Meet Adri Maria | Forward Thinker & Continuous Learner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Adri Maria and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Adri Maria, how do you think about risk?
I live by a quote that says My Faith > My Fear.

I believe that a path has already been created for me and I have to walk in faith in order to keep going. We risk everything we could ever attain by not risking anything at all. When you come from parents who left their own home countries to pursue endeavors in a country where they didn’t speak the native language and had to build a support system/community on their own – you see risk as an essential part of moving forward in your life and seeking more for yourself.

Risk taking has played a vital part in my entire life, both personally and financially. Because I am not afraid to fail and because I am aware that you have to take risks in order to be great, I have had the chance of living and working across three different countries and across 4 different states here in the US. Its allowed me to grow exponentially and to become self-aware in a way that I wouldn’t have, had I never left my beloved NYC.

Most recently, the biggest risk I have taken is quit my job in a proclaimed NYC Government Office, packed up my car, and moved across the country without housing or a secure job. I took a leap of faith, knowing that no matter what – I was always going to be able to figure it out. Like I said, My Faith > My Fear.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve always had my way with words. As a teenager I found my love of writing by simply putting pen to paper and letting my ideas roam free. I got into the Slam Poetry World through an organization called Urban Word NYC and loved performing on stage. During college I didn’t write as much, and barely performed.

I found my love of words again through social media actually. During my time in grad-school I needed a creative outlet, so I started posting my random sayings on IG.

I didn’t have an audience in mind, and honestly didn’t care if it went anywhere, I just needed to get my own words out. My posts seemed to resonate with folks and people started asking for the stories that inspired the quotes, so I started making videos called “story-time.”

As any creative knows, we all have our ebbs and flows and our moments where we feel really creative and our moments where we feel stuck. When you have an audience you feel this pressure to continue putting content out. And I realized I had stopped focusing on what I wanted to say and started focusing more on what folks wanted to hear, that was a huge challenge for me. I ended up taking a step back.

I recently found myself needing my creative outlet again. You know that big life transition I mentioned when we discussed my most recent risk – well I seemed to have a lot of feelings that needed to be let out. And I finally started telling my story again. The lesson I learned this time was to focus on what I wanted to say and not what others wanted to hear. I had a story. A vision. A belief. And it’s going to resonate with the right folks. Your creative outlet is for you and not for others. So make sure that you’re not dimming your light or changing what you actually want to put out there because you think other folks don’t want to hear it/see it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I didn’t live in Colorado very long, and I spent most of my time in Estes Park. But if a friend was visiting me I’d definitely tell them to check out Kind Coffee and get a latte with white chocolate and lavender. Afterwards I’d tell them to check out the Rocky Mountains and go for a nice long hike!

If they were visiting me in NY, I’d say the tourist attractions to check out are: The BK Bridge, the free Staten Island Ferry, Central Park, and a Yankees game. Food wise, I’d tell them, pick a country any country and we’ll check out a restaurant. NY is an oasis of cuisines and you can get anything you want!

If they were visiting me in LA I’d tell them we have to go hike to the Hollywood sign, check out Malibu beach, and get a Lobster Roll!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to my community. I am community made and community raised. That includes the people in my life who I share DNA with and the people in my life who are chosen family. There is nothing that I have been able to accomplish without their love & support. Everything that I do is on behalf of them and my beloved Bronx, NY!

Instagram: @catchmesaying

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrimaria/

Other: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CQoCstcBSNm/?igshid=NmZiMzY2Mjc=

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CQePmF8Aw8g/?igshid=NmZiMzY2Mjc=