Renae Okao

Based in Australia, where neuroarts infrastructure and communities are still emerging, I'm eager to learn from leading research, the exchange of ideas across disciplines, and potentially collaborate on projects that push the field forward.

For me, creativity has always been the duet between heart and brain, a living conversation with life itself. From my earliest memories, it was where I found wonder, joy, and peace. I explored widely: dance, music, visual arts, martial arts, even acting. This freedom to experiment without rigid rules shaped how I see creative practice today - a space where curiosity and play hold the highest value.

Now, I'm fascinated by how the arts shape human connection to self and others. I'm particularly drawn to how creative engagement supports the expansion of awareness, identity formation, emotional regulation, relational trust, and collective meaning-making.

This intersects directly with my work in organisations focused on people development and leadership growth. I see the arts as a psychologically safe way to engage with complex challenges. Through low-risk creative practice, people experience a powerful shift: from "I can't" → "I can" → "I am." That lived, embodied evolution, is where neuroarts feels most powerful and most necessary to me.

Being part of this community offers opportunity to learn, contribute, and help shape the future of neuroarts, especially in regions like Australia where the conversation is just beginning.