden our unconscious scripts of how we can make money doing what we love by understanding our past stories more clearly.
We also look at the techniques that can make creative careers work in the long term. The Heroine’s Journey firmly believes that passion is ultimately a skill, not an emotion. We learn about how to communicate, how not to sulk, how to allow others to get close to us, how to understand and explain our distinctive way of creating, how to promote ourself and our creations, how to negotiate conflicts through humour and how to deal with conflicts and awkward desires.
We’re reminded that many of the answers we need are within us already, waiting for the correct story to extract them.
Day 2 Saturday Afternoon Creative Confidence
We move on to consider the emotional dimension of our work; what impels us to want to do a certain sort of creative work, and why it is often so hard to align our emotional desires with our practical requirements. We explore our working personalities and sift through our authentic interests.
We consider a variety of blocks and inhibitions which prevent us from pushing forward with our hunches, with particular attention paid to parental and societal expectations.
We pay particular attention to the idea of creative confidence. The difference between success and failure often hangs on this almost humiliatingly small and elusive concept that standard education never touches. We spend vast amounts of time acquiring confidence in narrow professional fields, but we overlook the primordial need to acquire a more free-ranging variety of confidence which can serve us across a range of tasks in professional, but also in personal, life.
Day 3 Sunday They Created Happily Ever After
Passion has a natural and deep appeal. Most of us long to be more passionate and creatively confident, unruffled, at ease and capable of reacting with quiet good humour to life’s setbacks and irritants. But we are often still only at the very beginning of knowing how to be passionate and confident. This morning will give us a range of the most effective answers.
Next we consider passion & happiness. A passionate life is close to, but at points importantly different from, a happy life. It draws upon and exercises our higher capacities, for example, tenderness, care, connection, self-understanding, sympathy, intelligence and creativity. We investigate how to orientate our lives in a more happy direction.
In our final hours together, we go back over the journey we have been on and recap its most fundamental lessons.
Timetable
Who Should Attend The Heroine’s Journey Conference
The Heroine’s Journey Conference is ideal for those looking for an in-depth experience that covers three main areas of our creative lives; Career Management, Creative Confidence, Happiness.
What you can expect:
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A rich programme drawing from the key insights across our core curriculum
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A learning experience combining lectures, films, music, art, exercises and continuous audience participation
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Three-days of engaging content written and led by storyteller and writer Peter de Kuster, supported by inspiring coaches specialized in working with creative professionals
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Daily educational programme and curated morning and evening social activities
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An opportunity to make new friends in a community of like-minded individuals
The Heroine’s Journey Conference 2018 – Rome
Early Bird Price:
Euro 999 (Standard Price Euro 1099) excluding VAT
How to book:
Send us a mail at peterdekuster@hotmail.nl
The Heroine's Journey 