Mara Girone is a hand embroidery artist, writer, podcast host, and proud owner of the fashion label Mara Girone Simple Sophistication. It is a fashion label of ‘powerful words you can wear’, specializing in sustainable, hand-embroidered, and hand-painted fashion. In addition to our discussion about being multi-passionate, Mara shares some of her experiences living in Italy, Greece, Mexico, Portugal, and England.

Hand Embroidery Artist, Writer, Podcast Host & Fashion Label Owner Mara Girone

Mara Girone Website: https://www.maragirone.com/

TRANSCRIPT:

Can I be honest? Growth is not always comfortable. In fact, it’s usually not. When I started out as a coach for artists, musicians and actors, I had a lot to learn.

Yes, I had already been in the arts and entertainment industry for 25 years; however, coaching is its own special skill. It took time to develop my unique process in helping artists authentically attract fans, media, and industry so that they can make a greater impact and income.

But as I continue to build my business into what I’ve dreamt it could be, I’ve learned it’s during my biggest challenges that I grow the most. I mean, I had a full-on growth spurt when I got clear on the personality trait of my favourite clients.

Multipotentiality!

I am a multi-passionate artist so it makes sense that I have a special bond with other multi-passionate artists. I love hearing that a singer-songwriter also paints and makes jewelry or an actor also writes and wants to produce their own projects.

I love that I can celebrate my own multiple talents in my coaching when I can draw on my photography, makeup artistry, and fashion background one day and my publicity, journalism, and marketing experience the next.

I tell you this story to get you thinking, what challenges are helping you grow?

Every artist is different, but my most successful clients have the following things in common:
• They are open to explore, share & overcome the fear, self-doubt & limiting beliefs that keep them in their comfort zone

• They are highly motivated and willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their dreams

• They know that there is no overnight success, slow and consistent progress is what prepares you for opportunities.

If you can relate, but feel that you are missing the strategy on how to cultivate an authentic personal brand and attract an engaged audience of fans, media, and industry.

I have great news for you. You can get started on your journey right now. I have given myself the challenge to give away 30 free introductory coaching sessions in 30 days. Book your session at dianefoy.com/booking and let’s explore your goals.

You can do this!

My guest today is Mara Girone, a hand embroidery artist, writer, podcast host, and proud owner of the fashion label Mara Girone Simple Sophistication. It is a fashion label of ‘powerful words you can wear’, specializing in sustainable, hand-embroidered, and hand-painted fashion.

At the age of 8, Mara fell in love with hand-embroidery and regularly returned to this artform throughout her life. She could get lost in it for hours and although at the time she recognize it as such, she had discovered a powerful and effective form of meditation.

From a young age, Mara never had just one answer to the ‘what do you want to be when you grow up’ question. She would say “I would like to be a writer and artist, traveling the world and meeting new and interesting people.” She was often met with comments like ‘she doesn’t know, she wants to be everything and nothing”. But the real answer was that she was a multi-passionate artist.

Today she can say that she has fulfilled and is living her dream. She has owned a publishing house, writes articles, and is working on a book. She is an artist creating for her own fashion brand and having exhibitions locally and internationally. Mara is also a podcast host for which she has the privilege to meet interesting and inspiring people every day. And by the way, she has lived in several countries and continents!

I know that you will enjoy listening to our conversation.

[00:06:26.320] – Mara Girone

Okay. First of all, thank you very much for having me. I’m very excited and proud of being here. So my name is Mara Girone. I’m Italian originally, but I’m based in London, UK. I found it always difficult to say who I am or what I am because I’m not just an embroidery artist. I’m also a writer. I’m a podcaster. I’m a fashion brand owner and many other things.

[00:07:06.630] – Diane Foy

That’s why you’re on this show.

[00:07:08.410] – Mara Girone

Exactly. I’m in the right place. Definitely.

[00:07:11.370] – Diane Foy

We celebrate that. We celebrate that we’re not just one thing, that we have many aspects and interests that is amazing.

[00:07:23.410] – Mara Girone

You feel free to express yourself. So my business, the product based business, is sophistication and I create garments with the hand embroidery and motivational quotes or words. My aim is through fashion, to support, empower women and make them feel worthy and enough, basically. So I thought to consider fashion only something we cover our body with or something fancy. Let’s make it something useful as well. So I call my pieces, like magic capes that you wear and you feel the energy that’s written on them. Yeah.

[00:08:17.570] – Diane Foy

I like the description of powerful words you can wear.

[00:08:21.630] – Mara Girone

Yes, exactly. And I feel also because as a maker, I feel that with the embroidery, I put a lot of my energy in the pieces. Positive energy. So I like to think that part of this goes to the wearer as well. So, yeah, it’s all positive message, positive mindset not think positive. That I don’t like. But the positive thinking, I always see a big difference. It’s more come on, think positive. Life is beautiful. That makes me quite angry because we also have the dark part of our life. So you cannot always be flowers and happiness. While the positive thinking that I like to express with my garments is more a habit, a mindset that you conquer with the practice, with time and believing in yourself? Basically.

[00:09:26.130] – Diane Foy

Yeah. So it’s like little affirmations, but you can wear it.

[00:09:29.450] – Mara Girone

Yeah, exactly.

[00:09:31.350] – Diane Foy

That’s cool. And what are some of the phrases that’s on your clothing and how do you come up with them?

[00:09:39.390] – Mara Girone

Well, some more famous ones are unapologetically me, unstoppable, resilience, take action. And I came up with them because when I started my business, it happened almost by coincidence, not because I was planning to. I then realized I needed help from coaches, you know, direction. Exactly. For my mindset because I felt, well, now that I’m on the other side and I think I’m not cured, my mindset is always something where you can bring changes and make better. But I realized that my cultural background was a big weight in some fields. I don’t know, believe in yourself, women can make it. Women can manage money. So these kind of little tweaks in the everyday life that can make a huge change in the way you approach life and in the way you believe in yourself and chase your dreams. Because initially my business was making bags and hats. So during my evolution, I came up with the idea of the motivational words that are not I never believed, okay, wake up in the morning, repeat the word and it will happen. I mean, if you don’t take action, you can repeat the word as long as you want.

[00:11:38.170] – Mara Girone

Nothing will happen. So it’s a little reminder to have it on your clothes, basically.

[00:11:46.130] – Diane Foy

That’s really cool. And how did you get into this when you were a kid? Was creativity and artistic expression encouraged in your family?

[00:11:57.040] – Mara Girone

No, very traditional south of Italy. My story was written in a completely different way. So I had to write my story again. Happily, I did it. So I mean, art and creativity were supported as long as they were hoping. But if you say, I want to become an artist, whatever field it was. No. Are you crazy? Do you want to start? Do you want to live your life like a beggar? You will never have a family anyway. All the possible negative scenarios you can imagine. So of course, I wasn’t allowed to go to the art Academy. I don’t have a formal background in art because I wasn’t allowed. But always from when I remember, I always was drawing, painting, creating with my hands. And I always remember this great pleasure of creating that has almost this power, this magic that you can transform raw materials and something beautiful comes out. Beautiful that you enjoy. Right. Because most of the time is in the process, the pleasure that the artist, the maker feels. So of course, I started on the embroidery when I was eight because I asked my mom to show me. And I remember my mom showed me how to do cross stitch.

[00:13:56.400] – Mara Girone

That is a form of an embroidery. And I hated it, really. I didn’t like it at all. I said, look, I want to be free. I want to draw something and do an embroidery. And my mom said, no, it’s not possible. You know, you have to start with cross teaching and then you evolve, but you never be so free to follow a pattern with the experience. I could see the difference there between the impulse to create and the craft in itself. That is simply the execution. So I wanted to be free to dream and feel all my imagination translating to something tangible. Anyway, of course, I did it as a hobby. I did the crochet, three coat, everything, right. But again, it was always a bit a place where I went to feel better, create. And then, of course, during the period of the teenage period, it wasn’t really my thing. I was interested in other things more mundane, like going out and having fun. So I went back to embroidery specifically, again, as a coincidence, I traveled a lot, quite a lot. I lived in different countries. And in one of these moves, my first child was five, I had my second.

[00:15:44.770] – Mara Girone

And we moved from Portugal to Greece. And I felt totally exhausted and lost. I mean, I felt I didn’t have an identity anymore because I was the mum of the wife of the daughter of. And I was really not in a happy place. Also, because I didn’t have family around. My husband was working crazy hours. And I remember I had this session with the coach. And at the time was a bit at the beginning, at least here in Europe, in US and Canada, it’s a bit more widespread. But it was the beginning of the coaching. And I had this session, just one session. And she suggested to go back and do something that I enjoyed doing, especially with my hands, if possible, because it was a way to disconnect my head. And I did. And I had material. Of course, I always add material for crafts and I add material for embroidery. And I started making something from the school for my daughter. And then bit by bit, I found myself into making it. I mean, the classic story is true now that people, your friends like it. And then you start creating Christmas presents and then you start a business, right?

[00:17:28.300] – Mara Girone

Although I started a business when we moved to London because in Greece was difficult. I mean, the bureaucracy increases terrible. So I had to wait a bit before having formally a business.

[00:17:47.470] – Diane Foy

I’m so curious because I haven’t traveled a lot in Europe. And so if you want to put in some travel stories of the countries go forfeit. I’d love to hear about what it was like to live in Portugal, live in Greece, live in Italy and now UK.

[00:18:08.720] – Mara Girone

Yes, well, I loved it. The expat life is amazing. Of course there are positive and negatives, but generally I can say it has been ten years of my life, the most amazing years because full of adventures. And I moved to England many years ago just because I wanted just to improve my English and then go back to Italy. Of course, I never went back to live in Italy. I then met my now husband and he had an offer to work in Mexico, in Mexico City.

[00:18:59.190]

Okay.

[00:18:59.620] – Mara Girone

So at that point I applied to do a PhD in London and I was working with two universities because I could have a grant from one of the two. So I had to decide, do I follow this man who I hardly know on the other side of the world, telling my parents, who are traditionalists and absolutely you cannot mention that you go and live with this man or I follow my dream of the PhD. And of course I followed him. So we went to Mexico and it was an amazing experience. I remember before we left for us, we never went to Mexico before. So for us it could be real. The Mexican with the sombrero under the Cactus, the stereotype could have been reality. So we were very curious, of course. And Mexico was amazing. People are great and there’s so much culture everywhere. Everywhere you look, there’s architecture and literature and the same language is so rich, so different also from the classic Spanish. And it was magic really. And when I was there, I started working in a publishing house and then I founded my own publishing house. So I always will collect my first baby.

[00:20:48.490] – Mara Girone

Of course it was one of my dreams because when I was in Italy, in this traditional family, I had many dreams that they were really dreams, those magic things that happened to other people. But then when I left Italy, I started making them real.

[00:21:11.290] – Diane Foy

This was one of those what kind of publishing house?

[00:21:15.790] – Mara Girone

We published monthly magazines of architecture. So I was with two partners, two Mexican amazing ladies. And yeah, we started this adventure and it was so funny. We managed to meet some of the most famous architects in the world, not in Mexico. And we also had the glamorous life all invited to the event. They like the pink publishing house. We didn’t like it.

[00:21:58.640] – Diane Foy

Especially just because you’re women.

[00:22:00.940] – Mara Girone

Yeah, because we were three women and the field is full of men in Mexico. So we were a bit exception, but nonetheless and then I had my first baby there. In fact, her name is Maya to honor the Mayans. And then we had to move because we started moving with the job of my husband. Let’s say that was a bit the reason, I mean, not the only reason we kept moving. So from there, we went down to Portugal. The funny thing is I always like to be in a place and become a person of the place. And as an expert, you have, like, some timings. So let’s say the first three months are the moment where you feel overwhelmed, sad. Everything doesn’t work the way you want, and maybe you didn’t do the right choice. And then it’s all enjoying and blending in, because I always of course, I studied languages and literature at University, so I knew already Spanish. But then I started speaking for me. Being in Mexico, many people thought that I was originally from there, so it was my place. I felt a tumor almost from the beginning. But by the time you feel part of the place, you have to live.

[00:23:58.500] – Mara Girone

And that wasn’t really nice. It broke my heart. And of course, there was my business. And coming back to Europe, everything was much more difficult because with the distance and the time difference, I started working like 14 hours a day, and it was far too much with a small baby as well. Oh, my goodness. I remember to have these meetings at midnight while my baby finally was sleeping. And I knew that she was going to be awake in like an hour and a half, so I had to hurry. But again, we went through the same stages, right of the expat life. Again, we were sad for Mexico, but we started to blend in. And then also Lisbon became home, basically, right. And Lisbon is magic as well, because it’s like a Museum. Everywhere you look, you could draw those buildings and you really feel it. And it’s so peculiar. It’s all very steep Hills and very narrow streets, cobbled streets and colors, and the Leisures, the tiles typical from Portugal everywhere. For me, it was a pleasure to look around. It was a source of inspiration, a custom source of inspiration. And after a while, I had to close down the publishing house because with the distance wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t easy for me to go there as often as I needed to because I had a baby anyway.

[00:26:04.540] – Mara Girone

And in fact, I went when she was a year and a half. And it was the longest week of my life, really, it wasn’t easy. I was so happy to be there finally again. But to know my baby at home, it was a very hard time, so we had to decide to let it go. And then I started taking all the courses I never had time to take, right? I mean, when you say, okay, one day I will do that, one day I will do that. And normally you think of the period when you retire, but in that moment, I said, do you know what? My daughter started school. Fortunately, this big dream was closed. The publishing house said, okay, I have to nurture my soul. So I started taking courses of sewing, millinery, drawing, painting, everything really. And of course I really enjoyed it.

[00:27:12.110] – Diane Foy

Really when I discovered online courses, when I discovered the world of online courses, I was like obsessive taking courses in anything and everything I was ever interested in.

[00:27:24.440] – Mara Girone

Yes. Look, I think I gave them so much money, they are all worth it. But of course, at the time it wasn’t so common to take courses online, but they take a lot of time. Of course it was enjoyable. But again, and also I had always at the back of my mind. But do you really want to do just that? Because I had my business, I had my publishing house. I knew that I wanted something else, but the setting didn’t help, to be honest, of course, with young babies is never easy, especially if you want to be an entrepreneur.

[00:28:16.950] – Diane Foy

Yeah. And of all the different courses you took and all the things you were learning, how did you figure out the direction you wanted to go in?

[00:28:29.770] – Mara Girone

Because I told you. Because I always liked making. I always was curious about, I don’t know, techniques, visual arts, all the different kinds of visual arts. I started trying. So basically I chose the school I really liked and the courses available I took. And some I liked more than others, but I wanted to put my hands on everything the way you did it with your line. One. It was interesting because as I said, I wasn’t ever allowed to have a formal education in art. So it was a bit like filling a gap for me. Of course, I didn’t consider myself an artist for a long time and I wasn’t an artist then, but maybe I’m not an artist today, but what I mean is, for me it was just making. But then I entered so much in it and I found my happy place. It was exactly what I wanted to do all the way till that. And it was a bit of a shame probably that I didn’t do it in the past, but at the same time I had the opportunity, my life would have been completely different. So I always like to think that I was at the right place in the right moment.

[00:30:14.480] – Mara Girone

And it was meant to be like that because without the master degree that I took, probably I would have never thought of moving to London and then starting traveling. So it went very well. Yeah, that’s cool.

[00:30:32.870] – Diane Foy

And how long did you live in each country?

[00:30:36.290] – Mara Girone

On average it was three years and a half. Then after Portugal, we moved to Greece. That was amazing. The feeling was to be on holiday every day because we lived like 10 km from Athens, so we were on the coast. Our house was a Villa with swimming pool, walking distance from the sea. And the weather in Greece is amazing, really. I mean, it’s winter, maybe two months a year at the rest. Actually, there was a Lake near where we lived that had the constant temperature of 23 degrees all year round. So really you could go in always, right? I didn’t, because for me the temperature is more caravan. It was beautiful as well. Of course, another great experience. And when you, of course, you become part of the place, but also you meet the expat community that becomes a bit family in each country. Yeah. Because you share the same happy and sad moments, not the good and the bad. So we have friends for life, of course, not only in the expat community, but in each country, of course, you create your little cell anyway because you don’t carry your family. You create a new family when you move.

[00:32:31.030] – Mara Girone

And then, as I said, in Greece, it was this identity crisis that pushed me towards finally taking action.

[00:32:42.790] – Diane Foy

Was it something about the culture in Greece or was it just your time?

[00:32:48.980] – Mara Girone

No, it was just me, actually, because I come from the south of Italy. I’m very similar to Greek people, so I didn’t have a big shock. And along the way, my husband, who is British, changed completely. He became more Southern Italian than me.

[00:33:11.230] – Diane Foy

It was nice to see we all want the life that we didn’t have.

[00:33:18.290] – Mara Girone

But of course, traveling and meeting people changes your mindset, your approach completely. And I think it’s a big gift that we can give ourselves to travel in no places, but also people. Because the more stories, you know my interest in storytelling and the more people you know, the more stories you listen to. A new world opens up for you because you see how much it’s possible, how much is connected. Things that you never thought possible are possible for other people. And it’s so inspirational to listen. Yeah, I always, I always met a lot of people, for whatever reason. And I also have naturally, people talk to me. Actually, I had some experiences where people open up to me a bit too much in embarrassing way, but fine. I really love that they feel comfortable. So I’m like a sponge. I’m taking leads. It’s lovely. And of course, when you start seeing all the possibilities out there, you realize that they told you when you were young. In my case, you don’t have a clear idea. You don’t know what you want to be as a grown up is a reality gift because you are multipassionate. Because when they asked me what you want to be as a grown up, for me, it never was.

[00:35:19.660] – Mara Girone

I want to be a teacher or a doctor. Never. For me it was I want to write, but I want to travel, I want to meet people, and I want to be an artist. Now, these three, four things don’t seem possible too much together. While of course, I found a way because it’s magically possible for everyone of course.

[00:35:46.940] – Diane Foy

Yeah.

[00:35:48.050] – Mara Girone

And I have to say again, because I met so many people and you can see all these different passions, and you see that it’s possible. You wonder, why could it be possible for me as well? And you feel so free because what it was something that you yourself for becomes your better asset, actually, to have all these interests and having the curiosity as well to jump into something new. Yeah.

[00:36:36.360] – Diane Foy

That’s what I’m always thinking about. That’s why I’m really embracing the multipassionate thing, because I think it’s a superpower if you throw something at us. We’re so used to picking up new things that we could pick up things really fast because it’s like, okay, let’s do it. I’ll figure it out. And that’s the thing. We’re resourceful. We can figure it out, give us a problem. We’ll figure it out.

[00:37:06.690] – Mara Girone

Exactly.

[00:37:08.570] – Diane Foy

Yeah.

[00:37:11.970] – Mara Girone

This flexibility to try new things is amazing. That’s why I feel completely different from the person I was when I was in Italy. Look, I left Italy when I was 30, so I was already an adult. But until then, it seemed not possible while you look around. And it is, as you said, so easy. I mean, what do you want to do? Okay. Try it on. You can do it. If you really put your heart into that, you get there.

[00:37:56.290] – Diane Foy

I need a late bloomer, too. I think I held myself back so much because of that. It’s ingrained in me that you need a steady job and steady income. Like, you don’t take risks. Risk is not a thing. So I would always have some kind of job and then do my creative stuff on the side. And so it wasn’t until later on that I took that risk to not have that secure job. And I had to just figure it out how to run a business. And it’s kind of freeing now as you get comfortable taking risks and living the non traditional life, it gets easier as you go. And so, like how I was saying, throw something at us, we’ll figure it out.

[00:38:57.950] – Mara Girone

Yeah. Actually, you feel even more motivated to try new things because you know that you can. Exactly. For me, it was all the time you need to find the real job, the real job. Because to start with and then the job, the one with one word, not that many. Yeah.

[00:39:23.050] – Diane Foy

Even in my entrepreneur journey, there would be times where maybe it was a moral, a struggling time and be like, I think I have to give up and go get a real job. And there was times where I really put in the effort to try and get a real job, but it just didn’t work because I don’t think I could fit in now. I’ve had the freedom. And I think that’s where I guess I realized trying to get these jobs that I’m like, I really don’t want them anyways. I really don’t want a boss. I’ve been on my own for so long, it would be hard to all of a sudden have to show up somewhere at a certain time.

[00:40:10.050] – Mara Girone

Yeah, totally. Or listen and execute something that someone else tells you what.

[00:40:16.190] – Diane Foy

Yeah. And I always need to know why. So if I don’t really agree with why we’re doing this, then I can’t.

[00:40:25.350] – Mara Girone

Yeah.

[00:40:25.700] – Diane Foy

I don’t play well with others, but now it’s like, okay, well, I got to make this life work because this is my life. Let’s do it.

[00:40:36.810] – Mara Girone

Yeah. But you start enjoying it. Of course, it’s not all happiness and flowers anyway, to be an entrepreneur, of course, there are ups and downs. One of the things that for me was very difficult to accept was delegating.

[00:40:56.130] – Diane Foy

Right.

[00:40:57.210] – Mara Girone

One of the worst things I was able to do delegating. But for me also my private life, because I’m a perfectionist, unfortunately, on the path to recovery, but still there and for me not to supervise because at the beginning I started, okay, I delegate and then I have to check. So I did the job twice, basically, but to let go and trust other people, it’s a big change because it’s the only way to grow, because the day is made of 24 hours for everyone and we have to sleep in this 24 hours as well at some point. So we need that and we need to I’m not there yet.

[00:41:46.740] – Diane Foy

I haven’t really done that. I kind of outsource the little things here and there. But yeah, I got to get better at that and figuring out how to I think I’ve learned from mistakes and from others that you really have to have a system if you’re going to hire someone else so that you’re not assuming they know what you want. And then when they finish.

[00:42:12.160] – Mara Girone

Because when you want what I want, but they never know. But not because it’s that full. Exactly.

[00:42:17.050] – Diane Foy

Because they didn’t get the right instructions.

[00:42:19.420] – Mara Girone

Exactly. The second you decide to delegate, you’ve become so detailed and I mean, everything has to be covered before you delegate.

[00:42:32.510] – Diane Foy

But then sometimes I feel like, well, then I could have just done the job myself in that time.

[00:42:36.940] – Mara Girone

Yeah, that’s true. That’s true as well. So you cannot delegate everything because it fits really something quicker for you to do. But for example, if you are a multi fashionist person, and for example, in my case, I have the business, the fashion brands, but then I started having the podcast as well. I mean, I’m one person really. I cannot make everything because we know that behind the scenes, apart the product of the service that we offer, there’s another word to look after. So we cannot do it on our own. There’s no way. So bit by bit what you delegate, you make space for growth. You have to see it in this way, but it will never get easy, unfortunately.

[00:43:28.050] – Diane Foy

Yeah, we need it because we want to do way too many things for one person.

[00:43:33.090] – Mara Girone

Exactly.

[00:43:34.290] – Diane Foy

Cool.

[00:43:35.320] – Mara Girone

Totally.

[00:43:37.050] – Diane Foy

So tell me about your podcast.

[00:43:39.870] – Mara Girone

Yes. My podcast was born in 20. It’s called Empowering Voices. And let’s say the aim is similar to my fashion brand. That is the one of empowering support and inspire women. But the tools I use are different, and it’s through storytelling. So my guests are entrepreneurs, women, and they tell us their story because I’m convinced that if you listen to a story and you see yourself in that story, you can say, oh, really, it happens to her as well. You grew in that moment. There was a moment of growth for you because you came out of your shell and you are ready for the world. So the power of storytelling is huge. And for not only stories of of success, of course, because my guests come and tell us learning story of learnings. I don’t like to talk about failure because I don’t think we ever have a failure in the good or the bad. You’re learning a big lesson. So we had very intimate conversations that helped a lot other women out there, because sometimes when we feel the weird one, it’s happening only to me. You don’t share it. You don’t come out of that shell and you cannot grow because you cannot open up.

[00:45:34.270] – Diane Foy

If no one hears about the struggles, you just think, well, why are they so successful? Because they’re only showing you the success.

[00:45:41.960] – Mara Girone

Yeah. But it’s so difficult to believe in this so simple reality. I mean, we know it’s a cognitive level. We know that social media are fake. It can be fake, at least. But when we look at those pictures, we always believe at what the I see. Why is that? So that’s why it’s so important that someone comes and tells you the real story behind the scenes.

[00:46:10.730] – Diane Foy

Yeah.

[00:46:12.170] – Mara Girone

And it’s never too much to listen to it. Yeah. So my podcast goes live once a week every Friday, and I invite everyone to listen to it, and hopefully we will love you as a guest as well.

[00:46:29.710] – Diane Foy

Yes, I’m looking forward to that. And sharing my story, all the many ups and downs and puts and turns.

[00:46:39.270] – Mara Girone

Yeah. We all do.

[00:46:40.600] – Diane Foy

It all got to where I am now.

[00:46:43.240] – Mara Girone

Yeah, exactly. And it’s always something we need to be proud of because we got where we are. Yeah.

[00:46:50.390] – Diane Foy

I’m like you. I don’t look back a lot. I don’t look at failures or maybe some areas I could have moved on faster than I did. But, hey, I’m drawing on all of that now with what I do.

[00:47:08.750] – Mara Girone

Yes. We built a very strong foundation. Yes.

[00:47:14.890] – Diane Foy

And you mentioned you also write. What type of writing do you do?

[00:47:18.610] – Mara Girone

Yes. Well, because I wanted to be a writer, but when I was very young, I wanted to be a writer level of Stephen King novels.

[00:47:31.710] – Diane Foy

Fiction writing.

[00:47:32.920] – Mara Girone

Yeah, fiction. Well, I write articles for online magazines, mainly. But I have a book in the making. Of course, as a multi person, I try to put my hands in that as well. Yeah. And it’s a collection of short stories, fiction anyway, so hopefully I won’t procrastinate a lot because I mean, procrastination is another problem and normally comes from fear. Of course, there’s a misintposter syndrome visiting from time to time.

[00:48:19.390] – Diane Foy

That’s why I love coaching multi passionate, because it’s not even procrastination. Sometimes it is procrastination because of fear. But sometimes it’s just when you’re multi passionate, you have so many things that you want to do. And if you don’t have a structure or strategy.

[00:48:35.450] – Mara Girone

Yes, we will go.

[00:48:42.070] – Diane Foy

Yeah. I think I floated for a lot of years just going with the flow of whatever I wanted to do and then didn’t really get anywhere with any invoice. That’s why I love to coach other artists now and help them figure out what they can focus on to get done. We sometimes don’t complete our projects when we just kind of float.

[00:49:08.170] – Mara Girone

Yeah, exactly. But we need the plan. The other day someone was talking about can a creative be guided by plans? You need to. Exactly. Because you are a creative. Because exactly. The creative says, okay, today I want to start watercolor. It’s the love of my life. I will do illustration for books. So you start after four weeks say, yeah, but probably now I should improve the drawing part of that. So let’s start that. What about Brighton as well? So it can go on forever, right? Yeah. So you definitely need a couple of stones to keep you grounded. And then, of course, give yourself the time and the luxury as well sometimes to create independently.

[00:50:05.580] – Diane Foy

What helped me was I didn’t like being told to not do some stuff or you can’t do that. You have to pick one thing and stick with it. That’s bad advice that everyone.

[00:50:19.230] – Mara Girone

Say, no.

[00:50:21.270] – Diane Foy

But what helped was someone said you can do everything you want to do, but just not all at once. You can pick your couple focuses or also just like pick one or two things, get that going, get that making money. Because currently that’s important.

[00:50:45.200] – Mara Girone

All right. Because otherwise we are so good at using everything as a hobby, like my husband says. I mean, if you don’t make money, it’s not called job, it’s called hobby. We could be very good at that.

[00:50:59.750] – Diane Foy

We could be professional hobby. Hobbyists.

[00:51:03.170] – Mara Girone

No one will pay us to make money taking courses. I would be the rich. Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

[00:51:13.950] – Diane Foy

So like, some of my interests are just on hold for now.

[00:51:1.820] – Mara Girone

Yeah. And it’s good like that to create more adrenaline and suspense for women. Although I have to say I also tend for a long time I didn’t give myself space to create because it’s something that I enjoy a lot. I always said, okay, I can do it later because any moment is the right one. Now I have to do administrative things or I have to edit this and that. I had to write the post for social media. So the creative part, literally the part of the sketches and the moment where your imagination gets translated was always in the last place, right. Of course, because it becomes a cycle. The more you produce, the more you enjoy it, the more you grow in that field. So I try to keep it pay every day, even if it’s half an hour. But I need to do it. I have to put pen on paper to write or to draw every day or to create the embroidery, because for a long time I was alone making them. And it’s so time consuming that becomes impossible to deliver otherwise. But it’s important for artists, for creative in general, to give the luxury of that space and time.

[00:52:59.620] – Mara Girone

That is never the perfect one. Right. Because you wait for the children to be in bed, the husband being happy and the telephone not to ring, you would never do it, right? Yeah. You have to force it.

[00:53:13.590] – Diane Foy

And the creative stuff, it’s why we’re doing all this in the first place.

[00:53:17.390] – Mara Girone

Exactly correct.

[00:53:19.480] – Diane Foy

It makes the admin worth it.

[00:53:22.040] – Mara Girone

Yeah, exactly. Because you realize how much time you put into things that you don’t like, you don’t especially like, because you end up liking them as well, because they are part of your business anyway. But you give almost nothing to the most important part. And it’s not true. That has to be like that, because we have the mindset that creating is easy. So you can do it in a very short time. And not always like the writers. I mean, they give themselves every morning at this time. You have to write this one with your words. At the beginning. When I heard that, I said, oh, really? So Where’s the inspiration? It comes because it becomes a routine and the inspiration builds up because otherwise the inspiration that you have in the shower doesn’t count. You never have a piece of paper next to you in the shower, so you need to be at your desk. Yeah. Wow.

[00:54:30.280] – Diane Foy

That’s amazing. I love hearing all your stories and creativity and your travels. And this is a wonderful conversation. Why do you do what you do? What’s your why?

[00:54:46.810] – Mara Girone

Because I really believe I want to deliver a message to other creatives, to women, specifically, that everything is possible. I had dreams and I thought I could never make them true if I did. And if I did, everyone counts, right?

[00:55:10.230] – Diane Foy

That’s wonderful. And so how can people find you online?

[00:55:16.130] – Mara Girone

Yeah. Well, on my website, that is my name, Maradurone.com. And there’s all the information, also information about the podcast, Shop Everything, and, of course, Instagram and Facebook again, Marajirone.

[00:55:35.150] – Diane Foy

Okay, wonderful. Thank you so much for joining me. It was wonderful.

[00:55:39.250] – Mara Girone

Thanks a lot for having me. Thank you very much.