Maria Brito, Art Curator and Author, "How Creativity Rules The World"

(: 00:03

A welcome back friends to our podcast, Unlocking Your World of Creativity. And today we're just gonna tackle head on a couple of creative, ah, misconceptions, mindsets, beliefs that often block our creativity. The first is that it's already all been done , everything creative. There's no new ideas. Why should I even try? It's too frustrating. And then the second is that some external, uh, circumstance or motivation or external opportunity is in control of our creativity. And so we're gonna tackle both of those issues and there's no better guest to talk to about that than Maria Brito. Maria, welcome to the program.

(: 00:44

Thank you Mark. And, uh, thank you everybody who's listening. I'm super psyched to be here with you, g I'm a fan, so this is a very, very cool opportunity.

(: 00:54

Thank you so much. And Maria is New York base. She's, uh, Venezuelan born. So we will talk about a world of creativity, but I've gotta start the Maria with this mindset sometimes that, you know, all the creative ideas are taken, you know, there's just nothing new under the sun. Um, and so we get blocked by that. , what's your take?

(: 01:17

Well, look, uh, to a certain degree your words are not inaccurate. And here's why, right? Like humans have been populating the earth for a long, long, long time and we have done amazing things. If you think about our ancestors, the caveman and where we are right now, it's like, wow, we've really come a long way. Right? But there re combination of those ideas and the way that each one of us and you and me see things and how we put those things together that has no parallel. Nobody else has done things the way you see them. Nobody else has recombined all this different pieces the way you think they should work. And that's why we still have new restaurants with new chefs that are doing things in a particular way. And that's why we have new fashion labels that seem to pop every day with a new take on what they think is their vision and their idea.

(: 02:20

And that's why we have new artists who are making millions of dollars every day, whether it is on NPS or in traditional canvases, because they are putting out their point of view and their ideas in a way that nobody else has seen it before. So I don't think that's an excuse for people not to try. I've heard it obviously many times like, Oh my God, I am not gonna open this business because it's been done before. Yeah, but you haven't done it. You haven't done it the way you think it should be done. You haven't done it the way you actually bring all your skills and talents. You're bringing the place you grew like as you, you know, we humans are an amalgamation of all the things that have happened to us, right? The places we've lived, the parents we had, or the ones that we didn't have, or the education we have or hat or the things that we saw on the street on our jobs. And no, two people in the whole world, 7 billion of us, has the same exact point of view and talent and skills. So whomever he is thinking, I'm not gonna do it because it's been already done, that's wrong. That's wrong. And you're not trying, you're

(: 03:30

Not. I love your idea of combining and recombining and remixing, which goes really right, right to your, uh, job, your, uh, client interaction and service. And that's this advising and curating collections and art. I mean, that's com combining art and talent in a way that's never been done. Whatever that collection is, you know, is unique, right?

(: 03:53

Absolutely. And every client is different and every person has a different home and ev or homes and people have different interests and I have to sort of like dig into who they are and find out ways to create both a collection that is aesthetically pleasing, that matches their personality and also that gains value over time. And this combinations are unique obviously, because nobody else has the same paintings that another, you know, collector has. And so this, uh, the way that I see things is that obviously creativity is infinite and it is an endless resource because the more we work at our creative skills, the more they reproduce. And that is something that's actually been measured. And uh, it's one of those things that only humans do. You know, animals are very smart, some of them, but they are not creative. Plants are, you know, they do what they do, they grow, but they are not creative. So us humans have that ability to come up with ideas that bring progress without creativity, there's no progress at all. There is no civilization. We need all this creative thinking to be able to move forward. And that's the reason why you and I right now are connected. Talking on a screen, you are on a state, um, on another, and this is going to get to hundreds of thousands of people who would be listening in different parts of the world.

(: 05:29

Yeah, such a good point. And when you start the process of, you know, somebody comes to you and say, I want to create a collection, or I wanna mm-hmm , you know, exhibit art, or I want to create a collection in my home or business, you know, what, what is your creative brief? You know, how do you start, how do you find out what's gonna work for the client?

(: 05:50

You know, clients are world and people are world onto themselves. So I have to ask a lot of questions about what are their interests and what their things that they gravitate towards. And usually people have already a pretty determined idea of what they like. People like to have other people on their walls or they don't wanna see portraits, they just wanna see things that are abstract. They just wanna see geometry. People sometimes like muted colors. And sometimes people just like things that are incredibly vibrant. So I have to ask them all these questions and I am particularly interested obviously in who they are. What are they interest? Do you like American football or do you like soccer? Do you like, uh, you know, to go to the beach or are you a mountain person? All these things are clues that actually allow me to put together the right type of collection for people because again, while I'm the filter and I'm the eyes and ears of this clients, I want to do things that they value.

(: 06:55

And art is something that is very, very special for people. It's not only, again, an investment, but it's usually the type of thing that gets passed onto generations or that becomes a very particular image for a family or for a person. People get extremely attached to art in a ways that is interesting, right? I mean, and um, so there is a whole psychology of collecting that is I've refined the way that I have related to my clients. I also know when people aren't necessarily ready yet to work with an advisor like me. So, you know, not everybody's your client. And that's very important to know too, when you are in the services business that you can't really potent, you can't serve everybody and not everybody is for you. So it's a whole lot of me getting to know who they are, what they want, and what their interests are. And that it's a lot of questions. And I'm a very curious person. So for me, the questions never end. I don't have a problem asking the questions because it helps me make my job better and be a better person and I can read people better. So that's one of actually the qualities of the most creative people that is a constant is curiosity or openness, uh, to experiences into knowledge. So for me, being curious, not only does it come naturally, but I know that it is a prerequisite and a component of being creative. Mm,

(: 08:37

Very good. And do you ever come back to the client? You know, they, as you said, oftentimes I know what I want, you know, I know what it should look like. I know the kind of art I'm, uh, looking to curate, but do you ever come back and you surprise them? Yes. It's like, well, I didn't think I would like that, or I didn't think I would, uh, appreciate that style or that artist. And yet I do.

(: 09:00

Yes. And that is also part of evolution because at the beginning, what you tries to not push the clients too far on taking risks, because again, like buying art is not like buying a pair of shoes. It's an investment. And so you don't wanna push them far off the edge where they're like, Wow, you know, this woman really was pushing for something where we really had, we don't have the ability to digest that yet, but with a little bit of time people start being open to taking those risks, right? And so I absolutely love when they do that because it's kind of like, I feel that I have done my job and they feel that they've graduated onto the next step, that they are actually open to new things that they weren't sure before. But because I have been helping them see things in a different way, cuz that's the other thing about our collecting, it opens yourself up to different possibilities.

(: 09:58

It opens yourself up to educating yourself from the point of view of what the artist has to say. And the interesting thing though is that the artist may be a black person who grew up in the south and you might be a white person in California and you find so many interesting points to relate to that artwork because it's teaching you something constantly. And so there is this exchange of information that happens between an art collector and an art piece and an artist, cuz it's like a triangle of things that are happening that is magical. It's like owning a piece of culture, but also owning a part of the soul of the artist. And that is very rewarding and my job. And obviously it is an incredible point of satisfaction for my clients too.

(: 10:49

And sounds like it's, I like what you're saying, the soul of the artist, it's really bringing forward more than just the piece of art. Absolutely. There's so much more behind it. Well, let's talk about your own, uh, creative work and your own creative passion. You've got a great new book out called How Creativity Rules the World. How does creativity rule the world, Maria?

(: 11:10

Well, you know, as you are an advocate for this too, I think that with our creativity, we are going nowhere. We are stuck, right? And so with creative thinking, creative ideas and obviously materializing those ideas, we keep the wheel moving forward, right? And so whatever area you are in, whether it is technology or real state or art or you are in retail, you always need to have something creative. If you want to keep pushing forward, if you want to stay relevant, if you want people to notice you, if you want to find scientific discoveries that are breakthroughs, whether that is cure to cancer or vaccines or whatnot, that all requires creative thinking. And so I was interested in putting together a manual that at the same time is a lot of storytelling and history and business and science for people who are curious like I am.

(: 12:13

And they want to dive into different aspects of creativity. Obviously the book has a lot of art and art history, but it's also very robust in business examples and entrepreneurial examples because, you know, particularly the way that I have built my business, it's in a very entrepreneurial, creative way. And I admire, I admire entrepreneurs in general because I think they are the lifeblood of the economy. And I, I love stories of every company that is big and huge and monstrous was always a tiny little, you know, startup with the idea. And so I love to see how people have contributed to the advancement of society with their contributions. And it all, everything starts with creative thinking and an idea and how we keep refining them, nurturing them, changing them over time. So that's, for me is a process that is fascinating. And particularly as I have lived in the US for 23 years, this is the perfect place to observe up close and be mingled with entrepreneurs and companies cuz the environment actually supports that type of thinking and that type of people.

(: 13:33

And there is venture capital and, and there are angel investors and nowhere in the world really you find that and, uh, that appetite for people to put their ideas out there. And unfortunately for a long time it was a little bit stalling cuz so many big, big companies were just absorbing everybody. And, but I think that, and I, there is data to prove this throughout the pandemic, there were many more filings of companies that there, the new companies and new businesses that there have ever been in the US in the past, you know, 100 years and whatnot. And that is exciting because it, it means that we're going back to that crazy entrepreneurial, fun, risk taking experimental American, you know, dream. And, and so I want to be able to see that and I, and I wanna be able to support that in, in my, you know, quest for creative thinking, for being different, for showing myself showing up differently is so important. And this is something that everybody should embrace, that the uniqueness of who you are is your greatest advantage, not your disadvantage. It is your greatest edge is to show up exactly who you are and bring that forward in whatever it is that you do, your marketing efforts, your job, you know, your career. And um, that's, that's kind of like why I felt so compelled to write this book. And it's also part of what's written in its pages.

(: 15:11

Yeah. It's so encouraging that it's a great time to be a creator, you know, and just hearing you describe the book, and as I looked at it, I saw it as a curation, a collection as you said, of story and art and you know, ideas. And now that I hear you describe more about your work and art collection, I saw an interesting overlap, but how did you approach the book? You said, I really wanna put a book together. Well, how did you begin? How did you start it? How did you organize your ideas?

(: 15:41

Well, I had launched an online course called Jumpstart three years ago, and that, that came about also because I was working with private clients and they were very interested in me talking to their employees and their companies about how I built my business, my branding and what it is to work with artists too, because artists are incredible people, but sometimes not able to articulate or express where their ideas come from because they could be shy or they are not necessarily interested in putting together a manifesto of how they come up with their ideas and things like that. So as this client were calling me, my private client saying, Hey, would you mind coming to my office and putting together a program for my managers for half a day or whatnot? And so I did that and then I, they were having a lot of great success with, because it was different and it was fresh and it was something that they had not thought about.

(: 16:44

And so I put together an online course called Jumpstart, and I obviously, it took me a long time to develop this because I'm very busy with my clients and my business and my family and whatnot. So I put this curriculum and launched it, and it was very successful too. And my students online were having incredible results doing the exercises that I had put together. And so I thought, well, if we can actually get this to more people, why wouldn't I just like write the book and expand it to more people and not just necessarily the people who sign up for the course. And that's what I did. And so it is obviously writing a book and developing an online course are very different endeavors. So the, the book gets into a whole lot more deeper things in one way, but a course has a different purpose and it's, it's kind of a totally different way of learning.

(: 17:44

And so that's how the book came about. And the, the, the book is highly, highly actionable. I wanted it to have sections at the end of each chapter on how people can implement what they read in the pages. It's not ju it's not a summary, it's, it's, it's actionable exercises and points of view and ways that they can do that in a practical, everyday way. And so it, it does have this kind of balance between business and art and I don't really see a lot of difference among all these things. I know that disciplines are different, but for me it's almost like how you do one thing, you do all your things. Right.

(: 18:30

Exactly. Right. , . Well that's a, your creative approach. Well, and you're touching on something too, the, the practical side, the implementation side, the actionable side. You know, we creative sometimes say, Oh, I had such a great idea, but then we have, you know, stumbling blocks and uh, bringing it to the world. What were some of the, uh, steps that you think we should take away from the book that say, if you really want to move your ideas forward, if you wanna be more than just a creative person, you know, here's what you need to think about.

(: 19:05

I think that see ideas die in secrecy. So I think that once you have a great idea, you have to test it with friends and you have to talk about that, right? And so, but people that you really trust and not just random people, so your people, you have to put it out and say, What would you think if I were to do this or that? And here's why. It already gives you a level of some sort of accountability to be actually talking out loud about something that you wanna do and say, and what do you think I would need to get this done? Right? And so it's very important that we develop the confidence. And that's the thing why a lot of these ideas never happen is because people do not have confidence in their own selves, in their own ideas, right? And some, some friends might tell you, Look, that sounds super crazy, but it sounds very interesting, right?

(: 20:01

And here is a list of things that you should consider and here's a list of roadblocks, right? If you just like write them down and keep them on a shelf and like, or on your drawer, I just don't think that that will really, I mean, I love writing, but I am a person who does things. So if I have an idea and is within my control or within a certain, you know, like I can make it happen, I'll go and do it. So I think that we need more of the, the, the, the sharing to begin with. And we need also to have people believing that things can happen for them, right? And this is, it's, it's this space of, of being a dreamer and a visionary like Steve Jobs was, or you know, any of the big tech guys, they thought that they were gonna do things and they thought that it was gonna happen for them.

(: 20:57

And so any, and it happened, right? And, but this is not woo woo love attraction. Let me sit on like Lotus's position. No, this is all about action. I, uh, heard very recently about, I think it was two months ago, a conversation by um, Mark Zuckerberg at South by Southwest. And he was being interviewed by this guy from the Shark Tank, I forgot his name, and asked him, How do you navigate all this kind of like the naysayers about the metaverse? Or like, and he said, Well, I just have such a conviction that this is what it is, that it just kind of like flows down through me. And I, so I know that Mark Zuckerberg is not necessarily a very popular character, but I have a lot of respect for people who at his age when he was like, mm-hmm , you know, 20 something.

(: 21:54

Not even I guess like he dropped outta Harvard and went to pursue his dreams cuz he knew that was going to be the thing for him. And I believe that once somebody has stepped into that idea, and whatever it is, the idea, the idea doesn't have to be the same idea is gonna be 50 years from now, right? Because ideas change. And that's why we're talking about metaverse. This word was not something we were talking about unless you were a science fiction fan. Exactly right. So mm-hmm. , the point is that nothing happens without action. And that, yes, it starts with an idea, but you have to take a lot of different little steps. And I would say that if, if you feel very afraid of things, like talking it out with people, with people you trust and like, is a very good way to start putting it out in the world and see how other people react to those things.

(: 22:59

And doing a lot of research to, for a particular topic that you get so intellectually stimulated by something is also very helpful because, you know, our brains are such complex machines and if we give, you know, a lot of oxytocin and serotonin and like, we have all this incredible highs that come with something that we feel passionate about, you're gonna have that feeling of like, this feels kind of cool, I would wanna get into it. You know, running a business is, is very difficult. And I think that if had I known a lot of the things that were gonna happen as I build my company, then perhaps I would've not said, Oh my God, I don't want to be

(: 23:41

A business company. I think we've all said that to ourselves

(: 23:43

Before, right? I don't want to, But here's the thing, when you are excited about something, the point is to see it come to fruition, right? And the point is to see it come through and all the frogs and animals and horrible things and snakes that are gonna show up on the way, they will come up after. So you've gotta be excited and it's, you know, that doesn't mean you're not gonna tweak along the way. That's also very important and it's part of being creative, is you've gotta adjust for the life that it is right now. Cuz we changed so fast, it's not the same as it was 10 years or five years ago. So the, the willingness to be adaptable and, and the willingness to adjust and move along the way is a very, very important thing for anybody who wants to have their, their creativity taken, you know, to the next level and serving other people.

(: 24:41

And so always think too, how am I serving the world with this? Right? With a, with going back to how we started this conversation, you may think, well it's everything being done, but no, not really. I mean, the guy who founded Uber wasn't thinking that Texas already existed, right? I mean, the guy who created Spotify, it wasn't thinking that Apple music was the only way. And, uh, the, the person who's thinking about launching a podcast can't think that because all these other Yes. But, you know, there's space for everything. I I, I do believe that consistency also is very important. So.

(: 25:21

Well, and Maria, this this is not just a philosophy, I think it's worth our listeners hearing. Let's rewind your own life in action. Uh, I mentioned you were Venezuelan born. I mean, yeah, let's take it all the way back to Caras, uh, where you were born and raised. And you said, at some point, in order to unleash my creativity, I'm gonna have to take a big life action step. Tell us how that happen for you.

(: 25:47

Well, you know, uh, Mark, I was a corporate attorney and I was raised in a very conservative Catholic family. And the only path for me, according to my parents, was to be a doctor, to be an attorney. And so I had to follow that because I was very young and I just couldn't really, I wanted to be a singer and my parents were like adamant that that was not gonna happen for me. So I had to suffer a lot. In other words, I did what I had to do and it worked out well to a certain degree. I was making money, I was in a big love firm in New York City. I had a all sorts of perks, but I had no life. And I was doing something. I loseth, there's nothing wrong with attorneys. I love you all, but for me it wasn't the thing.

(: 26:35

So the pain of staying in that job and doing that and seeing myself in the future wearing that suit and going to that law firm was so strong that taking a chance on me was a whole lot better outcome. Whether I was going to smack my face on the asphalt, you know, you never really know, again, when you're launching a business. I had a passion for art and artists. I had been a very serious student of art history all my life since I was a child because my parents thought that it was amazing to be an art and Aer but they thought it was terrible to try to be anything artistic, you know, it's kind, it it it's a very strange mentality. Anyway, so I saw that there was an important gap in the marketplace, which is what I do. But in the way that I do it, I thought that it was important to be open and accessible.

(: 27:31

That it was important to be connected to the digital age. This was, uh, when I opened my company, this was 13 years ago and there was no Instagram at that time and social media was kind of new. And I, I was seeing that I could serve a new generation of art collectors with a lot of access because the art world could be very opaque. It still is a little bit, but at that time it was completely dark. You, you didn't know anything unless you lived in New York City or maybe la not even, Cuz at that time, all the galleries that exist, they didn't exist. So you had to live in New York or had a very strong contact in New York and kind of like navigate the gallery and the auction houses and whatnot. And so my idea was let me democratize this and see if I can do it because I love art and I love artists and I, I have a whole lot of, you know, interesting skills since I was an attorney.

(: 28:26

I knew how to write so I knew how to write my, my blog post and my social media things. And so this was a big chance I took because not only had I never owned a business, but I had never had a background in the arts like a professional one, right? So I had to do two things, run the business and learn how to navigate a whole other and brand new industry. And the actionable steps I took was like, you know, I hired a woman to do my website. I hired someone else to do messaging and communications for me. I hired a photographer, I started blogging, you know, I started taking pictures and putting them on Facebook cuz that's what it existed and promoting it. And so all those steps were accumulating and people were watching and people were watching and watching. And so it was like, it's a little thing one day and a little thing another and a little thing another and a little thing another. And then suddenly you wake up and you do have a business and you do have clients and you are being written about in newspapers and because people find that you're very different and that nobody else is doing what you're doing and that you have a completely interest, a completely different point of view mm-hmm. . And so that is the momentum that, you know, everybody needs I guess when you are starting something that is new.

(: 29:56

Oh, exactly. I mean that's step by step by step. Yeah. So

(: 29:59

Good. Yeah. Nobody at zero to 200, right? , no. Elon Mosque doesn't start at like, you know, 18 whatever it is, right? That

(: 30:09

The overnight success that we all

(: 30:12

Like, it's, that's, that's very, it sounds so romantic, right? Like overnight success, but um, it's not like that. It is.

(: 30:21

I don't like that.

(: 30:21

No, it's not.

(: 30:22

No. Well, Maria, what a wonderful conversation. I can't thank you enough for your, your stories, your insight and most of all your enthusiasm, your passion for creativity, uh, thanks for being on the program. Enjoyed it so

(: 30:34

Much. Well thank you. Thank you everyone, and thank you for the invite, Mark. I very much enjoyed our time together, your wonderful, wonderful host. And thank you everybody who listened well, thanks so much. Wish you well.

(: 30:46

Yes. And tell us how we can connect with you and follow your work.

(: 30:49

Yes, my website is maria brito.com. That's b r i t as in Tom o and there are a whole lot of links there forms if you wanna email, uh, at LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, etcetera.

(: 31:04

Yeah. And a lot of good collaborations, a lot of good ideas that we can all learn from. Well, my guess has been Maria Brito and art advisor, entrepreneur, speaker, and author of a terrific book called How Creativity Rules the World. Listeners come back again next time. We're gonna continue our around the world journeys to talk to creative practitioners like Maria about how they get inspired and how they organize those ideas. And most of all, as we've talked about today, gaining the confidence and the connections to launch your creative work out into the world. So until next time, I'm Mark Stinson and where unlocking your world of creativity. See you sir.