Interview with Maria Finkelmeier
One of the most important pieces in the puzzle of artistic creation is that of perspective (and there are many of them); whether from a seat in the concert hall, a stroll through a sculpture garden, or the personal realm of the artist’s lived experiences, these and countless other vantage points provide not only valuable spaces for human reflection but also a glimpse, however long, into the artist’s created world.
My name is Denver Nuckolls, and I am thrilled to have recently spoken with Maria Finkelmeier, creative catalyst and founder of MF Dynamics, in the first of four conversations that we hope will assist audiences and aspiring artists in demystifying the thoughts, processes, and goals of a professional in the field. In this interview, Maria and I approached the topics of her background, how she arrived at her current practice, and tips she has for artists just beginning their creative career. These subjects seemed appropriate to start the series, and it proved a perfect opportunity to garner some wisdom for myself as well.
To set the tone of the discussion and further understand Maria’s formative experience, I began with the question of her musical and visual arts backgrounds. She responded with descriptions of her high school and collegiate studies in music, detailing both as rigorous and focused primarily on performance. While this guided much of her day-to-day life, she still created opportunities to compose, stating,
“In high school, I wrote for the drumline. You know, little cadences as we marched in the parades” and “for my [collegiate] recitals, I wrote little multi-percussion pieces and arranged a marimba solos into chamber pieces.” However, she modestly mentions that she had not seriously considered herself a composer until within the past eight years.
This provided a natural shift into the topic of post-graduate life, specifically relating to Maria’s gradual shift to viewing composition as a primary focus. She elaborates on her initial interest in composition as rooted in the desire to ‘say’ something more unique to her own life and viewpoint, saying,
“Why should I do the same thing other people have done? I’ve had that mentality my whole life; ‘Someone else has done it, I don’t want to do it!’”
Practicality also played a role, as Maria believed writing and performing one’s own music was logistically simpler for someone fresh out of graduate school. After composing and recording her own music for a few independent releases, she was commissioned in 2017 by the Boston Center for the Arts on a grant given by the Barr Foundation to create an evening-length piece for eight percussionists, four singers, and various Boston-area poets. Citing this as one of her first major professional commissions, Maria admits this project caused her at times to question her ‘worthiness’ of undertaking a project of this scale. However, she took it in stride, creating a successful, communally well-received work with the skills she had until this point been developing. She then gives a helpful tip regarding the work she had done leading up to this project;
“Don’t wait for the perfect moment... There’s not going to be a perfect moment.” I believe this in particular is a valuable lesson for aspiring creatives; hard work will in turn create opportunities, and the same work will provide the ability necessary to capitalize on and expand their artistic vocabularies.
To punctuate our conversation, I inquired about any other pieces of advice or words of wisdom Maria would give her younger self or any creative beginning their professional journey. We touch again on the idea of working consistently no matter the opportunities present [“Get your ducks in a row!”], as well as the idea that, “...no idea is too precious.” She explains this in two ways, the first being that regardless of any idea or concept an artist might find themselves presented with, they should communicate this interest to others in their creative circles. Expressing one’s curiosities can often result in receiving support from others that value one’s goals as well as causing the idea to shift from a place of aspiration to a place of active attainment and artistic betterment [in addition to a host of other positive outcomes]. This concept also supports that no embarrassment or shame should be felt for one’s vision and goals, which, in my eyes, is especially noteworthy for artists who are not yet sure if they are “...allowed to do something.” The second way she approaches this sentiment is from the view of fear that an idea will be stolen. She supports the communication regardless, saying that if an idea is “stolen” it will cease to be the original idea due to everyone’s innate individuality.
While I could bombard Maria with questions for much longer than we have time allotted, this seemed a perfect place to end our conversation for the time being. This series will continue with the second interview soon, in which we will discuss Maria’s past and present influences, sources of inspiration, and general creative process. Though this left me with much to think about, I would like to leave you with something Maria said that stuck with me;
“The world’s big enough for all ideas and creative practices.”
by Denver Nuckolls
