Young and Profiting with Hala Taha - Maria Brito: Harnessing Your Creativity | E161

Episode Date: March 14, 2022

Before Maria Brito was the curator, art disrupter, and tastemaker we know her as today, she was working as a lawyer in New York City. She was unfulfilled and overworked, so she quit, and made herself into a thriving innovator and entrepreneur. But, what truly changed Maria’s life were the lessons about the power of creativity she’s learned along the way.  As entrepreneurs, business owners, and employees, we can not underestimate the power of creativity. Creativity is the most valuable skill you can have. But, many people believe that you’re either creative, or you’re not. In truth, creativity can be learned, and Maria is an expert in guiding people to become their most creative and innovative selves. This is an episode you don't want to miss.  Hala and Maria talk about Maria’s journey from attorney to curator and entrepreneur, the seven myths of creativity, why creativity is considered one of the most important skills to have in 2022 and beyond, actionable advice for improving creativity, improvisation in business, and so much more.  Topics Include:  - Maria’s childhood  - Maria’s experience as a Harvard Lawyer in NYC - Why Maria quit her job as an attorney - The concept of “Drifting” - The pandemic’s effect on business, work, and creativity  - The value of creativity in entrepreneurship  - Maria’s transition from lawyer to art advisor and entrepreneur   - Maria’s opportunity with Gwyneth Paltrow and Goop  - Maria defines creativity  - The importance of execution and action  - Debunking the seven myths of creativity - Why is creativity an important skill for 2022 and beyond - The power of doing things differently  - How autonomy is related to creativity - Maria’s advice on how to be an independent thinker - The importance of silence - Improv in business and the art - The “Yes, and” technique - The paradox of improvisation  - The concept of deconstruction and aggregation in art and business  - Maria’s special offer for YAP listeners - And other topics… How to get Maria’s exclusive offer for YAP Listeners: Preorder Maria’s book, email receipt to [e-mail], write “Hala told me” in the email, and gain free access to Maria’s Creativity Online Course + Bonuses (Valued at $647) Resources Mentioned:  YAP Episode #29: The Dirty Secret of Happiness with Gretchen Rubin: https://www.youngandprofiting.com/29-the-dirty-secret-of-happiness-with-gretchen-rubin/ YAP Episode #151: Crush Your 2022 Goals with Gretchen Rubin: https://youngandprofiting.com/151-crush-your-2022-goals-with-gretchen-rubin/  How Creativity Rules the World by Maria Brito: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1400235383   Subscribe to “The Groove”: https://www.mariabrito.com/subscribe   Website: mariabrito.com Twitter: @MariaBrito_NY  Instagram: @MariaBrito_NY LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariabrito-ny/  Connect with Young and Profiting: YAP’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/youngandprofiting   Hala’s Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/htaha/   Hala’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/yapwithhala   Website: www.youngandprofiting.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Welcome to the show. I'm your host, Halla Taha, and on Young and Profiting Podcast, we investigate a new topic each week and interview some of the brightest minds in the world. My goal is to turn their wisdom into actionable advice that you can use in your everyday life, no matter your age, profession or industry. There's no fluff on this podcast, and that's on purpose. I'm here to uncover value from my guests by doing the proper research and asking the

right questions. If you're new to the show, we've chatted with the likes of XFBI agents, real estate moguls, self-made billionaires, CEOs, and bestselling authors. Our subject matter ranges from enhanced and productivity, had again influenced the art of entrepreneurship, and more. If you're smart and like to continually improve yourself, hit the subscribe button because you'll love it here at Young and Profiting Podcast. This week on YAP, we're chatting with Maria Brito, a highly successful entrepreneur, writer,

and innovator in the art world. In 2020, Maria was named as one of the visionaries who shaped the art world by art news. She has written for publications like Goop Huffington Post, L, and Forbes, and her projects have been featured in publications like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Maria also writes the popular weekly newsletter The Grove, and teaches courses about creativity. Her first book, How Creativity Rules the World, comes out this week on March 15th and is one of the best books I've read all year.

In this episode, we learn how Maria built her seven-figure business from scratch after quitting her job as a corporate attorney. We'll get insight as to how Maria harnessed the power of creativity to switch careers and create her dream job as a high-profile art curator. And lastly, we'll hear why creativity is the number one in demand skill right now, and get Maria's best tips for harnessing our creativity. If you've ever felt like you've struggled with being creative or wondered about creativity's role in the workplace, or maybe you're in a creative rut,

this episode is one you don't want to miss. And while you're listening, be sure to check out the show notes to find out an exclusive offer Maria is giving to our YAHP listeners only. Without further delay, here's my conversation with Maria Bredow. Hey Maria, welcome to Young and Profiting Podcast. Hey, Halah.

Thank you for having me and hello to all the listeners. I hope you're having a great day. Yes, I am so excited to have you on the show. It is such a pleasure. You are an award-winning art advisor, author and curator and you are a true expert when it comes to creativity

for entrepreneurs with years of research and experience in both business and art. And today we're gonna cover key concepts from your new book, How Creativity Rules a World. But before we do that, you have a really, really interesting backstory. And I'd love to share that with our audience.

So I found out you were born in Caracas, Venezuela, to a conservative Catholic family. You say you often went to studios and museums, every Sunday in Caracas, and even though you came from a really artistic family, you say you often went to studios and museums every Sunday in Caracas and even though you came from a really artistic family, they insisted that you took a traditional career path. So I'd love to understand what it was like growing up for you and your education in your early career.

Yes, well, you've said it perfectly and when I was little, I wanted to be a singer. And when I was in primary school, I was always chosen for the festivals and to be the lead singer and things like that. And my parents thought it was very cute. And as I grew older, I started to get a little bit more serious. And when I was maybe 18, I got this invitation to audition for a band that was a touring band and I got accepted and when I presented this to my parents they said

absolutely not. If you want to do that you have to move out and you know pick up your things. Particularly my mom. I think my dad probably could have at some point agreed but my mom was like no that is a job for hookers and in this house you're going to be an attorney or a doctor or an engineer or things that she thought were decent according to her way of thinking. And so I, well, I was very brokenhearted but at the same time when you grew up in Venezuela, you just can't leave your house and say, I'm gonna wait tables

and I'm gonna make money with tips and move in a studio apartment. You can't do that, really. You can't. First, very dangerous country. And second, those opportunities really don't exist. It's a very different culture. So I studied really hard

and I said I'm gonna go to law school because I was very, very good at reading and synthesized information and writing and nothing else really was good. I mean, I was not good at math. I didn't want to see blood. So those were not options for me. So I ended up applying to diverse law schools in the United States because I wanted to leave. That was the other thing. I didn't see myself there in Venezuela for a right of reasons, but I just wanted to grow. And I got accepted by Harvard Law School. So I moved from little Caracas to Cambridge, Massachusetts.

And I graduated in year 2000, and I moved to New York right away to practice law and to take the bar exam and all those things. And I did. And I did that for nine years of my life with success but mystery. So I was successful as a corporate attorney, but I was very miserable and I was hiding it to myself for a long time because you have a lot of shame around the idea that you've spent so much time and money getting a lot of degree and then you practice and then you sort of like build some sort of reputation and then you're like, no, this is really absolutely horrendous and I do not belong at all to this space and I'm going to quit and open something for me that I love. And so, you know, it was a very challenging period of my life,

but I am thankful that I was able to be truthful to myself and who I am, actually, and to take that plunge. And here we are. It's been 13 years since that. It's amazing. Amazing. And so let's. And here we are, it's been 13 years since that. And so amazing, amazing. And so let's just rewind here a bit because you went to Harvard Law. People would kill for that opportunity.

And I'm sure that had a lot to do with you being a lawyer for so long because here you were, you were like, well, I graduated from the most prestigious school you could. I did the hard things. I messed up my time in law could. I did the hard things. I invested my time in law school. I took the LSAT. I learned all of this. It's so hard to let go of a career that you've invested in.

So how did you know that it was completely not for you? What were the feelings that you felt in terms of knowing that it was unfulfilling and not for you? And what was that turning point in terms of actually quitting that career? Well, there was, you know, you, it's like a divorce, right? Like it's like, you never, it's not one thing, right? It's like a million things that happen along the way, right? I'm not the divorce, by the way, I'm married, but I have been through all of a sudden

down in my marriage, right? So it's very similar. Do you start getting some discomfort? You start not liking certain things. You end up questioning why do you have to work, you know, 13, 14 hours for somebody else, even though you get paid really, really well. And you are very protected as an attorney,

and a big law firm in New York City, because they need you and because, you know, they know that they really work you to the bone. So they have to pay well and they have to give you all the spurks and things that you can never use by the way, because honestly, you're there. And all the time, so that all those spurks are, I mean, whatever.

And, you know, I got pregnant. And so I started a question if I wanted to show my child on born child a life where first of all I was not going to be very present. And second, you know, kids learn by example and modeling. And so what was they going to teach my child that I was miserable, that I hated what I did, being in a bad mood or whatever, right? And so this thoughts were kind of consuming me and I had the baby and I went back to the lover

and so I spent the maternity leave the three months and whatever. And so I went back, but I already had this, all this thoughts, you know, circling my mind and it was just boiling inside of me. So something had to happen. The definitive event was having the baby and having to return to the law firm. And then I went back and this was 2008.

It's the whole world is collapsing around the financial crisis, the prime mortgages, Bernie Madoff and the whole thing. And our clients at that law firm were big banks. So it's just this mess, right? And I'm in like the middle of all this with a, you know, 12 week old baby at home. And I'm like, what am I doing with my life? I hate this. I absolutely have no desire to come here.

I leave the subway every day when I look at this place, it's frightening. I have like everything was like giving you so many signals of negativity around the whole thing. And I had to just like accept them and say to myself, I'm going to live the rest of my life, a miserable life, and the more I stay here, the harder it'll be, right? And I'm not saying this to if anybody has been in a job for 40 years and they just want to quit today, listen, you can do it,

believe me. But for me, it was like I have to get this done for two reasons. One, the most important one, I hate this. And second, I just really want to show my kid that life is about being whole and it's about being creative and it's about using your talents in the best possible way that you can. That's what life is about. It's about fulfillment, it's about finding passions and it's about really profiting from them because at the end of the day, if you are excellent at something and you love it, you're going to figure out how to capitalize on that. And that is the mantra of my book, is that anyone can actually come up with this incredible

ideas and profit from them if they are honest with themselves. I love that. So your story really reminds me of a past guest we had on the show. Her name is Gretchen Ruben and she talks about this concept of drifting. And basically, this concept of drifting is that it's this state of you being because of a decision you did by not deciding. It's basically like your state of not deciding. So you're drifting for nine years as a lawyer because you didn't decide that you wanted

to do anything but doing law and it was sort of like your default decision. And so you did it because you made your parents happy. And so other examples are you go to medical school because your parents are doctors, or you take a job because it's the first job you got, and then you just stay in that career forever because that decision to change was not made. So the other thing that I want to just call out

is in the pandemic, a lot of people have had time to self-reflect. And finally, they've caused this point where they actually can make a change because they actually have time to stop the hamster wheel and think about what's going on and realize, like, hey, I'm actually unhappy. I shouldn't just keep going with the motions of day to day

and just keep drifting throughout life. So I'd love to understand you being an expert on creativity and business. How can being creative actually help us fuel a career change? Well, it's very interesting what you just said about the pandemic because as you know, we are still going through the great resignation. And not only that, but in 2020 and 2021, Americans filed more

than 10 million applications for new businesses. This is the number that is unprecedented in the whole history of the United States. And it tells you two things. One, people were unhappy to a certain degree with what they were doing before, two, is that this people are thinking that they can do something better than what they were doing before, or they can turn around their situation by being the masters of their own fate with their own businesses, right? So creativity is something that is uniquely human.

Animals are not creative. They are smart. Animals have a level of intelligence, for sure, but they are not creative. They are smart. Animals have a level of intelligence for sure, but they are not creative. And when creativity and entrepreneurship are, I think it's almost like intertwined concepts because when you start a business or a project or a podcast or a book or whatever it is, you have to differentiate yourself with your best skills, right? Because otherwise, you're going to look like the next and you're going to look like the other one or you're just going to drift like you said, right?

Because you can anchor yourself in what is it that you do that is different and creativity is all about coming up with ideas that are uniquely yours and that are of value, right? That's why you are so wonderful because Al-Ata has a point of view that is unique and novel and fresh. And when that doesn't work out for you anymore, you're going to be able to pivot again and do something else. You know, because that is part of our evolution of human beings. Is the growth that comes with understanding that your creativity

is there for you to alert you also, that you need to make a change and that you need to adjust things and that the things that actually at some point gave you a lot of pleasure and happiness might not necessarily be the same things to 10 years from now, 20 years from now, right? Or faster. We're living in an accelerated age where things get old very quickly. That personal fulfillment and that uniqueness of each one of us is really crucial for success in business. People can be successful in business by being miserable too, but it's not something that I can think will lead to a long-term success or something that you can say, well, listen, my life is

balanced, right? Like I'm happy. I'm doing this job. You know, it's very difficult for people, especially nowadays, to be on a miserable job for too long, I think that things actually show much faster than they used to. And also, as we have seen with this influx of new businesses, people are taking chances on themselves. Yeah, I've been seeing that as well too. So I'd like to kind of go back to your story and kind of understand how you went from lawyer to, you know, having this amazing art company

that you own right now. What was the transition? And were you doing art throughout those nine years or dabbling in things like, how did you actually make that switch? Well, when you said that I grew up in this artistic family, right, I had that little bug inside of me because I thought it was a fascinating thing

that my parents had opened up this doors, right? Like, they took me to galleries and museums, artists, studios. You know, it was a very important part of my life, but my parents thought that was something that you do to nurture your soul and your spirit and to be a cultivated person so you can have conversations with people around a table, right? But not a business. But that thing stayed with me for my life. And when I moved to New York, thankfully, what New York has is about some galleries and about some museums. And so in my very spare time, as I corporate attorney, I would go to this galleries in the museums. And I had my

finger on the pulse. It was a very different world because we didn't have Instagram and we didn't have any of the social media networks at the beginning. And so you would have to go everywhere to experience this things and you would have to go in person and shake hands with people and you know all the things that right now we don't really do that much right. And so I started paying attention to the art world and I also started attending Art Faire's Art Basel when it opened. It was a December after 9-11 when Art Basel in Miami opened for the first time. And so I went and I noticed that a lot of people

who do the kind of job that I do were very stern and boring and transactional. And I was like, maybe I can do this better, right? I stayed at the beginning. I sort of like was like oh my god You know, it looks so fun what they're doing But then as I noticed more was like they don't seem to having be having that much fun and As I as social media came along which was Facebook first and at least like the ones that became mainstream

Let's say in Twitter. I realized that there was an opportunity for me there because I could educate people about the mysteries of the art world. I could teach people how to collect, I could talk to artists and interview them and they mystify their process, make everything accessible. That was the mantra of the business when it opened. I mean basically. So I saw that there was an opportunity for me because nobody was doing social media. Nobody was really kind of like wanting to bring this to the world and because I was a Git writer, I used that as my springboard to write, first I had like a little very rustic and not very fancy blog. And then for whatever reason, people found me there and then they invited me to contribute then for whatever reason, people found me there, and then they invited me to contribute articles for the Huffington Post, or, you know, or for L.

And I was like, well, I must be doing something right. If I'm not complete outsider, who's writing about things with a language that is understandable, and people actually get it, right? It's like, when you try nowadays to explain to people what an NFT is, I just came back from a TEDx talk where I explain to people what an NFT is. And everybody's like, oh, now we get it. Like, because it's really, people try to make things more complicated than they are.

And they really are not. Right? And you can explain the same thing with like a fifth grade language or try to make the PhD dissertation thesis, which is not at all my style. So this is how the business started, basically. It was just, I said, I love this area. I obviously cannot be a singer anymore.

And this is kind of the closest I'm going to get, right? And I think I can be successful because I was recommending artists to my friends and my friends were telling me, wow, what a hit. You recommended this artist and like now the artist is like getting in the museums and you always have this great eye for discovery and talent and you're so curious and you know, so I sort of like wanted to do something that I felt passionate about, but I was also pay attention to the feedback around me that had to do with what my friend said.

It was a good opportunity for me. And also what I saw was a good opportunity for me. I love what you're saying here because I think the best businesses, and I always say this on my show, the best businesses start from passion. And from you just being curious and just trying to serve the world, put out information. And then it just seems like you organically evolved into becoming like a seven-state figure business.

And that's what happened to me too. I started my podcast and it turned to a marketing agency. Now it's a network. Like it just like evolves as you realize and you become more of an expert and know what you're doing. You start to realize the opportunities and how to monetize what you're doing, you start to realize the opportunities and how to monetize what you're doing,

but it all starts with that little curiosity and having that passion. So I love your story. I want to talk about Gwen's Paltrow. Yes. So a year into you starting your blogging or year and a half into it, you got this opportunity to work for Gwen's Paltrow.

How did that like kind of set off your career? And what did you learn from that opportunity? Well, you know, Gwyneth gave me my first big break and it was so big, it, like, literally launched everything for me. And so this was, so I opened the company in 2009, because I had the baby 2008, I was in the law firm, went back, and then I quit, right? And so I opened the baby 2008, I wasn't the law firm went back and then I quit, right? And so I opened the company 2009 and of course I'm hustling and you know shaking hands with

people and going everywhere and writing in this and that, right? And then a friend tells me I really love what you're doing is so interesting that you're trying to really clarify the artwork for people and showing them how to do things and I am going to introduce you to Winath Feltro, but it was so organic, right? It was not like, oh, please introduce me to Winath. It was like she said that, right? And so, and she did. And I was like, this is my chance.

So I told Winath, this is what I do. And I, it was like my elevator pitch, right? But like, I say, everybody should collect art. I think nobody should be priced out. Everybody can start collecting you know if they have a thousand dollars or five hundred dollars to spend you know I am really good at identifying the next talent. I always get this kind of right and I love to and so she's like oh my goodness. I love this and so here's what I did. I had written an article for Forbes.com, like the month before, through an organization, a entrepreneur, a women, I don't really remember. And that was one of

the best articles I had written about because it was about demystifying the art world. And I think Forbes had given me, like, it's a thousand words. I don't know. So I printed the article and I put it on an, you know, seriously, it was so bad. I put it in, I printed the article and I put it on it. You know, seriously, it was so bad. I put it in the, I printed the article and I put it inside of a folder. A friend of mine had a company where they sold a fine art photography. And so I got a fine art print from them that was inexpensive. But I wanted to show her that it was possible to like collect things that were not expensive, but they were beautiful. So I just got that and I sent her to her apartment.

And this was, let's say June or July, and I didn't hear anything until September. And then I like, so that I have a phone call that I have, I never really pick up my phone. So I see that I missed a call. And then I listen to the boys smell and say, Hey, Maria, how are you? You're just going to the ball tro. I just got to New York. I have not been in New York for so long.

Thank you for what you sent me. It's so fantastic what you do. I want you to please write a story for a group. And this was 2011. It's one and a half years into my business. And I was like, wow, this is really massive. So I called her back and I said, what do you want? When do you want it for?

Because at that time, Goop was winners and her assistant, any tutorial assistant. So it was just the two of them. And the headquarters of Goop was Wineth's house in London. That was it. There the two of them and the headquarters of group was going at this house in London. That was it. There were two people and it was, I think every Thursday and you had a green background and that was it. So I wrote this story. It was like eight pages.

They let me do anything I wanted and I saw pictures, iPhone pictures. They were so bad. Hala, you have no idea how bad this was. And I sent it all and they put it together and when that thing was sent out, it's like my life changed because it was a different time, right? This was at once, a week email. It was not a company, they had nothing else but the information and that's it, right? And so mine was like the guy to collecting and the mystifying the art world is like everything changed for me that day. I got phone calls and emails from art basil from like all the big like you know,

like amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing. And so she gave me that big break and she gave me that trust and that push, sort of like I need it. There was nothing at that time that could have helped me that much as she did. And you know, she continues to be a champion of women and entrepreneurs and she's incredibly generous and an excellent human being who's built an incredible business herself and works really, really hard and is every day involved in the day-to-day operations

of the business. So she's someone that I look up to because not only is she so smart and beautiful, but also she is generous and a good person. So that's the Gwyneth Botter Story. Hold tight, everyone. Let's take a quick break and hear from our sponsors. Young and profitors, do you have a brilliant business idea, but you don't know how to move forward with it? Going into debt for a four-year degree isn't the only path to success. Instead, learn everything you need to know about running a business for free

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And the best part, they offer a money back guarantee. If your dog's tail isn't wagging within 30 days, they'll refund your first order. No fillers, no nonsense, just nom nom. Go right now for 50% off your no risk two week trial at trinom.com slash app. That's trinom and om.com slash app for 50% off trinom.com slash app. I love this story because I think the other kind of hidden gem in there was the fact that you weren't scared to just take the opportunity and just go for it. You didn't do this before. You didn't have guidelines.

You weren't, you were a professional at this, but you didn't, like, you just took your past experiences, use them to produce what Buenas wanted. And then all these opportunities opened up and had you been scared to do that or late, you know what I mean in terms of like people procrastinate sometimes especially if they've never done something before and they lose opportunities so I think that's really special. Thank you. I think I was never gonna let that go. You know what I mean? It's like they said that deadline is you know in two weeks and I had it done in five days, you know, because I was like, whatever going with ones, going with cats. Yes.

So let's move on to your newest book, How Creativity Rules the World. It's going to be coming out right around when we are the show. I think March 18th that comes out or March 15th. March 15th. Okay. March 15th that comes out. And so creativity is this word that's thrown out a lot. And I think people have a hard time understanding exactly the definition of creativity. So what is

creativity in your own words? Creativity is your unique ability to come up with ideas of value that are relevant. And the word relevant is very important because it means that they serve a purpose in a marketplace today, right? I mean, it's not 20 years from now and it's not 10 years past. Creativities all about being relevant and having those ideas that are uniquely yours. And that's what I said at the very beginning is that we all have so much to give. And yet we stop because of so many things. Like fear is one of them. And other is like, I'm not good enough and I'm not creative enough.

And you know, who am I thinking that I can be to this wrapped a market or you know, or who am I to believe that I can make waves in an industry? Well, I'm here to tell you you can, because I did it as an outsider of the art world, which is one of the most difficult and snub industries you will ever imagine. And I am a man named Migra Latina with an accent.

And I broke through all that because I had something to say and something to do that nobody else was doing. So if you do not respect your ideas, they are not going to come because you are going to be discarding them without even wanting to assess them, which is the most important thing is like if you're having hunches and you're having images and you're having ideas, respect them, you know, listen to them, write them down, look at them and analyze them. And also creativity is endless, you know, because the more you put it out, like you said,

you started it in a way, think you grew in it, you know, you had a podcast, then that growing 20, it's like one thing leads into the other and the other and the other. And that is because the more excellent ideas human beings have, the more excellent ideas you will keep trickering and generating. And the only way that you can do that is by not only having the ideas, but also executing them, which is when most people fail is that they have the idea, but they don't respect it, and they don't execute it because they don't feel they are, they have what it takes, or they feel that they need, that everything has to be perfect from the get-go,

or they need, you know, $50 million in funding, or the biggest things, and the biggest breakthroughs in life, and the world, in inventions, in businesses, always start marginally, very small, always. So it sounds like you're starting to get into some myths related to creativity. And I know in your book, you outlined seven different myths related to creativity.

So can you talk about some of those and let's debunk them? Well, people sometimes think creativity is genetic and it's definitely not. There is no gene that determines if anybody is going to be more, if that were to be the case, then, you know, there would be like, Steve Jobs and his siblings, let's say, right? Like they would all be like, you know, no, that's not the case. He was adopted and whatever, but it's just an example or Leonardo da Vinci, right?

Or Michelangelo, like, you know, or Picasso, right? Who has sisters. So no, there's no nothing and I went and I like read, like maybe, you know, 25 studies on genes and create TVT. That's not. It's not. The other thing is, for example, that creativity cannot be learned, which is kind of like the whole backbone of my ideas is that we actually are born extremely creative, but as we get older and we are exposed to formal education and the schools teach us what to think instead of how to think. And we are, you know, L-sats, a standardized test. Bar exams.

Everything is measured through those lenses, which is really stupid if you think about it, because people's creativities and intelligence this cannot be circumscribed to an X or like feeling around in an answer sheet. So the more humans are exposed to that, the more we stifle our creativity. But there is a way to relearn, to think like a child, right? And that's why I have a whole set of exercises and ideas and blueprints on the book on how people can put that together, right? The

other thing is like, well, only a handful of people can be creative, but well, how so? If it's something so human, if we have seen studies that children perform at the highest level of creativity in the same kids when they are tested at the age of 30, they perform at 2%. That means that you have already had this inside of you all the time, but you have decided to see the world to put a special type of lenses that takes away everything that is incredible. And the other thing is the left brain and the right brain. So this was debunked by a Nobel Prize physician. And the brain needs both hemispheres

to work perfectly well, right? A lot of people in math, you would think they are left brain. However, math is one of the fields where the most creative things can happen. If you think about coding, if you think about formulas, if you think about like algorithms, you know, they all happen in math equations, right? So those people are not left-brained and they are not right-brained. There is an interconnection and an inner dependence of both sides. It is There is an interconnection and the inner dependence of both sides. It is a matter of not physiology, but is how you develop your talents, right?

I mean, there I have two kids and they are excellent at math and I'm not. And that's the thing, right? Like they are, they love math, they're sharp, but they are also super artistic too. And so I'm like always kind of thinking, well, they can be both things if they want to. And I hope they develop passions in life and whatever they decide to do when they are older. But for the time being, I can see that both sides are robust. And so it depends on each one of us. If we want to strengthen the connections, and I don't necessarily have

to be a math genius because what my my left brain is logical, right? And And I don't necessarily have to be a math genius because what my my left brain is logical, right? And so I don't do things that are crazy. I am very intuitive using my right side, but I also go with logical things. And you know, I say, well, I'm going to take a calculated risk. Is it not that I'm just going to go and put on my money in crypto right now, right? I'm trying to think about like, what do I need to do to balance both sides of my brain constantly? And those are part of the myths that I write about in the book. And I give every one of them, there is a specific study that I consider was the definitive study.

And I give people that data too, because a lot of people are like, well, this can be anecdotical. Where are you getting this, Maria? Here it is. It's in the studies that psychologists and researchers spend, you know, I don't know how many years tracking people to prove this to you. And I was telling you offline, you know, I read like two books a week and your book was so well-written, jam-packed with so much great research, so many great example stories

plus your own experience. It was really great. So I can't wait to dig into some strategies of how we can actually hone in our creativity. There's a couple of stats that I just want to list out to my listeners that I think is really interested. So in your book, you say a LinkedIn study showed that the number one in demand skill

turns out to be creativity. And during the pandemic, the world economic forum called Creativity, the one skill that will future-proof you for the job market. So I'd love to hear from you why you think creativity is so important in terms of a skill to have in 2022 and beyond. Well, you know, Hala, a lot of people, and this is not new, a lot of people have been substituted by machines, right? And that's a problem. But if you think about it, where those people, the ones who were constantly

reinventing themselves at their jobs, or were those the people who actually just pushed buttons and accepted the status quo as it was, right? And the same thing is to be said for people who have businesses because you might say, well, but I'm gonna count and that's not creativity, of course it is creativity. I just read about an accountant who has a very thriving business of tax, preparation business because he's a comedian.

And so he has a team of comedians and like everybody wants to work with him too, because he is so funny and so personable. And so he's not going to be just written off, but because turbo tax does it for a hundred bucks, right? I mean, it's just like, it's how do you present your world, your ideas, your business? Why is it that the world economic forum and LinkedIn? How do you present your world, your ideas, your business? Why is it that the world economic forum and LinkedIn, and not only that IBM too did a

whole study on creativity through the CEOs of the companies, of 1500 companies, in I don't know, 70 different industries, in I don't know, 150 countries, and they all agreed. It was creativity, what they were looking for when they wanted to keep people employed and who they wanted to actually hire. Adobe also did this study. And what Adobe found is that wanting for people say, I'm not creative enough, and I don't have the tools to be creative, but the tools are not things you're gonna go

to the hardware store to buy, and they are not things that you're going to find in like the most advanced computer. The tools are within, and they are not things that you're going to find in the most advanced computer. The tools are within and they are very simple, but they need work and sometimes people think well what kind of work. It is five, 10 minutes a day, everybody can actually build those creative skills

and think outside of what it's been given to them. I mean, I hate the word that think outside the box thing. It's like it feels so old school to me, but I think that people are familiar with that think outside the box, right? And so, you know, us humans in this very fast-paced world need to be constantly adjusting and adopting things and changing the way we see things.

And, you know, there is a famous investor in on Wall Street. His name is Peter Lynch. And what Peter Lynch teaches his analysts, Peter is very old now, but what he teaches his analysts and what he does. And this is one of the guys who has one of the strongest truck records in investments in the whole history of Wall Street. What he teaches his analysts besides being paying attention

and being great is like, go out in the world and do things differently. Because no incredible breakthrough, no incredible experience, no incredible investment comes from place of complacency, of being taking business as usual, right? Everything that is amazing in this world comes from curiosity, from wanting to explore intersections of two or more different industries.

It comes from a desire to do something that nobody else has done. It comes from, you know, if somebody does one thing one way and continues to do that, at some point it will become best practices. Feel very allergic to this word, when you, this term when you hear it because best practices means it's been done so much

that it has been codified, right? And that's nothing creative in best practices. I'm not saying go against the manual that they gave you in your office, right? And like, right, graffiti on the walls, no, that's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that once you have gotten used to a certain way of doing things, feel a little worried about that. And if you're very comfortable in what you're doing and you feel like it's a smooth sailing, feel a little worried about that because the discomfort that you feel when you're trying to do something new is a very good indication that you are exploring creative territories. If everything is very stable all the time,

and everything is easy, that is also a clear signal that you're not growing and you're not getting into a very creative spot, right? Everything that is amazing, like right in this book was a challenge, right? I mean, it was in the middle of the pandemic, I have a business, I have two kids, and yet I said, I'm going to do this.

And I plow through the whole thing, inventing new parts of my business, like the consulting part of entrepreneurship and being in front of CEOs of companies and giving them workshops around creativity and whatnot was difficult too. And it was uncomfortable, but I loved it. And I thought, well, this is something that I want to explore. I have never said no to my urges.

If they come consistently, I have never said no. I, you know, that doesn't mean I'm gonna go and put like a million bucks into a division of a business that might not go anywhere. You know what I mean? It's like, it's calculated risks, right? But I have done things that I never thought I was going to do. I did manufacturing in collaboration with artists for three years, and I learned a ton,

but it was so hard and on-site is fine. I mean, we got the money, we actually made profits, but it was so complicated. I was like, oh my goodness, no wonder manufacturing is on the decline in this country because it's so difficult to do. But I think it's part of that desire of not be at standstill. That is the feeling of being stuck is for leaders,

for curious people, for fun people, is one of the most damaging things for anybody's career, right? And that's why those studies and the LinkedIn and the world economic forum are telling you, be unique, be creative, right? I mean, avoid getting replaced by a machine, right? Yeah, when I think of creativity, I think of problem sol creative, right? I mean, avoid getting replaced by a machine, right? Yeah, when I think of creativity, I think of problem solvers, right?

Like, and for me, I'm a very naturally creative person. Now, I think I've become more and more creative as I've gotten older, and I feel like it's like a super power. Like, I literally never get afraid of any sort of project in front of me because I just figure out how to be creative, creative solutions, and just do it. I feel like I always say this. My focus can change the world. If I focus on it, and I'll just figure it out because I'm creative and I'm open-minded.

So there's two concepts that you bring up in your book that I think you kind of hit on that I want to talk about. The first is autonomy. So I'd love to understand how autonomy is, you did touch on it a little bit, but I'd love to hear it in more depth in terms of how autonomy is related to creativity. And then also the ability to trust your instincts and why that's important. Well, autonomy is so important

because it is your belief in yourself. And that your ideas are good and that you're going to explore them and that whatever comes out of them, something good can be implemented. And when you have a herd mentality and groupthink, which is pretty common nowadays, if you ask me, is obviously not creative. And you can have models because nothing is 100% new, right? I mean, if you think about it, we're building on what has been created before, right? And Steve Jobs did not invent the phone and he did not invent the music player, right?

This was like combinations of things that were previously in the world. And so we have models and we have ideas and we have passions, right? I mean, and so, but it's how we reconvinyl this element in our very own unique way and how we have the autonomy to believe that what we think is going to be the next step is going to be right. Or nobody has 100% certainty of anything, but autonomy in your convictions and in the way you think. Why you're going to pursue what you're going to pursue is very important for creativity and for entrepreneurship for sure.

I urge people throughout the book also to, yes, it's fine to get feedback. It's very important if you have a team or if you have investors or if you are, you know, and like you have a boss, right? Like, I mean, it's very important to have feedback, but it's also very important to be able to speak up when you think something should be taken into consideration when you think something has to be new. A lot of businesses would have never existed if the founders would have gone with the first person who told them, no, right?

I mean, like Airbnb couldn't get any money until actually they said that they were going to move the focus from people who were going to go to conferences on to a different view, which is the vacation market. So when they moved that kind of perspective, instead of saying this is for conference people, they say, no, why don't we make this for people who go on vacation and they don't want to stay in hotels? That's when the money started to pour in like crazy. But for the longest time, it wasn't happening. And all they needed to move was like, you know, like three degrees to like see the other thing that was happening, right?

And so once you have a great idea, as I said before, respected and mine it, and it might not end up being that, but it might end up being built on that foundation. And that is important. And autonomy also goes along with being a person who can analyze and synthesize a lot of different points of view so that you don't have to go with the majority. The mainstream is already mainstream. If you know what I'm saying, right?

I mean, it's like you're autonomous, you're not gonna go and do what everybody else is doing. That's why the most interesting things are happening in the periphery of the big businesses and the big things. And that's part of being autonomous. Yeah, okay, so there's a bunch that I want to begin to hear. So first of all, I'd love to get some advice,

practical advice, or exercises we can do to start being more independent thinkers. And then my second kind of practical advice that I'd like you to give our listeners is to help us become more hyper aware of what's actually going on. Because like you said, Airbnb just needed to pivot three degrees. So how can we be more aware of what's actually going on because like you said, Airbnb just needed to pivot three degrees. So how can we be more aware of those little nuances around us?

All right. Well, so one thing that has been lately exposed a lot is the echo chamber, rather echo chamber where we're like listening. The our own voices, we only get the algorithm feed that we already have been used to, and we hang out with the people that think like us, and you know, people are having all these political fights and families and whatever, right? So that is a space where you can be extraordinarily benefit from the idea of mingling yourself

with people who think differently. And that is very important as someone who really wants to build a creative mindset, right? It doesn't have to, it doesn't mean you're going to agree with the other people, but it means that you are going to be able to get yourself informed by other points of view. And we don't have that that often anymore. I think that I have watched a couple of very interesting people being observants and like silent. And those people are usually the ones with the best business ideas, right?

Like the ones who are watching everything and not just what they wanna watch, right? And not just people who look and speak like them. And so it's very important to open up space for that. And that again, that doesn't mean negotiating your convictions. It just means having the willingness to see other points of view. And I think that what you said about the Airbnb

and people's ideas of what can you do to pay more attention to what's happening. In fact, paying attention is one of the most important things that we can do and we're not doing it because we are overwhelmed again with technology and news and bad things happening everywhere all the time and big media is always competing for our attention. They wanted, they needed and I believe that people need to spend more time alone in silence with themselves. There is a study

that I quote in the book as well of students who were offered either to stay for 10 minutes alone or they could stay those 10 minutes alone and if they were feeling bored, they could give themselves an electrical shock, right? And it was quite kind of painful. The majority of the students decided that they wanted to have the electrical shock because they were bored, they could not be,

they could not be 10 minutes alone on their own. This is a problem. This is a problem because it is where ideas have to marinate. And you need the pockets of silence to have the time and the space to have, you know, those ideas come to the surface. And it could be that you don't get the idea until you're in the yoga class. It could be that you're, you get the idea when you're driving home or when you are walking the dog. It doesn't matter, right?

I mean, the point is that without pockets of silence and without moments of being with yourself alone, you're not going to be able to have the idea to flourish and to germinate the best possible way. So I encourage people to really spend more time alone and to schedule it and make it a part of like your life, right? I mean, I have had students who've told me, yeah,

but I spend time alone every morning, but I play music. I said, that's not what I am asking you to do. I mean, I, is the same thing as electrical shock. This person needed the music. You know, she's like, what is very zen and it's very strumental. And I said, that's great, but you are stimulating. Parts of your brain and parts of your ear and part,

you know, like your senses with the music. And what I want you to do is to be alone in silence. 10 minutes. Give me five, I said, five minutes, right? And so once people start incorporating these things in their lives, they start seeing a lot of things that they missed before because they give a space to the brain to actually process all their information and to come up with those ideas.

Let's hold that thought and take a quick break with our sponsors. Here's that sound, young and profitors. You should know that sound by now, but in case you don't, that's the sound of another sale on Shopify. Shopify is the commerce platform that's revolutionizing millions of businesses worldwide. Whether you sell edgy t-shirts or offer an educational course like me, Shopify simplifies selling online and in person so you can focus on successfully growing your business. Shopify is packed with industry leading tools that are ready to ignite your growth, giving

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off when you go to masterclass.com-profiting. That's masterclass.com-profiting for 15% off an annual membership. Masterclass.com slash profiting. I think this is really important. So what she's saying is that give yourself silence every single day. And that might be hard if you're in like a job that has an open co-working space or you're, you know, you've got a busy family. So what is your advice for people who like want to create this creativity incubator as you call it in your book, I believe?

What is your advice, you know, if they feel like they have a really busy life that doesn't really allow for that? Well, listen, there is, it's not a coincidence that a lot of people get their best ideas when they are taking a shower. It's the truth. And why is that? It's because it's the only time where people are alone and they have that space to think, right? And so I would say if you can be in the bathroom locked doors

five minutes, right? I mean, five minutes before you even take that shower, five minutes, put on like the timer, right? Then it used that time to think. I would love to say take a walk. Taking a walk is good because it gets thanks moving, but you will have to be stimulated by your surroundings because if you're going across a tree, you have to look both sides of the road and you have to be attention to the lights and whatnot. While taking a walk has an important part, it's an important thing for everybody because

really ideas get moving. It is not the same as spending time alone in one place with nothing else, but you and your thoughts whatever they are. Sometimes, you know, I like people like to meditate and that word has so many different connotations and a lot of people think, no, it's going to be so difficult and I have to be in a chamber with buddhas and like, you know, infrared sauna and incense. No, man, it's just like, meditate is just trying to breathe and keep your mind as clean as possible. So if people have really a crazy busy life, if you can take those five minutes while you're in the bathroom and nobody's bothering you, I think you're going to see miracles

in a week or two. Like you're going to start seeing a lot more ideas, but you've got to be willing to do it, right? I mean, it's not just listening. It's, you got to practice. Yes. Alright, so let's move on to some other key concepts. You talk about authenticity as being crucial when it comes to honing your creativity. So why is it that the most creative ideas are always the most personal as well? Well, because all of us have had our own set of experiences in this world. We have had our parents, our bringing the schools that we have attended, the places that we have lived. And we recombine all those experiences in our very own specific way.

So, whatever is uniquely yours, I think it is the most creative, no matter what you want to do, whether it is a restaurant or an accounting business or a podcast, whatever it is, right, on an agency, because you bring yourself to the table. And that's what we said before about machines replacing humans and why, if you're creative, you can never be replaced, right, because you have all those experiences and it's a cumulative thing, right, because as you move forward in life, you have already learned so many things that are just yours and you have interpreted things in a way that is uniquely yours. That's why you have an agency

because you saw an opportunity and you saw how to develop things within the agency. And you took all the things that you had learned into what it is right now. And probably as I told you before, you will accumulate more experiences and you will use those experiences for other things, right? I mean, the things that I knew when I started the business

are very different because they were limited in a way. I came with all myself, but as the business grew, I learned things that were uniquely mine and I utilized those very unique experiences to not only create what I have, but also to write the book, because a lot of this anecdotes and a lot of the things that I have to do with my life,

and so nobody else can write the book. You know what I mean? Because I saw things in the very same, you know, in a way that I did, and the beauty of that, is that the world that interprets its own way. Right? I mean, many different people like you who have read the book have very different opinions about it, positive, but different. And it only depends on how you filter

your reality. And I think it's super important, if you are, for example, in the business of creating content, if you, you know, like, see the enormous amount of movies and, you know, Netflix series and whatnot, the most successful ones are the ones that are really coming from the heart of the showrunner or the producer or the director or the screenwriter. You know, it's not an idea that has been forced and commissioned. Right? Like, here is like, you know, it's like the things that come from within and the things that people have experienced, what really color, all the, you know, all the creative parts of what you put out in the world. I love that. So in terms of improvisation, once you know the basics, you can break away and become

innovative. So, I'd love for you to kind of help us understand this concept and how we can use it in business. Well, when you're in business, you are supposed to know what you know in other words, right? Like, you're getting paid to be a certain expert or something in what you do, right? And you have learned a set of rules or you have learned to do things in a specific way. And once you have mastered those things is when you can really take certain chances, right? I mean, and I'm not talking

about like the beginning of a startup because yes, you can take chances in the beginning of a startup, but you still don't know what you're doing with a business, right? So assuming you've been, you know, two years on the go, or in your career and a big company or a medium sized company, and you have learned a lot of rules, and you have learned a lot of procedures, and you have learned how to do things.

That is the space where you need to be able to take chances in improvisation, right? And so in problem business, I like this technique that was originally patented, if you will, by Dell Close, who was a comedian and an acting coach. And it was the yes and technique where you keep the bull rolling, right? And so if you have a client who calls you and says, I need this today at 5 p.m. and you know it's impossible, you have to to like, you don't say no because

it shuts down the conversation immediately. The client gets upset, whatever you say, yes. And let's review this scope of this project to see if we can actually get it done tonight at 5. Right? I mean, that is a way of improvising at work by pushing yourself out of the comfort zone of what you would normally do, taking a chance and seeing what happened, and participating actively of the conversation. But by the same token, some of the most incredible inventions in life have been accidents. And that happened to because people were willing to improvise with the materials they were willing to improvise with the order of the steps that they had to get there. They were willing to, you know, experiment. And all these things

are so intertwined that we can really talk about them all they long because it's like almost one concept is married to another and it's, you know, best friends of another and it's the father of mother because they are all so important, but they have nuances that differentiate them from, you know, the other ideas or tools or techniques. And then you mentioned aggregation. Well, can I pause you there? Yes.

Because I want to make sure that my listeners really understand this concept. So I think it may be helpful if you explain how improvisation is used in the art world or for artists, because I think that will help them understand how they can then apply it to business. Well, look, for example, Jackson Pollock, right? I mean, who wrote the book of like the modern era

in the United States as an abstract expressionism, and I am sure everybody's familiar with his work. He started painting landscapes and figures and whatnot. Like any other painter, you have to start somewhere. And he had this big studio in the Hamptons, and he's like, I want to do something different. And remember, this was a time where the United States was flourishing from, it's funny, we talk about this from the second world war, but entering the Cold War with Russia. That's what I said, it's crazy.

So it was like in the midst of the Cold War and the United States says, I want to differentiate myself from the Russians and I am going to do this through art. And so this movement of men and women, the abstract expressionists, they wanted to break with everything that I had to do with European style and Cubism and Impressionism. And so that's some polyxet.

Well, I already know everything I need to know, according to him, is that I already need to, Cubism and Impressionism. And so that's some product set. Well, I already know everything. I need to know, according to him, is that I already need to, everything I need to know about painting flowers or landscapes. And I'm going to experiment. And nobody else was doing that. And what he did is like, he's stretched a piece of canvas

on the floor of his giant studio in the Hamptons. And he took a piece, you know, he took house paint, which is very fluid and it's not like oil being that is thick and whatever. And instead of using a brush, he found a couple of sticks and knives and he started just splattering the whole thing and moving himself with it, right?

And so this is improvisation. He just didn't know where he was gonna go. It was an experiment and he turns out that when he finished, he was like, oh, this is very cool and interesting. And I have never seen anything like that before. Now we take it for granted. Now we say, well, this guy was just splattering, but at the time, nobody else was doing it.

And the same thing is jazz. Jazz is all about improvisation. There is a certain amount of notes and compositions that the musicians have to play and they have, but then, you know, the saxophone, those one thing and, you know, the piano, those something else. And it's like that improvisation has made jazz what it is and people love it. And it's the same thing with hip hop because a lot of this lyrics are, you know, off the cuff and it's like improvising, you know, and seeing, you know, so it's just like the concept is so broad and it can be really applied to so many

different, you know, part like when I, the example I give in my businesses, a client who asked me for a bankruptcy painting and I was like, how am I going to get to Banksy? I mean, does he even exist? She, like the client said, is for my husband's birthday and I want to buy it from the studio. I don't want to buy it from, you know, Gal, the truth is a lot of fake banses and things happen. And so I was like, how am I going to do this? And I told her, of course, I'm going to get your bansie. And I could have said no, it's impossible,

but I improvised my, you know, it was like, I said, yes, of course, I'm going to get your bansie. And I went crazy until I found a connection who could have connected me to Bansie studio. And they did. And then my client called again and said, oh, I think you, but you know, what, I really want to go there and see it in person. I was like, oh again and said, oh, I think you, but you know what? I really want to go there and see it in person.

I was like, oh my God, yes, of course you can go. You know, and so it was like me moving the ball forward. And by the way, if you ask Elon Musk, once he is in front of his investors, if he can send people to the moon, if the test line's going to work, he's going to say always yes and then he's going to leave the room the test lies going to work, he's going to say always yes, and then he's going to leave the room

and he's going to say, how the F, I'm going to make this happen. And that is true. And that is, it's both an improvisation and is also a risk taking move because you're going to fear. And Steve Jobs also did the same. Like, you know, like like they said it's impossible

what you want to do with that phone it's never gonna look the way you want it to look and whatever and he said yes it's going to happen and I already told everybody it's going to happen and you have to make it happen you know what I mean it's like so it's a little bit of I don't want to put it in a way that is wishful thinking because for you to take this risks and this improvisations, you actually have to have enormous knowledge to actually take the chance, right? I mean, when I my client told me to find Banksy, is I was not a complete like stranger of the art world like I was on day one. I already had the business for almost two years. So I said, I don't know banks. I don't even know if banks exist, but I am going to talk to the street artists that I know and see if they can connect me. So I had a foundation

that served me well on that time. It's not like if somebody asked me tomorrow about an area that I have no clue, I'm not going to improvise there because it's going to sound terrible. But I said before, when this guys are promising things to their investors or their board of directors or something, they know that there is a 60% chance that it can't get done or 65 or whatever, right? So and that is very important for creativity because it pushes you to get to the point where you're going to materialize what you thought at some point it was not possible. So I have a quote from your book that I think sums this up really nicely.

The paradox of improvisation is that the more prepared and competent you are, the more creative and unpredictable you can be. Yes. and you are the more creative and unpredictable you can be. Yes, and that is also how comedians and stand-up comedy happens. That's how. Once you know your craft, you can really get and explore the tangents you can go and think about promises that maybe would have seemed uplandish, otherwise you can mix if you're a chef, you can start mixing flavors that would never come together,

but you have to experiment and you have to improvise in the kitchen because that's how you keep the people wanting for more. So I think that this is a concept that is super applicable to every facet of life. And it can really also be amazing for decision-making, for when you have to decide something fast and improvise.

Yeah. So let's talk about one last concept, and then let's move to closing the interview. So I'd love to understand the concept of deconstruction and aggregation and how that relates to art in both business. Well, so deconstruction is taking the pieces apart, right? And so, for example, in art,

all the ideas of Picasso and Cubism were isolating pieces, right? And so it was an arm here and a foot there. And if you look at Gernica, one of the most important pieces of art in the whole world and the history of humanity, it's all about pieces of bodies that were dismembered in the war, right? And so they have so much more impact that way. And in business, you know,

deconstructing parts, for example, of like what happened, I gave the example of Zenith, right? Like when they invented their remote control, the remote control used to be a thing that was a panel attached to the TV, any wires and whatnot. And so they were like, how do we make this? How do we profit from this?

Because they were making television sets, but they also were like, and if we make this? How do we profit from this? Because they were making television sets, but they also were like, and if we can invent something separately with this, wouldn't that be cool? So they separated something that was attached and they invented their remote. They were the inventors of their remote, right? And look now, we have remotes for everything, by the AC and apps and the car and whatever.

So it's been like an incredible invention We have remotes for everything, right? The AC and apps and the car and whatever. So it's been like an incredible invention that came from deconstructing and separating things. Twitter is a deconstruction project because when it was founded, it was like how do we make something that is just this amount of characters, right? And so it is not aggregating, it is deconstructing.

And same thing with any business when you think about, maybe you have too many things, maybe one of them has to be deconstructed and separated. And it is just may not need it anymore, right? And so you have to ponder if everything that is in your business right now is worth having or if it's needed for the whole thing to separate it in pieces, right? And aggregation is the opposite. Facebook is an aggregation project because it is the picture, the like, the messenger, all these things actually Twitter added many things after, but remember that for many years, it was just micro blogging, right?

And Facebook came with a very different strategy. It was like, how do we make this a community where people hang out for the longest time, right? And so they kept adding things at the shopping and the games and the business and the experiences and this and that. So it was like, if we add more things, we're gonna keep people on for the longest time, right? And so it's not that one is better than the other

or anything, it's just that they are very different ways of seeing a business concept or an idea. And so how do you filter them through those two? And I think that I like to give the reader this two opposites so that they think about what they need at any given time in their businesses, in their careers. And this book is, you know, heavily oriented towards people in business, people in positions of entrepreneurship, people who own companies, or people who want to become intrapreneurs. And that concept is not that very explored.

Usually, the idea that you can, is if you're a part of an organization, be your own leader and bring all this ideas to whatever it is that you do, so that it doesn't happen what we said before, that you don't become obsolete and you don't get replaced by machines. I love this concept of deconstruction and aggregation. It's just a new way to think about things and come up with creative solutions and come up with ideas that could be the next $50 billion company like Twitter was. So I love the Twitter example in particular because they took blogging, which at the time was so so popular and was, it's basically, you know, lots of words, many different thoughts, and then they deconstructed it to a single tweet and built a whole billion dollar business around that. So it just goes to show how powerful this could be.

Absolutely. And it's just one simple idea, you know. If you think about it, it's just one simple idea. Sometimes complexity is the enemy of execution, you know? And so that's not for everybody. Sometimes people love to have very complex projects at hand and to get into very, you know, ambitious businesses with many moving parts. There's nothing wrong about that. But sometimes a very simple idea can actually be a billion dollar idea or more if it gets to be a present at

right. And I think marketing is also a very important creative skill and ability. And for people in marketing, those books is going to be really relevant and important for them, because I think that they will keep coming back to find ideas and concepts and to refresh their memory. 100%. So, this was so great, guys. Everybody tuning in, we covered about 10% of our book. There's so much more information.

Every single page was just packed with so much gems and great information. I read a ton of books all the time and a lot of the time it's like sifting through fluff. It was like, every page had a gem and honestly, I had like 50 questions prepared for this interview because there was just so much in there. So I highly recommend for everybody to go grab her book. Maria, I know that you have a special offer just for our app listeners. Can you tell us about that? Yes. So I am going to give for free my creativity online course and other bonuses and resources that are worth like $650 for free if you pre-order my book or you order it. And so I'm keeping it open until the 18th of March at midnight at Eastern time. And all you have to do is email your receipt to book at Mariabreabrea.com.

That's Maria and BRIT is in Tom O.com and say, Hala told me. That's it. Hala told me. Because I'm keeping it open just for you guys. That's it. Hala told me because I'm keeping it open just for you guys. Awesome. And the book is called How Creativity Rules the World. It is out on March 15th. Make sure you guys go get that. So I always close out my interviews with the same last couple of questions and we do some

fun stuff at the end of the year with them. So what is one actionable thing our listeners can do today to become more profitable tomorrow? I think pay attention to three different media sources that are not from the same place that you normally get your information from. And what is your secret to profiting in life? My secret to profiting is my creativity really. It is my superpower. Like you said, I align with that so much because I think that as long as I can come up with ideas, I'm going to keep succeeding and I'm going to keep making money off of them. There is absolutely

nothing that I think about, as I said said before that I shy my way from exploring if I believe I can serve and also I believe I can make it viable and monetize it. So it's all about being creative and innovative. I love that. And where can our listeners go to learn more about you and everything that you do? Well, come to my website is MariaBrito.com, the RITO I said that before and that are all the links to social media, an email form.

If you want to say hi, come hang out there with me. I have a weekly newsletter on creativity and business. It's called the groove. So in its free always, and it will always be. It gives me great pleasure to do this things. And so that's where I am going to be found for as long as I live. Awesome, and we'll stick all those links in the show notes. Thanks again, Maria, with such a pleasure. Thank you, Tahine. Everybody, thank you for hanging with us this look. Wow, what an amazing conversation. Maria is such a joy and inspiration. And at the very

beginning of this episode, Maria said that life is about being creative and using your talents in the best possible way you can. She said that anyone can come up with incredible ideas and profit from them. Now, if that doesn't make you feel like you can achieve anything, I don't know what can. If you can harness your creativity, you can truly accomplish anything from problem solving to starting your own business and beyond, and the power of creativity is truly limitless. A couple of the most important takeaways I had were that creativity can be learned. I can't tell you how many times someone has said to me, I'm just not creative, or Hala, I wish I was more creative.

The truth is, you can be more creative. Creativity is not genetic, and it doesn't discriminate between your right brain and your left brain. We all have the power to be creative and innovative. Understanding that simple truth can change your life. And this brings me to my second major takeaway. While we're all capable of being creative, you have to make the time and space for it. Maria talked about the power of silence.

I think this is super good advice. To come up with original ideas and thoughts and to really think outside the box, you need time to think without distraction. You need to just sit with yourself in silence. Just try spending 10 minutes a day in silence and it can help spark your creativity. I for one plan on taking this advice

and making time in my busy schedule to make my own creativity incubator as Maria calls it. We also talked about the paradox of improvisation and how once you know the rules, you can break them. The more expertise you have, the easier it is to innovate and see gaps. Also, take your opportunities and believe in your ability to be creative. Challenge yourself to say yes and then see what creative solutions and new ideas this can generate for you. And one last takeaway I have found so important, especially for entrepreneurs,

is the concept of deconstruction and aggregation. How are you gonna find solutions and think of new ideas that will change the world as we know it? One place to start is by looking at existing systems and seeing how you can improve, fix, or work off them. This goes back to the idea of creative problem solving. Is there a better way or a new way to do something?

Get curious and experiment, and then see where it takes you. This episode gave me so much to think about as YAP continues to grow, and I hope it gave you ideas and inspiration about your goals as well. And if you're joining me in this challenge to practice ten minutes of silence a day to boost your creativity, go ahead and DM me and let me know how it's going. You can find me at Instagram or Twitter at Yap with Hala or LinkedIn just search my name. It's Hala Taha. I've also included all of the relevant links and the show notes including Maria's book, which I highly recommend. And if you do choose to purchase a book, go ahead and email your confirmation to book at mariabredo.com and then she's

going to give you $647 in free resources. Again, if you decide to buy the book, which I highly recommend, you can email your confirmation to book at mariabredo.com and she will give you $647 in resources. Thanks again for listening to Young and Profiting Podcast and I challenge you to spend some time in silence this week and see how it benefits your creativity. Until next time, this is Hala, signing off. Are you looking for ways to be happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative? I'm Gretchen Ruben, the number one best-selling author of the Happiness Project, and every week we share ideas and practical solutions on the happier with Gretchen Ruben podcast. My co-host and happiness gu Guinea Pig is my sister Elizabeth Kraft.

That's me, Elizabeth Kraft, a TV writer and producer in Hollywood. Join us as we explore fresh insights from cutting edge science, ancient wisdom, pop culture, and our own experiences about cultivating happiness and good habits. Every week we offer a try this at home tip you can use to boost your happiness without spending a lot of time energy or money Suggestions such as follow the one minute rule choose a one word theme for the year or design your summer

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