How Choosing Joy Over Fear Brought Light Back into Lauryna Rakauskaitė’s Art

Women in Arts Network is delighted to celebrate Lauryna Rakauskaitė as our Artist of the Month for September. Lauryna’s journey into art is both deeply human and deeply inspiring. Like many of us, she once placed her creativity to the side, building a career in management for over ten years. Yet the quiet pull of painting never left her. From the first sketches she made as a child to the longing she carried as an adult; art was always waiting for her return. When she finally listened to that voice inside the one that said you were made to paint it was as if she allowed a hidden light to step into the world.

Her paintings are not just about colour and form they are about joy, emotion, and the courage to see life differently. Lauryna paints with pure intuition, letting feelings guide her brush. The result is work that radiates warmth and light, reminding us of moments of happiness we might have forgotten. Pieces like Net of Light and In the Sunshine invite us to pause, breathe, and choose joy over fear, even in uncertain times.

What makes Lauryna’s story so moving is its honesty. She doesn’t claim to have all the answers she simply listens to her heart and paints what feels true. Her art carries that same invitation to us: to trust our instincts, to honour what brings us joy, and to remember that light is always within reach.

Let us step into her world and discover the colours, emotions, and quiet wisdom she so beautifully brings to life.

Q1. Can you share your background and what initially drew you to painting? Was there a defining moment when you realized art would be your path?

I remember drawing as a child, but at the time I didn’t think I wanted to study art or painting. It was only in 11th or 12th grade that I realized I wanted to pursue art, but I wasn’t properly prepared. When I went for the entrance exam review, I received a lot of criticism and decided to study management instead. I’ve been working in a managerial position for more than 10 years, but creativity has always remained my passion. More than a year ago, I realized I could no longer deceive myself I want to paint. It feels like something inside me that can no longer stay hidden; it needs to see the light of day.

Q2. Your work is rooted in exploring human emotions and positivity. Do you see this as an act of resistance or healing in today’s often chaotic world?

Yes, I strongly believe that what we think and what we say becomes our reality. We often tend to focus on the worst-case scenario, as if preparing for a rainy day. I invite viewers to shift their perspective — to think about what brings them positive emotions and feelings, so they can experience life through joy rather than pain.

Q3. Colour and form are so central to your work. Do you see them as purely aesthetic choices, or do they carry symbolic or emotional significance for you?

My creative process is completely intuitive. I never see the final vision I simply get an idea of what I want to convey. The idea usually takes the form of composition and emotion. Later in the creative process, I feel which colors I want to use and what the brushstrokes should be like.

Q4. Many of your works radiate joy and light, yet joy can sometimes be the most difficult emotion to hold onto. Do you find yourself painting what you feel in the moment, or painting what you long for?

I always try to feel the emotion when I’m composing to make it real. Painting itself is a pleasure for me.

Q5. Can you take us back to a time when a painting you were working on taught you something unexpected about yourself perhaps revealing emotions or truths you hadn’t consciously acknowledged?

At least for now, I can’t paint what I don’t want to. It seems that only when an idea is born can I begin painting.

Q6. Once your artwork leaves your studio, it takes on a life of its own. What do you hope people feel or take away when they see it, and have their reactions ever changed how you see your own work?

I hope that when people look at my paintings, they feel better that they remember what once brought them joy or what makes them happy now. I hope people consciously choose to seek their own happiness, their own source of light. So far, their reactions have not changed my attitude toward my work.

Q7. What advice would you give to emerging artists who are still discovering their own voice, especially when the world often asks for clear answers, but art is really about staying open and vulnerable?

I am a beginner artist myself, so perhaps it’s too early for me to give advice. But what helps me is listening to myself to my heart. We all have the answers within us; that’s where we should begin looking, rather than searching outside ourselves.

Q8. Congratulations on being featured as Artist of the Month! In what ways do you see this milestone helping to elevate your career and create fresh opportunities for your practice?

Thank you. I hope that more people will see my work and that there will be more smiles in the world. That alone would be an achievement for me. And of course, I’ll be very happy if my paintings find new homes.

As we wrap our conversation with Lauryna, we are amazed and inspired by her journey a reminder that it’s never too late to return to what lights us up inside. Lauryna shows us that creativity doesn’t have to follow a straight path; it can be rediscovered, rekindled, and reimagined at any stage of life. In celebrating her as our Artist of the Month, we also celebrate the power of intuition, the importance of listening to ourselves, and the beauty that emerges when we dare to honour our passions.

May her journey inspire us all to trust the quiet call of our hearts, to make space for joy, and to remember that art, at its core, is about embracing light both on the canvas and within ourselves.