What is your creative background?
I’m Renae, a facilitator and advocate for the transformative power of creativity. Through my work at ART by Renae, I guide individuals and organisations on journeys of self-discovery, helping them unlock their creative potential and use it as a tool for personal growth, leadership development, team building and problem-solving. My approach is grounded in neuroscience, Human-Centred Design, Systems Thinking, Agile principles, and Art Therapy.
What are your earliest memories of creativity?
From my earliest memories, creativity has been where I felt wonder, joy, and a genuine sense of peace. I was fortunate to grow up in an environment that nurtured wide-ranging exploration and curiosity. I immersed myself in dance, music, martial arts, and visual arts. Each creative form became a new language of sensation and meaning, a way of conducting a living conversation with life.
I think one of the things that made my creative journey particularly special was the freedom I had to explore without being overly constrained by rigid academic structures or grading systems. This enabled me to really be in a creative space to play, discover, experiment, stumble, and rise.
Art really is a profound tool for self-awareness, because it acts as a mirror and a meeting place where we get to observe our own experiences, reflections, understandings, memories, thoughts and emotions, as they take shape, outside of the story of ‘me’. This is why I’m so passionate about making creativity accessible to everyone: because I live the transformative power it holds.
Why do you support regional arts and RAV?
At the heart of my donation and support to RAV is a deep belief that we are all innately creative. Part of my life’s work is to help people not only realise this truth but to unleash it. I’m passionate about making creativity accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances. RAV does such incredible work in supporting the arts and exposing them to people and communities who don’t necessarily have access. By supporting RAV, I feel I’m contributing to a movement that recognises creativity as a fundamental human right.
It saddens me that arts funding isn’t prioritised more highly. I believe the arts is valuable as a self-awareness and personal development tool woven throughout our entire lives, from early childhood development all the way through to aged care in nursing homes. This is the kind of systemic change that organisations like RAV are working towards, and it’s why their work matters so deeply.
What do you love about RAV?
What I love most about RAV is the organisation’s commitment to bringing arts and creative experiences to regional communities. The work RAV does, from touring programs to creative learning initiatives, ensures that regional Victorians have the opportunity to engage with the arts in meaningful ways. I’m particularly drawn to RAV’s focus on building creative communities and providing professional development and resources for artists and organisations. It’s this holistic approach to arts advocacy and accessibility that truly resonates with me.
Posted 6 December 2025