What is the best thing I love about my work? The feeling. I love exploration and the richness of my texture. I paint intuitively, from my innermost heart and I go where the paint takes me. At times, that can cause some difficulty, but it’s so thrilling when it all comes together as a meaningful, exciting work. I hope that my work stirs the emotions of the viewer, causes them to pause and reflect, even if just for a moment. I want my work to be felt, submitted to, immersed in. Explanations aren’t necessary in my work, feeling is the key.
What is my idea of perfect happiness? I would say that happiness is not a goal for me anymore. Now at my age, my goals are peace, tranquility, and personal fulfillment. Some of the ways that I find these things are by sitting on my beautiful balcony in the mornings while reading along with my coffee and breakfast, and anytime spent near the sea. But the best thing is creating that painting that comes straight from my inner self, when I know I really nailed it. The thrill is beyond happiness!
What is my greatest fear? My greatest fear is that because I started painting later in life, I won’t have enough time to reach my full artistic potential.
What is the trait that I most deplore in myself? I don’t like how naive I am sometimes, and that I need more confidence.
Which living persons in my profession do I most admire? I admire those artists who have integrity and are true to themselves, whose art is a reflection of their true heart and spirit.
What is my greatest extravagance? Paint. I’m always buying so much paint and so often discover that I already have a huge jar of the same color. I have so much! I guess that’s not really an extravagance since I will use it eventually.
On what occasion would I lie? In order to keep from hurting someone, if there is nothing constructive that could come from it, if it wouldn’t be helpful. I wouldn’t outright lie, but might just gloss over a little bit, more of a little white lie.
What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work? Because I always paint by instinct and feeling, it can be perplexing at times when there are so many choices to make. In my work, I am seeking to open the pathways to my soul and communication to others. When the painting is not going well, eventually I realize that I am going through a growth period and I hope that I will come out of it with more insight and knowledge. But there’s always that fear that I’ll never come out of it. Always in the end, it’s all so worth it!
When and where was I the happiest in my work? Whenever I finish a painting that totally thrills me, that is when I am the ultimate happiest. If I am fulfilled, then that’s all I crave.
If I could, what would I change about myself? I would like to have more confidence. I have some moments of confidence, but oh boy, would I like to have more.
What is my greatest achievement in work? My greatest achievement coming from my work, are the wonderful changes in my own self. Painting has expanded me, opened me up spiritually, emotionally, and has changed my life dramatically.
Where would I most like to live? I love living in San Diego, but I have always wanted to live by the sea in Scotland or Norway.
What is my most treasured possession? My crystals and rocks. I have heart-shaped rocks that I found on the beaches in Greece and a very tiny, beautiful heart-shaped rock that I cherish above all because of the way in which I received it.
What is my most marked characteristic? My great need for solitude and my deep love for ALL animals.
What is my most inspirational location in my city? Sunset Cliffs, by the sea in Ocean Beach. I go there whenever I can, especially to watch the moon rise.
What is my favorite place to eat and drink in my city? I am vegetarian, trying to become vegan, so I usually eat at home. Not very exciting!
What books influenced my life and how? Oh my gosh, there are so many! To name a few, Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, Faith and Will, and Walking in this World, all had tremendous, life-changing influence on me.
Who are my favorite writers? Again, so many. Joan Didion, Barbara Kingsolver, Julia Cameron, Charles Bukowski, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Rilke, Thoreau, Doreen Virtue are some of them.
You only die once. What music would I listen to on my last day? As much as I love music, on my last day, I would want to hear all the beautiful sounds of nature. The ocean waves crashing on the shore, the birds, the breeze rustling the leaves, rain falling.
Who is my hero or heroine in fiction? It’s so hard to remember right at this moment but my first thought is Atticus Finch.
Who are my heroes and heroines in real life? Gandhi, Thich Nhat Hahn, Dalai Lama, Barbara Kingsolver, Leonard Cohen.
Which movie would I recommend to see once in a lifetime? Both Baraka and Koyaanisqatsi are excellent films of a similar nature.
What role plays art in my life and work? In my travels, I’ve been to most all of the world’s major art museums, including the Hermitage, Uffizzi, Louvre, Rijksmuseum. When I finally started painting my own art, oh my goodness, that is when my life changed. Now, I am continually evolving, growing, changing. I could never paint the same style of work over and over. I have to explore and just see what happens when I try new things. That may or may not be what galleries want, but it’s what I want, so that’s
okay.
Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime? The artists in my studio/gallery building,The Studio Door in North Park, San Diego, especially the owner Patric Stillman.
Whom would l like to work with in 2018? I hope to be right here, working the the group of artists I’m with right now. We all support each other, cheer each other for our successes, and help each other to grow. It’s a rare and wonderful atmosphere. I don’t think there is another place like it, certainly not in San Diego.
Which people in my profession would I love to meet in 2018? I would love to meet more gallery owners in other areas and people who love, love, love my work!
What project, in 2018, am I looking forward to working on? I’m looking forward to continuing on my current path, expanding myself through experimentation and painting from my deeper self. I don’t submit to juried art shows; I prefer to have a more long lasting relationship with galleries, so will look toward that end a little bit in 2018.
Where can you see me or my work in 2018?
On the calendar so far is:
The Emerald C Gallery, Coronado, CA
The La Jolla Sports Club, La Jolla, CA
Gloria Delson Contemporary Arts, DTLA, Arts District, Los Angeles, CA
The Studio Door, North Park, San Diego, Ca (where my studio is located)
What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me? That I will be painting for as long as I can hold a palette knife!
Which creatives heroines should Peter invite to tell their story? Jill Joy, Sali Swalla, Linda Litteral.
How can you contact me?
What follows is a message of Peter de Kuster, the founder of the Heroine’s Journey
What is Your Story?
Two Day Tour with Peter de Kuster in the greatest bookstores of your favorite city. In Paris, Rome, Florence, Barcelona, Berlin, London and Amsterdam we offer this unique What is your Story? experience. To (re) write your story about yourself and your work. In the process transforming your capacity to successfully have the creative life and work you love.
In this journey, Peter de Kuster, founder of The Heroine’s Journey explores with you the way we tell stories about ourselves to ourselves — and, most important, the way we can change those stories to transform our creative business and life.
“Your story is your art, your art is your story,” says Peter. As human beings, we continually tell ourselves stories — of success or failure; of power or victimhood; stories that endure for an hour, or a day, or an entire lifetime. We have stories about our creative challenges, our art, our clients, our money, our self promotion, our time, our families and relationships, our health; about what we want and what we’re capable of achieving. Yet, while our stories profoundly affect how others see us and we see ourselves, too few of us even recognize that we’re telling stories, or what they are, or that we can change them — and, in turn, transform our very destinies.
Telling ourselves stories provides structure and direction as we navigate life’s challenges and opportunities, and helps us interpret our goals and skills. Stories make sense of chaos; they organize our many divergent experiences into a coherent thread; they shape our entire reality. And far too many of our stories, says Peter, are dysfunctional, in need of serious editing. First, he asks you to answer the question, “In which areas of my creative life and business is it clear that I cannot achieve my goals with the story I’ve got?” He then shows you how to create new, reality-based stories that inspire you to action, and take you where you want to go both in your work and personal life.
Our capacity to tell stories is one of our profoundest gifts. Peter’s approach to creating deeply engaging stories will give you the tools to wield the power of storytelling and forever change your creative business and life.
Become a great Storyteller
That’s why I set up What is your Story? service in the great cities of the world and their great bookstores. A new way to use the power of your story. To guide you to life-changing, eye-opening but often elusive works of literature, both past and present, the books of fiction that truly have the power to enchant, enrich and inspire.
In two days with Peter de Kuster you’ll explore your relationship with books so far and your unique story identity will be sketched. You will be guided to books that can put their finger on what you want to rewrite in your story, the feelings that you may often have had but perhaps never understood so clearly before; books that open new perspectives and re-enchant the world for you.
You will be asked to complete a questionnaire in advance of your session and you’ll be given an instant story advice and books to read to take away. Your full story advice and books to read list will follow within a couple of days.
OLD STORIES
- What is your Story?
- Are you even trying to tell a Story?
- Old Stories (stories about you, your art, your clients, your money, your self promotion, your happiness, your health)
- Tell your current Story
- Is this Really Your Story?
YOUR NEW STORY
- The Premise of your Story. The Purpose of your Life and Art
- The words on your tombstone
- You ultimate mission, out loud
- The Seven Great Plots
- The Twelve Archetypal Heroines
- The One Great Story
- Purpose is Never Forgettable
- Questioning the Premise
- Lining up
- Flawed Alignment, Tragic Ending
- The Three Rules in Storytelling
- Write Your New Story
TURNING STORY INTO ACTION
- Turning your story into action
- The Story Effect
- Story Ritualizing
- The Storyteller and the art of story
- The Power of Your Story
- Storyboarding your creative process
- They Created and Lived Happily Ever After
RESERVATION AND FEES
The “What is your Story?” fee is Euro 2.495 excluding VAT for a private tour with a small group of 1 or 2 people.
Questions? Contact Peter de Kuster at 0031 6 33661772 or mail him at peterdekuster@hotmail.nl
The Heroine's Journey 