What is the best thing that I love about my work? Freedom to choose the subject of the work and be the director of the entire process. Through my work, I better understand my inner world and what is most important in this life.

What is my idea of happiness? It changes over the years. It used to be a complete package: true love, professional achievements, a life full of many beautiful things. But if you eat only flowers, you will get sick (as one poet wrote). When you get what you want, you realize that your happiness is not really in the fulfillment of your desires. But first, you need to achieve something in life, prove to
yourself that you can, then understand that it will not lead anywhere, except to another circle of fulfilling desires, which is no longer necessary. At the moment I am pleased because I can calmly do what I want, being only here and now. I appreciate such periods of conscious solitude and peace. And most importantly, true love remains despite the abundance of less important or completely unimportant events in life.

What is my greatest fear? Losing the people I love. It happens to everyone sooner or later, and it still scares me. It’s a big attachment. I think it’s also a still-weak belief in eternal that sometimes I feel this fear.

What is the trait that I most deplore in myself? I think too much.

Which living persons in my profession do I most admire? Kira Perov and Bill Viola (artist duo and family. Artistic genius Bill Viola died in 2024). Director Paolo Sorrentino. Actor Toni Servillo. When starting a new project I always remember what the best artists created and how they created. Not to imitate as we are so different, but to be inspired by them.

What is my greatest extravagance I value simple things. When I have a chance and I find myself alone in a city abroad I have such an established tradition: I go to the bookshop and disappear there for hours exploring bilingual editions. I am a poetry lover. I grab a bag full of books.

On what occasion would I lie? I had to lie to people who lied to me and tried to manipulate me. I shouldn’t have done that. You have to distance yourself from such people right away because it draws you into a different world for quite a long time, where you don’t want to be… Although it is interesting to see how far people can go for their benefit and what complex chess games are played in their minds.

What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work? There is nothing I dislike about my work. It is a completely different matter when we talk about project financing, advertising, art intermediaries, and all the other things that have caused and are causing great damage to the quality of art and the artists themselves over the past decades. Many important creators have been saying for a long time that focusing attention not on the work but on the artist’s person is a very bad phenomenon. We encounter the painful consequences of this phenomenon quite often. It is gratifying that a significant number of artists find the strength to distance themselves from those who are trying to exploit them, and are trying to abandon completely or partially meaningless appearances on social networks and the media.

When and where was I the happiest, in my work? I can’t distinguish. I am happy, always where I perform my function: whether it is in my studio, traveling and collecting material for a new portrait project, or painting new works. It is very important for both the health of the artist and the quality of the work, that we have the opportunity to do one work at a time as often as possible. Because multitasking is a disease of great indifference and poor-quality work.

If I could, what would I change about myself? I think that it is not very possible to change something in yourself. When you do not feel well and you are overcome with doubts, I think that it is very important to consciously realize that you may have forgotten something important that you knew very well before. You just need to remember where and with whom you feel best, spend some time alone and everything else will resolve itself.

What is my greatest achievement in my work? Understanding that my work is not just mine. Although in my work it is not only a philosophical understanding, but also a reality. Since the works I create are mostly portrait projects, their creation requires the active involvement of people (portrait heroes). The ability to communicate with people whose language you often do not even speak and you are given their trust in you that you can tell their stories through your works of art. Then art becomes a healing medicine for the people I portray, for me, and some viewers. This is a huge gift of life.

Where would I most like to live? Surrounded by magnificent inspiring nature, not in a big city.

What is my most treasured possession? Lovely gifts from loved ones that remind us of important dates, events, and places where we have been and are happy.

What is my most marked characteristic? Resilience and sometimes perseverance. A romantic/poetic way of living and thinking.

What is my most inspirational location, in my city? Mostly I don’t live in a city, I prefer to be surrounded by nature. Therefore, all natural places, if you just disconnect from work and notice them, are inspiring. If I just want to, I can see sunrises and sunsets every day, and being in nature is very important because it can be a way to regain strength.

What is my favorite place to eat and drink, in my city? I like to just buy or make great food, pick up the things I need, and go to the most beautiful viewpoints in the city or places in nature, and that’s where our favorite places are.

What books influenced my life and how?
Books that had a profound influence on me are:
John O’Donohue ‘Anam Cara’, To Bless the Space Between Us’;
Many books of Jalal al-Din Rumi ;
Saint Paisios the Athonite Spiritual Counsels (series) Volume I-VI;
Eckhart Tolle ‘The Power of Now

Many texts of IBN ‘ARABI;
Andrei Tarkovsky ‘Sculpting in Time’.

All these books travel with me wherever I go, some of them for many years.

Half of them were recommended to me by other people, which is no coincidence. I call them messengers, some of them were interested in those books for a very short time, but these books helped me a lot in the not-always-easy journey of an artist. They help me to know myself better and at the same time give me hope.

You Only Die Once. What music would I listen to on my last day? Leonard Cohen’s songs (that were performed during his last tour). I remember so many wonderful moments in my life with his songs.

Who is my hero or heroine in fiction? I don’t have one.

Who are my heroes and heroines in real life? All creative and wise people who somehow manage to create art that gives hope to the world. After all, the most important function of true art is to give hope to a human being. The real heroines are our mothers who gave birth to us in this world. They had much less egoism than us artists, they gave up things that were important to them and allowed and helped us to realize our dreams.

Which movie would I recommend to see once in a lifetime? It’s so difficult to choose only one. The most shocking and spiritually uplifting final scene of a film of metaphysical beauty, which for me is the most memorable in the history of cinema, is Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Nostalghia”. If one more then P. Sorrentino “Great Beauty” (“La Grande Bellezza”

What role play stories in my life and work? A very important role, a huge one. I’ve been telling stories my whole life through different art forms. They’re all real, nothing is made up, because the most interesting stories already exist, you just have to find them, meet the people who will tell them to you.

What do the words ‘You are the storyteller of your own life’ mean to me? Every moment we choose who we want to be, our choices influence not only what happens to us, but also touch other people. Art itself is in a process of constant rebirth as well as we artists. On the other hand, I don’t think that everything depends only on me. It’s a very Western attitude that you can achieve, get or deserve everything. It’s not always like that, the most beautiful things in this life you can’t buy or achieve. Maybe everything is planned by God, and we only choose the state in which we meet and experience fate.

Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime? My family and my best friend. They are my guardian angels. Without them, I would be nothing.

Which people or companies would I like to work with? In my case, it is difficult to name those people, because I am an independent artist who mostly creates social portrait projects. The most important people, in my opinion, in my game are the heroes of my portraits, everything depends on them; whether they will agree or not to work with me, and if they do, whether we will be able to find a connection. I consciously try not to seek recognition or approval anymore, because it is simply an inexhaustible dark well of egoism. I want to talk more about the meaning of the works, the importance of their quality, and the ability to express the truth through art. As one talented artist said, “Don’t think about success but think about the essence of your artwork.”

What project am I looking forward to working on? After collecting the necessary material I have already started working on a new artistic portrait project which like my other works speaks about migration, displacement, social issues, conflict, and identity and through various means of detailed portraiture investigates fundamental human experiences. I use painting, sculpture, printmaking, installation, and film to explore the passage of time and the human condition. Allowing people who experienced trauma of any kind or are/feel underrepresented in their society to take part in the creative process and be portrayed in an artwork is helping them to deal with anxiety, social isolation, and stress and what is the most important to know that many other people care about their situation. In the future, I plan to work on joint artistic project with composer and writer. All the people you have worked with or are working with, subtly change your worldview. It is very important to choose, if we still believe that we can choose for ourselves, people whose wisdom and life experience will help you become better on all levels.

Where can you see me or my work?
My personal website: https://www.lauraguoke.com/

What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me? If you are fulfilling your life’s purpose you never retire to do what you love to do. Forms of creativity change, you may work in more than one field. But no matter what you do, you will always strive to spread goodness and beauty and seek the meaning of life through your creations.

Which creative heroines should Peter invite to tell their story?
Izabela Oldak
Greta Kniežaitė
Zeynep Neris Kaplan

How can you contact me?
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/lauraguokeportraiture/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lauraguoke/
Linked In – https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-guoke-b474143b/
My personal website – https://www.lauraguoke.com/
Email – lauraguoke@yahoo.co