WELCOME TO ANOTHER ISSUE OF 'EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN' WHERE WE BRING YOU CONVERSATIONS WITH EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN AND DELVE INTO PHENOMENAL CAREERS, PERSONAL STYLE, MOMENTS AND EVENTS THAT SHAPE THEIR LIVES, PASSIONS AND SUCCESSES, CHALLENGES AND LESSONS THEY'VE LEARNT.
For this issue we are excited to share our conversation with incredibly talented fashion illustrator and designer, RENE VENO in what we hope will be the start of many future artist collaborations. I reached out to Rene when I wanted support to complete my vision for our upcoming TShirt collaboration with my dear friend Tracy Secombe @soulpleaser.
Rene Veno's fashion illustration journey was first sparked in the early 2000's by renowned fashion illustrator Angie Rehe. She chats with us about how much this resonated with her after feeling stifled by computer based design, finding freedom in working from home after having 2 gorgeous little girls, her process for handling the nerves of live event illustration and about living a creative life.
LANAMARA (LM): Rene, welcome! It's so lovely to chat with you and thank you for being our 'Extraordinary Woman'. I've admired your talents for many years now and it's so lovely to spend time to get to know you. Tell us a little more about your career background?
RENE VENO (RV):
I studied graphic design at university and wherever I could, added hand done lettering and illustration to my design. After university, I found myself working in a rather niche field of textile graphic design, working for apparel companies illustrating t-shirt placement prints, all over prints for everything from underwear to swimwear, dresses, sleepwear, mens, womens and kids. I started in surf companies in the early 2000s then ended up working for various womens wear brands too. After I had my girls I took on design work so that I could stay at home with them, and ran that solo design business until 2023.
LM: I've been to a number of events where you have attended as a guest illustrator, there must be quite a bit of pressure to perform on the spot. Is this quite daunting? How do you handle the pressure?
RV: Live drawing is very nerve wracking. I am nervous every single time. I'm an introvert and on those days I almost ''hide behind'' the performance of drawing. What does keep me going is seeing how excited people are. I do love that people want to watch the illustration process, for people to be able to see an artist drawing is not only entertaining but it feels like you're sharing in their joy of the process. That isn't something that an artist can share normally when they are drawing or painting in their studio, often alone! I handle the pressure by having a methodical process for each illustration - I do the same order each time and I time myself, as well as practice in the lead up to the event.
LM: You're an incredibly creative person, one of my favourite books is 'Big Magic' by Elizabeth Gilbert where she talks about living a creative life. How do you bring creativity into your life?
RV: I truly believe humans are creative inherently - and it is about nurturing creativity - noticing it about ourselves and celebrating it.
My girls bring creativity into my life because their imagination is still so alive. They see ideas everywhere. My 8 year old fills sketch books long before me because I want them to be perfect. She takes the smallest idea and runs with it - she doesn't over think it or complicate it. I want to be more like that. Trusting those small sparks of God inspired inspiration.
Imposter syndrome is a massive road block for creativity, it causes self doubt and holds us back from taking risks or looking silly.
The times I have been the most creative is when I have found a bit of boldness. To trust my ideas and try many things without the constraints of keeping to one aesthetic. Even social media asks for curated feeds in a certain colour palette- to be a recognisable brand. I wonder without those constraints what creatives would keep creating and how often they would change and reinvent.
LM: You studied with a leading Fashion Illustrator, tell us about this?
RV: Angie Rehe is a superstar that I stumbled upon way back in the late 2000s on the then Twitter. She was a well established fashion illustrator both in the Fashion industry and teaching at RMIT. I saw that she was holding night classes in Fitzroy, close to where I lived in Melbourne and I convinced my work to pay for it as it suited an upcoming range we were doing for a celebrity. The timing was perfect - it had been too long since my more art based jobs and I was feeling stifled with computer based design. I wasn't exactly sure what fashion illustration was but it reminded me of pages I always bookmarked in illustration books. She really ignited a spark in me with her expressive style and methodical teaching and I did several of her courses, even up until two years ago via zoom. I still love learning from her and bought her recent book, Lee Alexander McQueen, the illustrated world of a fashion visionary.
LM: As a creative it can be difficult to refine your own distinct style, how has this evolved for you?
RV: I took notice when certain techniques and processes felt a lot easier for me. Finding your own style is realising there is nothing new - we absorb inspiration from everywhere and it is creative people who use that inspiration to 'steal like an artist'. So, to find your style, lean into your strengths and enjoy being inspired and using inspiration in your work!
LM: Not only do you illustrate, you work full time plus you and your husband have two young girls, what are your top tips for managing stress and your mental health?
RV: Routine and realising limitations. I manage stress by:
If I take on design and illustration jobs outside of my regular job I give a long lead time and make sure I love the project.
A morning gym routine with my husband - we work out together and also get time to talk without interruption. This is something we have committed to in the last year that has been a game changer.
I manage my mental health by:
A clean and clutter free home helps my mental health enormously.
Taking long breaks from social media is great for my mental health, not great for my social media following or the algorithm but it protects me from comparison and overwhelm.
Limiting negativity - whether that is the news, celebrity culture, not listening to music with negative lyrics or bad content or doom scrolling - protecting what goes into my subconscious plays a big part in mental health.
LM: And, finally if you could dream up what your creative future looked like how would it appear?
RV: More time! Time is absolutely precious and finite - my dream would be to have more time in my creative future. And with that time and space I would love to learn more time consuming techniques. My next goal is to dive into oil painting and to get back to what I loved decades ago which is more realistic portraits.
THANKS FOR JOINING US FOR OUR LATEST EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN, WATCH THIS SPACE FOR OUR NEXT EXTRAORDINARY WOMAN.
MARIKA XX