The Place: Cafe Medici on West Lynn

The Cup: Maria enjoyed a beautiful mocha and I selected an iced coffee – which folks in the coffee biz have decided to rename iced toddy. I find that confusing, as in my book, toddys have booze in them. Not the case with the iced coffee version. {Upon further investigation, I discovered the name is associated with a brand of coffee press used to make a cold brew. So there you have it, folks – your coffee lesson of the day.} 

Background: Maria and I met a few weeks back, when we were both speakers at a terrific half-day Ripple learning event organized by Cup 5, Steve Harper. The event was a lot of fun, and Maria’s session was terrific! After class, we exchanged contact info, and both felt it would be nice to get to know each other better. We decided on coffee, and Maria agreed to be a part of the project.

Maria is a bonafide artist, but it’s her contention that within each of us lies a desire to express ourselves creatively, and the myth that only some of us are creative types is exactly that – a myth. We’ll get into how she found her inner creativity and learn how she cultivates it in herself and others in just a bit; first, let’s take a look at some:

Common Grounds

1. How did you make your first buck? Selling a little piece of art – a drawing. 
   
2. What’s a food you can’t live without? Hummus. I love hummus!
3. What is your guilty pleasure? Dark chocolate. And cappuccinos or a good mocha.
4. What is your favorite way to unwind? Watching movies at home.
5. What was your favorite TV show as a kid? Gilligan’s Island. I was always hoping they’d get rescued.
6. What’s the best place to eat in Austin? Kerbey Lane Cafe is my go-to. I have yet to have anything bad there.
7. What is the best compliment you ever got? The biggest compliment came from my husband who says I am such a happy person – which reminds me of this quote: “There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world.” Robert Louis Stevenson
8. What is your best feature? My easy-going nature.
9. What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently? The Magic of Belle Isle

Maria was born and raised in the south Texas town of Edinburg. When they’d grown, Maria’s brothers moved to Austin and she always enjoyed visiting them. After college, when one of her girlfriends moved to Austin, she saw her chance to get a start in the city she enjoyed so much. She quit her job and, as she says, “took the leap”. Maria decided she’d stay with her brother for two weeks and look for work and on Friday of the second week, near close of business, she got a call with a job offer. She was able to breathe a sigh of relief knowing she had made the right move and she’s been here ever since.

How Maria became an artist is an interesting story. Maria’s career began in advertising and she vacillated between that and publishing before making the decision to devote her energy to being a full-time mom. Maria says, “At first, I tried to do both, but eventually, I decided I needed to do one really well.” She quit working and focused her energy on raising her children. Once the kids were at an age where they didn’t require all of her attention, she began considering how she might refuel her soul. Creativity was always a huge part of her life, and she knew art was the answer.

Maria’s art takes all forms, shapes and sizes – but her favorite medium is acrylic and she loves bright colors. She says, “If I can take a picture of something, why paint it?” As such, her work is largely abstract. While a lot of her art is created on a canvas, most of her creative expression happens in her art journal. I had never seen an art journal, but Maria showed me the purse-size version she carries with her and then she wrote a blog post recently which showed the large version. I encourage you to take a look. Maria’s blog has become one of my favorites and I think you’ll enjoy it as well!

Fueled by a strong belief that everyone is an artist and that it’s part of our nature, as humans, to want to create something, Maria encourages people to tap into their creative genius – whether they know they have it or not. She reaches people through her blog, but she also teaches classes and has written a book called Be Inspired: Create Something Every Day. The book is a collection of 52 creative tasks – one a week for an entire year. Or if you’re feeling ambitious, one a day for just over seven weeks. Maria says art is important and it helps all of us. Here is a quote she uses in describing the purpose of her book:

Creativity is not just for artists. It’s for businesspeople looking for a new way to close a sale; it’s for engineers trying to solve a problem; it’s for parents who want their children to see the world in more than one way.  – Twyla Tharp

Another art project, the one Maria says has been the most fulfilling so far, was one she and her husband started. It was a series of videos they created of interviews with local artists. Check out the Austin Artists Facebook page. Maria tells me one of her favorite questions to ask the artists is “What inspired you as a child?” What a great question! That project is on hold for now, but I have a feeling it will be resurrected at some point based on how much Maria loved it.

Putting projects on hold is a topic we got into. As artists – whether your art is painted on a canvas, recorded with lyrics and a melody, baked in the oven, or an assembly of words on paper – there comes a time when you feel stuck. Some call it a rut. Writer’s block is another euphemism. Maria’s feeling on the subject is brilliant. She contends that it’s not only natural, but it’s actually a good thing to get stuck. When it happens it’s a sign that it’s time to take a break. Don’t force it. Move on to some other creative outlet for a while and you’ll find that when it’s time to return, you’ll know it. And when you’re back, it will flow.

I enjoy hearing about books that have been impactful in people’s lives and for Maria, there are two.  One current, and one from years ago. The older title is a book called, If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit by Brenda Ueland. The book she’s loving right now is from one of my favorite authors, Seth Godin, called The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly?  Both titles are about creating and the struggles people face as they try to figure out how to find their place and make their unique mark in this world. From Godin’s book description:

The safety zone has moved. Conformity no longer leads to comfort. But the good news is that creativity is scarce and more valuable than ever. So is choosing to do something unpredictable and brave: Make art. Being an artist isn’t a genetic disposition or a specific talent. It’s an attitude we can all adopt. It’s a hunger to seize new ground, make connections, and work without a map. If you do those things you’re an artist, no matter what it says on your business card.

Maria says, “Creating something gets you in the mindset of ‘This might work out; it might not. So what?’ If we had that mindset about other things, maybe we’d be more easy-going. Maybe we wouldn’t worry so much. It allows you to be flexible and I like the ambiguity. I don’t know what this is going to look like in the end, but that’s OK. I’m going to try anyway.”

What is something this creative genius would change about herself? She tells me she’d be more structured. Maria says, “My husband is very structured and he gets a lot done. At the end of some days I look back and think I wasted my day; I could have painted for three hours. I’d like to have more structure to my days.”

I love hearing how people start their days and what rituals, if any, they have that they feel contribute to their overall success and happiness. For Maria, the answer is caffeine and exercise. She and her husband get up and start the day with homemade cappuccinos. {Yum!} Once they’ve had their coffee, hubby heads to his office and Maria heads out for either some weights, yoga or a long walk in her neighborhood. She says this time to connect with her husband and then get out and move her body is critical for a successful day. So much so that even when she’s on vacation, she makes sure to keep the ritual going. “When I was raising the kids I learned that you need to take care of yourself – both mentally and physically – first. It’s something I still believe.”

Something Maria thinks people might be surprised to learn about her is that she has four kids, is still married to the same man, and that life wasn’t always as easy as it looks today. She says people look at where you are and all you have today and don’t realize that it wasn’t always a cake walk. She says, “Raising kids was hard. It’s hard on a marriage. People would be surprised to know that we almost didn’t make it. In marriage, things come in waves, and after time you recognize the rhythm. It’s important to remember why you fell in love in the first place.” Maria and her husband not only managed to keep the marriage intact, Maria tells me they feel young and single again. She says of the difficult years, “It almost feels like a whole other life.”

Maria has a couple things on her bucket list that she shared with me. One is to do some larger art work and do more exhibiting. She has her work on display right now at the Dougherty Arts Center here in Austin. It will be there until July 31st, so if you’re in town, I encourage you to check it out. The other bucket list idea was inspired by some travel she’s been doing with her husband lately. She thinks she’d like to get out of Texas for the summers; pack just the basics, and get a little place somewhere completely different. Sounds like a lot of fun! Travel can be so refreshing and full of inspiration. I felt that on my recent solo adventure to Mexico and Tim Ferriss had a guest blogger recently who wrote an interesting travel piece that ties in nicely.

Maria’s greatest achievement in life is the four children she raised who, as she proudly admits, have turned into terrific adults. One of my favorite blog posts of Maria’s is one she wrote on Valentine’s Day about a ritual she created to celebrate the day as her kids were growing up. Maria’s daughter recalls the tradition fondly and told her as much when she sent flowers and a thoughtful note this year. The whole thing reminds me of something that happened to me last week. I was getting ready for a yoga class and got a wild idea to French braid my hair – not something I’m good at. As I struggled to complete the task, I was struck by a surge of happiness at the memory of my dad braiding my hair for me when I was little. It was such a special treat to sit on the floor in front of him and have him gently comb out the “snarlies” from my hair, and then patiently braid it for me.

I posted the memory on Facebook – as a thank you to him, but also as a reminder to others that it’s more often the small gestures, not the grand; the simple moments, not the big ones, that have the greatest impact. We didn’t go to Disney when I was a kid. But my parents made our family vacations so memorable and special that I never felt I was missing out. Loaded into the back of our station wagon, my brother and I felt like we were headed out on the biggest journey when we drove four hours to stay with family in Minneapolis. Another favorite was our epic camping adventures – complete with memories of putting up the tent, making a camp fire, exploring the state parks we loved to visit. The breakfast mom and dad made for us at the camp site rivaled any Four Seasons. The pancakes weren’t in the shape of Mickey Mouse, served up by Cinderella. Even better – they were made with love and served to us by our fellow adventurers and heroes – mom and dad.

If given 30 seconds to make a speech to the world, Maria would have this to say: “Stop fighting with each other and look at loving each other more and taking care of each other more. If you have something that someone else needs, and you feel it in your heart to give it to them, just do it. Don’t worry about whether you’ll need it later. Things take care of themselves. I believe in the circle of giving and receiving and not stopping that flow. We can apply this to so many things – not just money. If we did so, we’d have so much more harmony.”

Maria’s story and her life serve as powerful reminders that it truly is better to give than receive. We do not lose anything by giving. Quite the contrary. When we give – our love, our time, our art, our kindness – it all come rushing back to us and our lives are richer for it. No matter who you are, or what your life looks like at this very moment, you have the power to be filled with joy and it’s as easy as finding a way of bringing joy to someone else. Lend a helping hand, buy your friend a cup of coffee, really listen when people are talking, hug someone, give away your favorite book to someone you think will enjoy it, make a piece of art and send it to someone you love, start a special tradition with your kids, think of a happy moment in your life, recall who was there  – share that memory with them and thank them for being in your life.

Not all of the best best childhood memories are made in theme parks. A new family tradition doesn’t have to be complicated to have an impact. Your loving gestures don’t have to be big to mean the world. And you don’t need to call yourself an artist to create a beautiful life.

To learn more about Maria, check out her blog, follow her on Twitter or visit her website.