E338 Maria Kova

Hello. My name is Aziz and I'm the son of a divorced mother. She's really my superhero. That's why it's important for me to support women to share their uniqueness, their personalities, perspectives and emotions about life. Too many women in this world feel alone. They worry about the judgment of others and they struggle with their mental health. But when they listen to the Rare Girls podcast where empowered women share their voices and tell their stories, many women will feel inspired to live a life of freedom and to overcome all insecurities. They will feel it is a safe space to find their confidence to remember their unique beauty and to feel their self-worth, and they will connect with the sisterhood of rare girls who encourage their success and support their dreams. That's what this podcast is all about. My guest today is Maria Kova. Maria is a full-time artist living in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. She grew up in Russia and at age 24, moved to Southeast Asia, mostly Bali, in search of her own new identity and exciting future. Never looked back since then, traveled around the world and for the past six years living and thriving in Dubai. Maria always thought of herself as an artist and she loved painting since as far as she could remember but she didn't pursue an art career until five years back. Painting remained her hobby for decades. Reason for it is quite common and trivial especially for a girl from a small Russian town. People said you can never make it living off art. Artists always starve they say. Just marry a good man and live a Marija always wanted to be independent and to live a full life, so the more she grew up in age and in self-awareness, she understood that nothing matters more than being yourself. And if you put your mind to something that is truly important to you, you will succeed. Marija, how are you today? Hi, Aziz. I feel happy, honored, and very lucky to have you here. Super excited to know much more. And I'll begin with this nice first question, which is if your friends could describe your personality, what would they say about you? Hmm, I think they'd say dedicated, passionate and responsible. I don't like the word, but people often give it to me. I don't like that word either, because sometimes people say it so that you do what they want. right? So they tell, oh, be responsible. And then it's funny because me as well, I had in my part of my life story that I after graduating university, I had a corporate job, I hated that I did not resonate with the people. I loved freedom and doing things that really enrich the soul where they said, let's work, work, work until we're 65. And then we enjoy life then and I'm like, what if you die tomorrow? What if you die at 59? And they're like, no, no, no, that's what I'm supposed to do. And I left everything and I went to Asia, but also to the Philippines in order to rethink everything in my life. So it was a great, great thing. And for you even more, because I want to ask about passion, about your creativity, about everything that you described, but tell me about that moment five years ago, where you took the jump to begin your art career. How did it come to be? What were you thinking at the time? Did you hesitate in a way about something? And what made you pursue something that, according to your upbringing, will be risky, but your heart loved it? It's risky. Our career is a risky one all over the world, not only according to my upbringing. I think I need to give a credit to Dubai. This place was a new start for me, and I've done several new starts, new beginnings in my life. And I came here clean slate. I don't know. I didn't know exactly what I'm going to be doing. And, you know, this vibe of the city, the people around me are all striving for something. There are no the multinational multicultural, and everybody from somewhere else. And they here for a reason, for a purpose, for a goal, for so many things, and you can see it in people. So it's the city itself and the people in it, foreigners mostly, expatriates. It's a big deal to move to a foreign country with nobody, no family, no support, and just start a new life and make something out of yourself, you know, it's a big deal. So all that energy, I think just, I just absorbed it. And then I'm like, hell, and I, but then I turned 30 and I'm like, okay, you know, where do I want to put the new beginning to, you know, what, what is the ultimate reason I'm doing all this, you know, waking up in the morning, making money. What is it for? You know, like for the sake of money, that's not good enough. So it's yeah, the need and higher purpose, I believe, and the amazing energy of Dubai. It's, it's insane here. This is a dream fest over I love it as well, I can relate a lot because I reinvented myself multiple times because I always have this regret minimization strategy where I say, I will do things. I never regret failing, but I regret always not trying and therefore it always puts you where you think, well, this life that I created, the old me created, I am a new person now, I should create that new vision and new goal. and I always did it also multiple times. And I believe more people should do it. I will ask you about that, but I also relate to the energy you're speaking about in Dubai since I was small. I never felt I belonged around and I thought there is a place in this world that I should go to, to find my people. I lived in Brazil, I lived in Barcelona, I lived in Eastern Europe, I lived in Asia and all that. And I was looking every time it was like almost perfect, but not really. And then I thought it's actually about the people. If you create your own small universe of the right people that are not toxic, that are on the same high vibe, anywhere you are, it's your country, and therefore you feel home. It's not a specific place in this world. And I believe Dubai, because you can find the best and the worst people in the world, but that's great as well, because that allows you to be able to open things up. And to ask you more about this, You said you turned 30 and that made you rethink. Are you making money just for the sake of money, etc? Do you believe that's the only way that a lot of women are sacrificing their life for? Expectations of other people or to do things that society tells them is the right thing to do Is it only where when they reach rock bottom that they can change or what is their advice to them? how can they do things in a way where they can reinvent themselves to truly live their life rather than stay in the comfort zone of what used to work because you know some women could be like they hate their job but maybe they are 24 so they should they wait six years in hell before they begin changing or how does it go well that's a long question i'll start with the far as I remember, I never wanted to live a conventional life. The life that is prepared for me, handed to me. Imagine being a teenager and seeing your life all the way through, already the way everybody lives. And that's no excitement. I needed to explore and see what are the other ways of living and definitely to find your own way. Everybody has their own way. there's no one right way. And I'm not gonna be preaching my way is the right way. You need to just explore and try and see what feels right to you personally. And regarding staying in a comfort zone or being afraid to take a leap, you know, it is scary, absolutely. But if you prepare, it's not that scary, you know? Same, so many artists reach out to me asking how do they want to quit their job and they want to start their own small business or art career and should they quit, should they not? Like I, for example, I was still working in an office job and non-stop creating and already selling and full on, you know, on the market sort of. And after, so you need to, for years, you need to be preparing yourself for the move, you know, don't definitely try a lot of different things, but come prepared. And yeah, the comfortable conventional way is not that comfortable. And so many women unhappy in the positions of the same thing what their grandmothers did and their mothers did, but time changed, we changed. It's normal to go on your own path and not follow what your mothers did and find your own voice, your own way and your own path. Yeah, I agree. The world has changed a lot. I noticed that when you said as a teenager, if you looked at your life and you thought it's already trace, there is no excitement. You love exploring. You're an artist and you said that people describe you your friends as passionate. Tell me a bit more about that. Does it mean that you get bored easily and therefore you constantly need new emotions, new experiences? Or is it more related to your creativity? If there is nothing new, then how can you have the spark of creativity? Or how can that tell more about who you are as a woman? That's funny, you asked. I was bored every time I get somewhat comfortable in whatever I'm doing. And as I told you before that I've tried so many different jobs before and I traveled around and the maximum time spent on any job was six to eight months. As soon as I'm comfortable, I know how it works. I'm not excellent at it, but I know how it works. I'm sufficient. It was just not my thing. So I was looking, looking, what do I do with my life? What really interests me? And so all those jobs lasted six months. That's it. Switch, change the move to another city or just change your profession or a company. But once I started painting as full-time endeavor, not just a hobby, that's never boring. I absolutely, 100%, I'm sure that until the rest of my days, this is never boring. This is just not the nature of being creative. The challenges, the ways you can explore different mediums, different, like so many topics you can dive in, explore, and so many things you can do in fine art, never boring. It's challenging every day. it's expanding me every day. That's why I love it so much. Every day challenges me. That's so, yeah. So I just pursue it until I die, you know. It's not, there's no even, there's no even, yeah, I made it, you know. That's, no artist ever said that because there's always more to explore, always. Tell me more about that. You spoke about exploration, how it expands you, how you are challenged by the art. Do you mean it in a way that you're discovering new things about yourself and your new emotions, and that's what you mean? Does it mean that your technique is growing, you're trying new styles, new things, and that's how it challenges you? Is it that you are creating new emotions from different experiences that are different each time therefore what you express you feel differently. How can you explain that to someone who's not you so that they can get your experience of being challenged expanded and exploring through art? Well first of all fine art is a very difficult discipline to get hold on to. So you technically you're as well improving and reaching. There is no ultimate, I'm a pro. You just keep learning, especially with a variety of different materials, surfaces. You can be switching between different mediums, paints. Today I paint abstract, tomorrow I can do something surrealistic, one with acrylic, another paint, another oil paint, another day I'm with spray paint, making a huge wall. So it's the different varieties. How can you apply? I understand a lot of people talk about emotions when they talk about art, but it's not all about that at all. It's more of your thoughts. And imagine you've been gathering so much information about the world and about myself, like they combined in one, because the world is in my view, right? And it's not like objective, my view of the world. And you're just expressing your thoughts and points of view. And also, you create collections based on certain topics you want to explore. So it's like you dive in into certain topic and it can take a year to think through, feel it and find a way how to express your thoughts, your feelings, your, you know, what do you want to say towards a certain topic? And the topics are, you know, then there's no limit to those topics of life, right? So it's not just that I'm expressing my emotions, it's the view of the whole world of so many things, it's not just me. I love that. And you mentioned as well that throughout life you have been seeking in order to find yourself now in art. You left Russia to go to Bali, you left Bali to go travel the world, you went to Dubai, you didn't know what you're going to do, you try different jobs for six to eight months until you got bored. Some women don't have the self trust to think they can do that. They think, Oh, if I go to Bali, I don't know anyone. If something happens, my family is too far. I will be in danger or they don't leave a job that they know, because they think what if I can't find another job? What makes you trust yourself so much? Is it some spiritual metaphysical level of trust? Do you have like you believe you're manifesting in good karma that you're protected by the universe? Is it your own self-trust? How does that work? My self-trust and self-respect are based on the things that I say to myself that I'm going to do and I actually do it. That's based on that. And the more you live, the more you practice that assurance that, you know, that you respect yourself that much, that if you put something in your head, you want to do it, you actually do it, you go and do it. You know, the more wishes we keep in our head and never try, the more, how to say, the less confidence we have in ourselves that we that can be done. And yeah, again, come prepared. Try to prepare yourself. That's basic, you know, especially today, the internet has so many things, you know, you can learn about and, and prepare and everything, you know, when I moved, I was 24. And yeah, there was no even like, much connection of global, global net connection at that time, no social media has no anything like that. So, you know, I just go, I just go and see. And in the end, you can always turn back. I don't do not recommend that. But it's just, you can always go back. But if you Sometimes worth trying, you should try. I agree. And so relating that to, let's say there are some girls or women who are listening who want to pursue a career in art, you spoke about how you were working and selling your art, but let's say you were going to start today. What would you recommend would be the right path for them? How should they learn more? How should they go about building their portfolio? So is it, how can they make it and succeed if you were to start the day from scratch? What would you do different or the same? And what would be a path you recommend to other women? That's a huge, huge topic. It is combining two, not opposite, but quite different worlds, business, where you just and learn business. Of course, you can always research specific to art business, but generally speaking, it is business. And you go study that. There's so much information on the internet. And you try to combine. The struggle is real for all of artists. There's a creative world and there's business world and we just need to juggle all these things. There's no like get creative. That's all. There's no one advice. Just take it seriously. It's not a field for people who are not sure because the art world is filled with who will die for their practice, for their, they were daily ripping their hearts apart to make it work. This is not for, I don't know, maybe, you know, either you fool in or try maybe keeping it as a hobby, which is a great thing as well to have, there's nothing wrong with that. not every creative or fun activity has to be a business or a side hustle. We can still keep hobbies in the world. But if you're going to the business side, learn about the business and be prepared to devote full time, especially if you don't have husband to support you financially or family financial support, I had to drop absolutely everybody and everything. That's just the way it is. Thank you. And I agree with that because I reinvented myself twice where I started from scratch and lost everything and started from zero, but actually makes you a lot more interesting and positive as a person because one, you don't depend on outside circumstances because, you know, they can be gone any time. So you can be happy without any of that. And two, it makes you trust yourself because you can think, if I lose everything, it's normal. I can start from scratch. So you love the process a lot more than the results and the outcome. It becomes just a way of life that you're building. And whether life destroys or not, you are the builder forever. And so it's fine. And to ask you even more, because this is an important topic. Nowadays, in the age of social media, there are many teenage girls who also maybe because of the pandemic and social isolation, they had situations where their life became a lot more virtual. They compare themselves to other women who are living luxury lifestyle, apparently women who are photoshopped and face-tuned, and they think they're ugly, they will never be as successful, they think if I work all my life, I will never be in a private that with the Lamborghini waiting for me or whatever it is. So what is your advice to those women so they feel their unique beauty, that each woman is beautiful in her unique special way, doesn't need to compare to anyone. And so that they understand that they're on their path and feel confident to go create their own thing rather than compare themselves to others. What's your perspective on this topic? Again, I think it really based on whether you're following what you say you want to do, no matter what it is, you know, that with time you build with this practicing, baking your own words or your own feelings, acting on it, then you build that respect for yourself. And where respect for yourself, the same place, you will find beauty, that same place, you will find, you know, confidence of standing up, showing up, speaking up, those who didn't grow up in the environment like that. Sometimes it takes time. Read, read a lot. That helps. And yeah, try to, I don't know, try to be speaking up, like don't keep it all in. Beware what you say on social media and online as well these days, but develop respect for yourself. That's where it will come that your confidence will come from. That's all. I don't know what to say. I was young and stupid once. It comes with time. Thank you. Based on our conversation, what I'm noticing about you is that you are in love with learning and growing and developing as a person, whether now recommending to read or before to learn about business or how art is constantly challenging you in many ways. Is this like true? Is it that the way you perceive the world, it's about your own opportunities for self-development and growth and discovering the person that you're becoming more and more each time? Or how does it work for you? Well, source of everything is curiosity. Honestly, that just sparkled absolutely every move in my life. What if? Tell me more about that. No, I wanted to explain it first. So curiosity, because you spoke about being bored, so I can understand that the opposite of curiosity is being bored. What are you curious about? Is it in general, you're like curious because you said what if. You're like, oh, I imagine that scenario how it will be or curious about how is it? I want to understand it because curiosity is psychologically a cure for fear. So if women are afraid to go out of their comfort zone, if they think instead of being brave to become curious, curiosity can move them out of their comfort zone. So how do you explain it? How do you experience it? Tell me more because it's very useful to inspire other women with your own curious attitude. Yes, the curiosity in a way, of course, for everything. Absolutely, there is no topic that is not interesting to me, really. I constantly look up things and I can never leave things, even words that I don't know the meaning. I understood the meaning in the sentence, but I cannot leave it just hanging. You know, I need to know. And act on your curiosities and not just, you know, research it online. That's great. But, you know, go do it, go touch it, go smell it, you know, like those experience and real experiences enrich your life so much. And you feel like that's when you feel like, oh, what else? Because you really felt it. You don't just, you know, saw it on the internet or in books, but you also physically participated in something and physically experienced something. And the sensations that they go through, that they will push you to go and do more, you know, things, try different activities and a lot of like the curious, how is that done? How is that made? Try it yourself. You know, just knowing in theory is not gonna do nothing. Try it. Get your hands dirty, you know, like really physically go in the world and experience it, not just the internet, you know. I love that. I noticed in the way you express yourself, even from the beginning, that you're an embodied, kinesthetic person. I'm surprised you don't do ballet or yoga or are a dancer in that way, but I can understand. Of course I do. Well we should mention it in the, so I imagine that it was art that creates your embodiment that you use your body in art a lot. And that's how you do that because someone who's kinesthetic and the way that when you express yourself and you feel things, you usually kinesthetic people are highly sensitive emotionally. Sometimes they get hurt very easily and therefore they stay in their shell. but you are using it in order to experience more and to live more outside your comfort zone. And to end, I cannot end before asking you about fashion in the sense that I want to know you are someone who's interested in fashion. Why is fashion interesting for you? Is it that you express and feel that women can express their personalities through fashion? Is it that you don't, like you said, you didn't want to have a normal life? You want to look so that you stand out and you don't feel like that you're a normal person? Is it just a new material, a new technique, a new thing to challenge yourself artistically? Or what are the components of something that allow you to be as well as being an artist, someone who sees fashion as part of art? I see fashion as a tool where I can channel my art and have it seen. And fashion is just one of so many other ways and topics that I'm exploring how to get the visuals, the stories out there to reach people. Because it's like one of the outlets, one of the ways how to reach the eyes of people, the hearts of people. Because not so many people casually every weekend walk around galleries or museums. Very few. So we kind of extend to so many different industries. Besides, of course, fashion, especially for women, is one of the ways of expression. self-expression, showing your identity, playing, playfulness, it's amazing. It's just a good combination, fashion and art, they're all kind of from the same world and they can help as well, make each other shine and make women especially who are interested in expressing themselves in that way you know showing up colorful or some expressive I don't know shapes or forms and all that is the same sort of tools that we use in on the painting you know the color the shape, form, and all those things that you can as well use and show up more to the people, you know, to people around. Express yourself is always, you know, use any way possible, any ways out there, music, fashion, whatever, it's all the help to express yourself and show your interest, act on your interest, right, not just see it and like, but actually do something about it and develop your own view, your own image, your own identity for yourself. Because only through play we can find our own path, our own creativity, our own image, you know, how we perceive ourselves by playing. Thank you so much, Maria. It was my privilege and my honor to share your voice, your perspective, to inspire others with your unique view on the world. I wish you all the success, all the expansion, exploration, and ability to challenge yourself in a way where you'll never again ever be bored and keep feeling that energy of Dubai and expressing it in your own creativity. Thank you so much for participating.