"Maria, is a creative and sensitive individual who brings authenticity and genuine interest to her work. Her ability to connect with clients and work collaboratively as a team player is truly valued. Its an absolute pleasure to have Maria collaborating with us. Thank you!"
- Nuno Albuquerque, Portobello Behavioural Health Portugal
This is the space where my work lives
Welcome to Cri(ar), I am Maria. I’ve built a career across writing, creating, teaching, and coaching, and it’s in this space of plurality that I’ve found my work — supporting people through change and growth, while reflecting on my own experience of it.
Services
Through mentoring, coaching, editorial work and teaching workshops, I work with people to create opportunities for creative reflection in which ideas can evolve, perspectives can shift, and simplicity can emerge.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” — Albert Einstein
Creativity can get us out of our own way, and help us to think differently. When you pay attention to it, it’s not just about art. It’s about how we approach problems, manage uncertainty, and open ourselves to new perspectives.
Our current world tends to value efficiency and speed over depth and nuance. While there is a time and place for efficiency, it can also come at a cost. In this way, creativity offers us something more interesting, but requires us to pause, re-evaluate, and reconnect.
Let's work together
Featured projects
Writing Collection
You can currently find my writing collection on Medium. This includes cultural essays, creative non-fiction, and poetic prose.
A-Culturated on Medium
I founded and co-edit A-Culturated on Medium, a publication dedicated to sharing intercultural stories and diverse perspectives.
Substack Newsletter
The Everything Creative’s is a weekly newsletter featuring personal reflections on managing life as a multi-passionate creative who was never made to do just one thing.
The Shop
Templates, journals, prompts, and tools for writers, educators, creatives, and anyone who wants to explore personal growth and self-awareness with more intention.
The Everything Podcast
A podcast for multi-passionate creatives, where Kelly and I explore how different guests navigate many projects and the lessons learned along the way.
Sessions
Through mentoring, coaching, editorial support, and workshops, I support people in moments of change and growth.
Featured projects
The Shop
“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road can take you there.”
— Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Sometimes, the most useful tools aren’t direct answers, but the ones that help you ask better questions and find your own direction.
The shop is a collection of resources I’ve created around growth, culture, and change. They’re templates, planners, journals, workbooks and prompts designed for writers, educators, creatives, and anyone who wants to explore reflection and self-expression with more intention.
Client voices
“Maria is an absolute pleasure to work with. In my years working with her, I always found her to be a very sharp observer. Her extensive education in intercultural communication and her life experience make her the ideal person to elevate any writing related to intercultural interactions. She was a champion of the things that worked in my writing while artfully pointing things I was missing. I enjoy working with her and if you have a chance to work with her, you will, too.”
— Carlos Garbiras, The Story Frame
