E15 Maria Finkelmeier — Turning Mallets into Paintbrushes & Using Tech to Create a Total Artform

"I want to make stories through art music that reflect our current times, using sounds and visuals that connect with how we experience the world today. That means the human and the machine working together." - Maria Finkelmeier

Maria Finkelmeier is a multi-faceted artist, teacher, and entrepreneur. She is a seasoned percussionist and composer, and her work expands into public art and music technology. Maria is also an educator at Berklee College of Music where she teaches classes on creative entrepreneurship and mindset.

Known for her innovative approach to the creative process, she often intersects different disciplines such as motion capture and glitch art in her work. She is respected for transforming public spaces into musical canvases, notably transforming a bridge into a playable instrument in Cincinnati and performing at renowned locations like Fenway Park and the Hatch Bandshell.

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1. Maria teaches creative entrepreneurship at Berklee College of Music, and her courses explore the connection between creativity, entrepreneurship, and the mindset needed to navigate both fields.
2. She visualizes the creative process of building a career as a large arc with smaller project-based arcs within it, emphasizing the non-linear and messy nature of the journey.
3. She encourages a balance between methodical planning and embracing chaos as essential to success in a creative career.
4. Maria believes in letting the creative process be unpredictable and evolving, as opposed to the business process which often sticks to a predictable formula.
5. She notes the importance of networking in creating opportunities, pointing out that personal connections have led to some of her most significant projects.
6. Maria thrives on collaboration and looks for partners who allow her to experiment freely and make mistakes. She also values respectful and supportive interpersonal relationships in the collaborative process.
7. Recently, she has been immersing herself in learning new technologies like motion capture and the Unreal Engine, expanding her creative horizons.
8. One of her key takeaways is the importance of not losing sight of one's skills and achievements in the excitement of learning new things. She would advise her past self to maintain pride in her talents, even when venturing into unknown territories.

Please enjoy!

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