70. From Baseball and Finance To Art: The Anthony Ricciardi Story

Episode 70: Have you ever imagined trading a nine-to-five job for your passion? Our guest for today did just that. Richard Di Biase and David Moskowitz sit down with  Anthony Ricciardi who left a career in finance to becoming a world renowned artist. A former Division 1 baseball player turned finance graduate, Anthony boldly traded his finance career to become a full-time artist. His story is an invitation to anyone who's ever dreamt of pursuing their passion but hesitated due to fear or societal pressure.

This episode uncovers Anthony's fascinating journey - from baseball fields to finance, and finally the world of art. We learn about the challenges he faced in his transition and how he navigated them - the courage he harnessed, the risks he took, and the resilience that kept him going. Anthony's narrative goes beyond the clichéd 'starving artist' trope, shedding light on the entrepreneurial side of pursuing art and illustrating the power of creativity in breaking away from norms.

Towards the end, we hear Anthony reflect on his achievements - the highs, the lows, and everything in between. He shares his plans to open an art gallery, reiterating the significance of following one's heart. But it's not all about chasing dreams; Anthony also underscores the importance of self-care in sustaining an entrepreneurial journey. If you've ever thought about venturing into entrepreneurship or are already on the path, this conversation is packed with insights that will inspire and encourage you to make your dreams a reality. So why wait? Tune in and let Anthony's story inspire you to take a leap of faith towards your passion!

You can find Anthony on Instagram @ricciardipaints

Chapters

• 0:00 Transitioning to Art and Entrepreneurship
• 6:54 Journey to Division One Baseball
• 11:57 Challenges and Resilience in Entrepreneurship
• 16:32 Opportunities and Risk in Entrepreneurship Evolution
• 26:06 Transitioning to Full-Time Artist, Overcoming Challenges
• 35:22 Anthony's Achievements and Future Plans
• 41:55 Appreciation for Wonderful Guests

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:11

And, as we know, when you go all in on something, everyone around you starts believing it. When you're like half ass, you're like I don't know this, eh, eh no. You have to go absolutely all in on your goals for everyone else around you to start believing in that, and that's what happened to me.

Speaker 2: 0:29

Well, welcome everyone to another fine edition of the Making Waves Mindset show.

Speaker 3: 0:33

This is us. This is us. We are in a new environment today. We are. This is different for us, a bit different in person. We've done a couple in persons, but we now have the pleasure of being in the perception studio.

Speaker 2: 0:46

We do, we do and we're very thankful for that. It's an incredible experience so far. Incredible hospitality as well. Yes, the Making Waves Mindset show. For those of you who are new, this is the place where you come to discuss the entrepreneurial spirits, the mindset and the energy of what it's like to leave the nine to five. Maybe you're considering going away from the nine to five and you have questions, and we've been able to share our journey from what Dave and I have done. Things aren't perfect, there's a lot that we have to learn and when you make that transition, there's downhills, so we wanna talk about those on like social media, where it's always you know, here's my Ferrari, right, but this is the place where you can come. So we're very thankful for you to be on the show and to follow our journey along with our amazing guest today.

Speaker 3: 1:30

Yeah, so just to jump in. If you haven't subscribed to our channel, please do so. Hit that subscribe button and follow us along. You can follow us on YouTube or any of the podcast channels and make sure you follow, follow, follow If you are not following the show. Watch an episode. Listen to an episode, share it. If you don't like it, share it anyways, cause there's gonna be some people out there who enjoyed or wanna hear this.

Speaker 3: 1:54

So I'm not gonna take away any of his chime and his charm, but we have Anthony Ricardi in our studio today and we are pleased to have him. I will let him tell his story. I will definitely not do it justice. So thanks for coming, anthony. Thanks for coming, thanks for being here.

Speaker 1: 2:13

I'm extremely grateful to be here. Thank you guys so much. This is awesome and, yeah, this is a beautiful studio, so very grateful that we're here.

Speaker 2: 2:19

But yeah, I'm.

Speaker 1: 2:20

Anthony Ricardi. I'm a I'm a Toronto-born artist, I'm a creative but ultimately, like, I believe in myself as an entrepreneur. You know, growing up no one said become an artist. It was a viable career. So my whole entire life I did many different things to that sort of steered me around and different things that I loved and different things I had passions for. But art never really seemed as a realistic thing. So my passions took me all over. I played division one baseball in the US. I had passion for baseball, so I ended up going to play baseball in the US for Alabama State University and then I studied finance Cause. Again, art wasn't real, so for me it was always just. You know, I had a great family and great, you know guidance throughout my whole entire life. It was like, you know, do the right thing, like do the safe thing. You know, take the proper steps.

Speaker 2: 3:10

Of course, yeah, go to school, get a job. Rinse and repeat, get a job, get a proper proper steps for what?

Speaker 3: 3:16

For security right, and that's what it is.

Speaker 1: 3:18

But what the truth is, it's actually not even security for yourselves, it's actually security. What I've learned now, years later, is that when our loved ones tell us to you know, get that safe job, all they're doing and I don't mean this in a mean way, but all they're doing is telling themselves at night that I gave Anthony the best societal norm advice and they can go to bed happy with that. It didn't mean it was the best for Anthony, because ultimately it wasn't, or it didn't mean it was the best for anyone, right? But when I tell my son or like whatever it may be, hey, do this, cause this is society, this is even this is okay. I'm actually saying that for myself.

Speaker 1: 3:54

It may not be best for the child and I vary, not quickly, but eventually learned this and I was like, well, let me just try. Like what's the worst case scenario? Like why don't I just try? So that was the transition. After like five, six years in finance, just over five years, I was like, well, let me try this thing called art. And I was already doing it every night and weekend and I was finally like you know what, let me make this transition. And here we are today Wow yeah.

Speaker 2: 4:22

It's incredible to have like a paradigm shift like that, where something hits and you're like I'm gonna give that a try. You know, we have many guests who come on the show where, like you say, it's their family upbringing, it's what the family knows, and they want to give you that comforting advice because it worked for them. But you took a bold step and go, I'm gonna try that art thing out, I'm gonna give it a whirl. Yeah, you know.

Speaker 1: 4:43

Yeah, it was, it was, it was. It was actually really difficult to transition because my uncle was an artist. My uncle was my dad's brother, one of my biggest inspirations and but but transparently, like throughout his entire life, he struggled with art. So, like you know that, that old coin term, I'm sure you guys know it as starving artist.

Speaker 2: 5:01

Yes, I say starving dentist. Yes.

Speaker 1: 5:04

They don't even say starving barista, they say starving artist.

Speaker 3: 5:06

Yeah, you're a starving entrepreneur. That's what it should be. It should be, yeah.

Speaker 1: 5:11

So. So there was this coin term. I grew up with it and I saw it firsthand and, unfortunately, when I was in university, my uncle passed us away. When I came home I got all of his old. He was a poet as well. He's an incredible poet and artist. I got all his old poetry, his art and it reinspired me. So it's sort of like looking back on it was was me me becoming an artist. Eventually was sort of him speaking through me, I believe, and it was a way to like let's, let's try this thing and but yeah, that's what. And that was another reason why I didn't seem realistic, because, like I had the. The person I looked to the most, right, you know, outside of my parents, was like, yeah, it's probably not realistic. What was he doing? I mean, he was, he was other than art. Yeah, like I just odd jobs just just job.

Speaker 1: 5:56

Like he was a bartender and like he had a bunch of different things. He was just a great person in society, but he's had a bunch of jobs, like he was a sales rep and like you know.

Speaker 2: 6:03

I feel like that's what most artists do, but he was a creative and an entrepreneur Like he had so many.

Speaker 1: 6:07

He had different patents for projects that he was creating. He created like these systems for, like bartenders and like all this really, really cool stuff. Just never fully got to see it through, but he was like a true and true entrepreneur and a creative. So it was looking back, it was definitely the formative, and so was my dad, like when it was very entrepreneurial, yeah, but they both have sales jobs. They both had like a structure careers, like the root of them was, and I think that I just took it to the next level. Yeah, yeah, fair enough.

Speaker 3: 6:35

I want to jump back to baseball.

Speaker 1: 6:37

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 6:38

How did you so? How did you set yourself up to get into baseball? Was it just something you really enjoyed and you decided to go down that route, or, and then transition from that to finance.

Speaker 1: 6:47

For sure.

Speaker 3: 6:48

Yeah, three different walks of life yeah, Sports, finance and art like very, very separate things.

Speaker 1: 6:54

Baseball I just loved. Growing up I played every sport. Growing up I played soccer, hockey and baseball, all at a decent level. Baseball was just my passion. It wasn't necessarily, like my dad always jokes said, like I was probably better in soccer and hockey. Growing up, and my size isn't the most ideal for baseball, especially in like 10, 15 years ago, there wasn't many smaller guys and I was a pitcher, so definitely on the pitching mound there's not many small pitchers and not that small, but in the baseball world I am Right.

Speaker 3: 7:23

Yeah, pitchers are generally tall. They're big right.

Speaker 1: 7:25

Yeah, you got to get closer to the plate. Your drive, your torque, everything comes from your size. And so, again, growing up, baseball didn't even seem realistic. Yeah Right, it was like I was going to have an uphill battle my whole entire time. But I had this idea where I was like I want to play division one baseball. I was like the highest level underneath the Major Leagues and I was like, how can I get there? No one was recruiting me. I was I'm in Toronto.

Speaker 1: 7:48

I played for some of the top teams in Canada. I was still, you know, a very well you know rounded player in Canada, but no one's coming to recruit me, no one's like calling me hey, like we want this kid. If I wanted to go play down south and I'm here in Toronto, there's a lot of good players in between me and down south or wherever it is I was going to go. So I thought of this idea. I was like let me email and this is like one of the first entrepreneurial, creative things I did. It's like let me email all 306 division one schools. Wow, and see what happens.

Speaker 1: 8:19

So I said I made like this is again, this is over 10 years ago. I was like let me make. No, this is 14 years ago. Let me make my own website. Let me make this email campaign, all this stuff. Like who was even thinking of? I don't even know how I thought of it. Honestly, I don't need looking back. I was like why did I do this? And I sent it out to all 306 schools and, to my surprise, nobody responded zero. Okay, I got a couple of people said, like please take a software mailing list.

Speaker 2: 8:44

No, I was like.

Speaker 1: 8:45

I don't know what to do. So then I said, well, if this is like the first time creativity, like entrepreneurship, really played a role in my life where I was like, well, instead of like just doing this broad thing, like I don't want to go to any school, I'm like I only need one. So I narrowed it down to like 50 schools and I got like extremely granular in the approach and I was like, well, what from these schools do I like? Like if some if a coach did read this, they need to know that I'm like obsessed with this school and I know everything about it. And that's what I did. I narrowed down to 50 in like four or five responded and which was amazing because, again, I only needed one to get that snowball going. And from there I went down to a couple camps and tryouts and stuff like that. And I was in Valdosta, georgia, and a coach walks by and he's like hey, I rec, son, I recognize you from somewhere, son.

Speaker 2: 9:30

I'm like yeah, yeah, with a very southern accent, oh for sure.

Speaker 1: 9:34

And he goes, I'm like I recognize you. And he I go, you're the coach of Alabama State University. I go. I sent you 22 emails over the last six months. He's like, yes, you're very resilient. I'm like, thank you. So, and then two weeks later I was in Montgomery, Alabama, on a baseball scholarship. So then I went down and then I played it in Alabama for about four years and I went back to coach for a semester and then but in baseball is great I ended up. You know, from that I ended up being I was a pitcher of the year, I was an all conference pitcher, I was a starter, so it was a great experience. And then I got a little bit injured. I didn't really have any many opportunities outside of baseball for that and I was finally had a couple of opportunities to play overseas, in Europe and all around, and I had a couple of friends that went to Australia, to Austria, to Italy to play and I was like I have these same opportunities. But I was also like I just graduated degree in finance.

Speaker 3: 10:24

Right.

Speaker 1: 10:24

And that's where that was the second transition and I was like, well, I had I've been with my wife now, but we've been together since high school. Okay, and it was also like you know, I want to get home, I want to, I want to. I've been living in Montgomery, alabama. I want to, I want to get home and potentially start this, this. You know, this life.

Speaker 3: 10:41

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 10:42

And suddenly, that's when I graduated and came home to breathe the only Italian in Montgomery I there was one other. It was a girl who played on the soccer team.

Speaker 3: 10:51

So yeah, she was from Hamilton.

Speaker 1: 10:53

Oh, really, yeah, but yes, there was no many. Yeah, I was the first Canadian baseball player ever to go out on a stage. Wow, which is cool. And there was a couple, a couple golfers, a couple track runners and a couple soccer players. But yeah, I was the first baseball player, which is funny.

Speaker 3: 11:09

What do you think, what do you think was the biggest lesson you learned out of that transition?

Speaker 1: 11:14

Into baseball or out of baseball, into baseball, into baseball. Yeah, it was that. You know, focus, resiliency can get you somewhere. Right, like I had one singular goal, especially when I'm looking back then like how simple life is. Of course, anytime we look back five years, three years, you're like, oh man, time is simpler than, but when you're in it it feels horrible. Right, and like I can just rewind three years from today. Yeah, nevermind 15 years, like three years from today, I'm like, wow, my life was a lot simpler than Right. And then you, when you keep doing that and you actually look back and take those lessons, you're like, wow, like if we just take the lessons that how we got to today, which is being resilient, never giving up trying everything that you physically can and focusing on one thing, we can truly get to anywhere in life.

Speaker 1: 11:54

So that was like the biggest lesson that I learned from that. Like many, many years ago, it was like I had one goal get to school.

Speaker 3: 12:01

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 12:01

Like, just get it. I didn't apply anywhere in Canada. I was like I'm playing division one baseball. It was. It was one singular goal, focused on it and gave myself enough time and enough time is all relative to the human Like that could be one month could mean six months, could mean six years, right, right, and that's that's a big thing for entrepreneurs to understand that, yeah, yeah. Nothing happens right away, as as you guys know.

Speaker 2: 12:19

It's huge and I think it's slow moving and that's one of the biggest, you know, feedback points we hear from the guests is it's very slow moving and you and I have shared the downs and the slowing. It's like right now I'm going through something. It's crazy, should have been open a year ago. I'm not. I'm opening a business in the U S and Florida oh nice, and it's just one thing after the other. But it's that resiliency, it's the, the motivation to push yourself to continue to go, because people would give up. Yes, and I think that's the biggest thing.

Speaker 1: 12:46

Well, people do.

Speaker 2: 12:47

We live in this instant society now. Where it's quick, I want it now. But well, what's your plan? Put it together. Look at the downhill valleys in between, but realize those valleys are actually going up.

Speaker 1: 12:57

Yeah, you know so even even if it's just one half a percent better every day and moving towards your goal. Like people don't understand the ups and downs of entrepreneurship truly, because everything always is good on the outside and even I'm a very, very positive person I genuinely believe everything's always going to work out. And that's against what's the truth, like that's against the reality, but I'm convinced myself, even in the worst times.

Speaker 2: 13:22

What's the life lesson? What are you learning from it?

Speaker 1: 13:24

Exactly Nothing could be working and everything is against you and like you got clients that owe you money, you got this. They don't hear this project is not working through this and you're like wait, how am I going to get through the next month?

Speaker 3: 13:34

Whatever, it may be You're like.

Speaker 1: 13:36

well, no, the vision's bigger than this.

Speaker 3: 13:38

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 13:38

I know it's not right now. This isn't what it's about. It's about two months, two years, six years, like there's. There's got to be a little bit of a vision. That's where and and and people do give up.

Speaker 3: 13:48

Like it's.

Speaker 1: 13:48

It's not easy right.

Speaker 3: 13:50

It's not, for One of the things that I've I've been doing lately is I every time I get frustrated in business, or every time I get frustrated to a point where I'm just like why am I doing this? I try to recalibrate myself, look back to where I was, to where I am, and try to enjoy the moments and realize why did I end up doing this to begin with? Yes, was for my happiness, for my personal happiness. If you don't realize your personal happiness and why you did it, that's when people give up for sure.

Speaker 3: 14:20

That's when people are like you know, fuck this, I'm out of here. Yeah, I'm done. This is too hard.

Speaker 2: 14:24

Yeah, literally a life lesson. I'm reading the book the E myth right now by Michael Gerber and it's one of the very first. Values is, when you're in that moment, do exactly what you did. Yeah, stop pause, reflect on why you're doing what you're doing to get ahead. That's gonna make you the incredible entrepreneur that you aspire to be now.

Speaker 1: 14:39

It's so important. And you know, one of the biggest things that I do is like, if I'm in a situation like that, where I'm I'm uncomfortable, things are going my way. I usually look back six to eight months and I go what was I doing eight months ago? Right, and I can absolutely guarantee it wasn't much Right, it wasn't enough or it wasn't in line with the values and it wasn't in line with the vision that I wanted to where I want to be. That always happens to me. I'm like if stuff's on the on the uptick and I'm like crushing it and running around everything's going work. I look back eight months.

Speaker 1: 15:04

I was like I put in the work then yeah, and if you look at it in these little, these little incremental six to twelve month blocks instead of like a whole lifetime, or if you look at, in just this moment my life's crashing for argument's sake, like you'll never get out of it. But if you actually just look back and be like, oh, the steps that I took back then got me here. Let's just replicate that. Yeah, let's replicate these good, these good actions, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 15:24

I want to dive back to something, so you got my my brain Running around. So in high school I played the saxophone, played the piano, did that for a number of years, and I can't help but think of all the people who are really talented but didn't pursue their artistic ways because of what we were speaking about yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 15:41

Where we're getting to now is like you're now an artist, you're doing what you want to do, but it was the norms of no. No, you got to go to university, have to have your tenth master's degree. You know how many people would you say in your space, maybe in conversations, do you know of, who have never followed through and could have been incredible people there in their industry?

Speaker 1: 16:00

In our anything creative.

Speaker 1: 16:02

Yes, there are hundreds of thousands of people that are incredible, like incredible artists, incredible actors, musicians, inter, like it doesn't matter what it is, and especially this creative space. Yes, they are absolutely Fantastic and never pursued it because it wasn't realistic. You know, it's a crazy thing. A lot of the older generation, our parents and people above that, will say like oh, millennials have it like. Oh, say we'll use the word easy Because there's so many more options now because of social media, because we see things.

Speaker 1: 16:32

Yes, because there are saxophone players today that make millions of dollars on tiktok. Yes, there are people that are incredible at dance, that are artists that can do like very creative, different things that are making money Just through social media platforms and brand deals and different things like this Like, think back to an artist. They can only back in the day, they can only paint and hope to get in the gallery. Right now I can do, I can do deals with Disney and Adidas and I can get, I can get flown to Australia to do things where back then there was never a thing right. So it's not that it's easier or harder, like there's just more chance, there's more opportunity now because we see the opportunities, because of social media. So to your, to the question is like there's Thousands of kids and and people that didn't pursue their or didn't even try.

Speaker 2: 17:18

That's the thing. That's a crazy thing, even now social media, if they're not trying.

Speaker 1: 17:21

Yeah, they're like. Somebody may have been an incredible pianist and they just didn't even try. Yeah, it's like, well, what am I gonna do with this?

Speaker 3: 17:26

right, right, like there was someone was telling them in their year what are you doing?

Speaker 1: 17:31

Yeah, exactly, yeah exactly.

Speaker 2: 17:33

I follow the family, you know tradition.

Speaker 1: 17:35

Yeah, I played with some baseball players like growing up that were Astronomically better than me, like I mean this astronomically better than me. They went nowhere because it was. There was never any emphasis like what are you gonna do make the major leagues? I'm like, no, but I could get an education. I could build better team skills. I mean so many things that you learn from a team sport. But they were programmed to be like that's not realistic. One in a trillion shot, right.

Speaker 3: 17:58

So yeah, I think through generations we learn ways to Strive and we learn ways to move forward that are other generations before us didn't have the ability to. Yeah, so they tell you right away what's the safe way. Yes, what's the safe thing to do? How can I proceed in life to where you are Doing it safely? Yeah, as opposed to taking risks, yeah, and I find that entrepreneurs are different breed. Yeah, people in entrepreneurship are way different breed in relation to risk taking, and I've had people who are entrepreneurs who say there's different levels of risk taking in entrepreneurship as well. There's certain entrepreneurs who are like I'll take a risk on this, but I won't take a risk on that for sure.

Speaker 1: 18:40

Yeah, the threshold for risk is definitely higher than entrepreneurship. It comes down to like it. I always believe it being a numbers game, and I use the term gambling very high level. I don't mean actual physical casino gambling, but the the reality of everything that we're doing is a gamble, because we can believe in it how we want. When you're an entrepreneur, you can. You can believe in your product, your vision, your message, your story, but at the end of the day, you're still gambling. Against the market conditions, you're gambling society. You're gambling is all these different factors that need to literally fall in place, like a roulette ball falling in a number. You need to literally fall in place for it to actually hit right, right. If it bounces one number over, you don't hit yes. So that's how crazy it is being an entrepreneur. It really is related to gambling.

Speaker 2: 19:24

That's the Colonel Sanders example I've shared the the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken right. He lived in Canada for like 30, 40 years at Dixie Queensway in Mississauga and he went around it was like a 1100 one different restaurants until that second 1100 two was like I want your recipe, yeah, but like talk about resilience for a man in his 60s, crazy to start this foundation and this business like, just like you're 300, some odd school emails.

Speaker 3: 19:53

Yeah that's just resilience to get a thousand nos in one.

Speaker 1: 19:57

Yes, right, because you really do need to realize that it just takes one to get the ball rolling. That's really it, and it's true. And but to get that one is is sometimes impossible. Yes right and that's. That's a hard thing for us to understand. Like a human being who is wired. Think about our schooling system it's wired for. Have us in rows to listen to teachers or raise your hand. We have to go to the bathroom like everything's wired to be like very clean.

Speaker 2: 20:22

There's only one answer. There's only one answer, right, yeah, the test.

Speaker 1: 20:24

It's a or B, yeah, and you, and sees wrong yes, like so there's, there's only two, and that's how we're wired. So to say, like I want to do this crazy airy fairy, like large project, whatever it may be, is crazy.

Speaker 3: 20:39

Yeah, so let's, let's continue with your progression, because I love this story so far. So finance yeah, you decide to transition finance.

Speaker 1: 20:48

Yeah, so I I came home and unfortunately there was like I had nothing on my resume. I worked at like Foot Locker for like a month. Yeah because every summer I played baseball right. So all my friends that were like in you know, regular universities are just like top universities, which are actually better academic universities than I was at. But they had chances in the summer times, get internships and whatever. They were probably just getting their bosses coffee and stuff but it was on the resume.

Speaker 1: 21:10

Of course, I had nothing so I, I came home with this finance degree from Alabama State University in Montgomery. Yeah, no one cared.

Speaker 3: 21:19

And I was like well, what am? I was the food, though.

Speaker 1: 21:21

You know, but I love southern food.

Speaker 3: 21:23

Yeah, yeah, I love just risk, like I love barbecue, I love it. Yeah, sorry, I'm a fat kid.

Speaker 1: 21:31

I love the food down south. So I I come home and I'm like, well, what am I gonna do? And I didn't have any like connections, finance, or like I didn't know what to do. So I only had like one thing I was decent at that moment was coaching baseball. Cause I just played baseball and I saw there was like this little bit of a gap. In Toronto, specifically, I was a pitcher. So all my friends down south had like these very detailed pitching coaches. Growing up I was like, well, why don't we have that here?

Speaker 1: 21:55

So I opened up a pitching school, like when I first came home, but going back to being an entrepreneur, but I say this transparently the root of it was to get in front of more parents, because if I told enough parents that I have a finance degree, one of them is gonna have a job opening. I just believe that Interesting. And I ended up coach. So but then I started emailing teams can I coach your team? Or like they're like what? Like no, like it's okay, we have coaches, like it's all good. So I offered free lessons for the first summer that I came home and they were like sure, we'll take free pitching lessons from a division one player. It sounds good and my whole intention was to get in front of these parents at the end of the practices. I ended up coaching. I ended up building a whole entire top. It was called the top pitcher. It was like a whole entire program with hundreds of kids that I coached.

Speaker 3: 22:37

And.

Speaker 1: 22:37

I got in front of hundreds and hundreds of parents and from that the more and more parents I spoke to I had. There was a point like six months into it I had a ton of job offers Like everyone, from like a bunch of investment funds to Craft Canada for finance, like a bunch of different really good jobs.

Speaker 1: 22:53

And I got the pick. It was absolutely crazy and it was because it really had nothing and we know this now, everyone knows this now. But like it really doesn't have to do with what's on your resume or what's going on.

Speaker 2: 23:02

You're a person.

Speaker 1: 23:04

And I think that what I was able to do was like, okay, yeah, I did go to school, right, I got the degree, but I think, like you can see my work ethic on and off the field, you can see how I'm gonna care about what we have to do, and I think that went a longer way. So I ended up getting a job, taking a job at a real estate investment fund called Romspen. It was a they're like a high value mortgage lender and I was on the debt origination team, which was really, really exciting, and it was. It was cool. Everyone always asks me now you must have hated your job, that's why you quit. I'm like, no, I actually liked it. It was really cool.

Speaker 1: 23:34

Like I was, you know, young twenties working on a hundred million dollar land deals and like infrastructure projects. So like, obviously I wasn't leading the charge, but I was in the rooms and it was really cool. So, like, just to, I got to really see entrepreneurship at the core. Like these were entrepreneurs coming in for for you know, a hundred million dollar loans on a project that they thought of in their mind, that they stay, envisioned a 50 story tower on this plot of land, because of X, y and Z.

Speaker 1: 23:59

I was like well, that's cool.

Speaker 3: 24:01

You got. You got to be a fly on the wall, to something that normal people don't get to be.

Speaker 1: 24:04

Exactly. And then I got the crunch, the numbers. See how it made it work.

Speaker 3: 24:07

I was like wait what it actually worked, yeah, or oh, this guy's crazy, that does not work.

Speaker 1: 24:13

So both ways and it was really cool to see and I also got an insight into because of that world, because of that high net worth world, in unknowingly started learning about art, like a lot of these guys were like like they're just hearing about it, or? Touching about it, and that was. You know, I loved art for 15 years before that, but it was still like oh, people collect art.

Speaker 3: 24:33

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 24:34

That's cool. You know, back in my mind, maybe in the future. So that was my transition into finance. It was like I needed to figure out a way. Being resourceful is a key trait to being an entrepreneur. Like the same way I had to be resourceful to get to step A, I needed to be resourceful to get to step B and I just got to find a way Right. Like I think enough people if we actually just focused on finding a way for that singular goal. Anyone can do anything Like. Nothing can stop you Pivoting.

Speaker 3: 24:59

Yeah, pivot, pivot, pivot, pivot.

Speaker 2: 25:01

Ever watch Friends? No Seinfeld Person. Come on somebody. So, if I'm not wrong, I don't watch much TV. I'm sorry, I watch a little bit of Seinfeld going out.

Speaker 3: 25:09

I'll just do all these clips. That's okay, Sorry yeah, yeah. We're good, we're good, we're good.

Speaker 1: 25:12

I'm like bad with TV. I'm like the worst. I watch, yeah, I don't watch much TV, I don't watch TV. This is old, like 90s and 80s stuff. I mean, those are incredibly classic shows.

Speaker 2: 25:20

Oh yeah, they're everywhere.

Speaker 3: 25:21

We have the bad. I'm just bad with this stuff.

Speaker 1: 25:23

Yeah, I'm bad with this stuff.

Speaker 2: 25:25

So take us from that. So you're starting to meet these fluent individuals. They're in this level, they're investing, they're developing. What's the next chapter?

Speaker 1: 25:35

Yeah, so I'm in finance and I'm working in it and every single. So I told her briefly before that transition of getting. When my uncle passed away, I came home and I got all of his old art, his poetry. So I was still living at home at the time. My parents had this little greenhouse.

Speaker 1: 25:50

When my grandparents were alive it was a very, very small 100 square foot greenhouse just with dirt and plants, and I started painting in my bedroom just for fun. And then I was like, well, I'm making a mess, so let me just go into the greenhouse no one's using it anymore and I think, like, looking at my uncle's old paintings, his poetry stuff has started to inspire me. And every night and week and I started painting there was no intention with it, like I didn't. There was no time in which, at that early stage as well, I was like I'm going to quit my job and become an artist. It was just like I just feel like painting, I just like this. And I didn't have money at the time to like buy a lot of canvases. So I would like buy one canvas, paint it over white paint, another one, paint it over white paint, another one I was just practicing.

Speaker 1: 26:27

And I didn't even know what I was practicing for. I was just doing it and so I. The transition for me was like, literally, you know, a couple of times a week, then every night of the week, then mornings, then every weekend I was just painting, so like if I wasn't at work and I was working at a finance shop, so it was long hours Then I would spend time with my girlfriend my wife now, but my girlfriend at the time and my parents. Then I would paint it's like two, three in the morning, every night. And what started happening was like, as I started to do more and more of it, I started hosting these like little art shows, like literally I would rent out a in like a condo party room, like I rent out a little room somewhere and just showcase some of the artwork that I was working. Literally, my aunts and uncles, family and friends, like no one was coming to see my art or buy my art.

Speaker 2: 27:14

But you're going through this process. This is what people don't get. You're going through the process of facilitating this, orchestrating this, getting everyone together. It does play value and dividends later. It's crazy right.

Speaker 1: 27:25

The photos from those events are what got me to where I'm at today, because like it showed they showed history of like a tempt, it showed trial. It showed people coming out to see my art. Who cares? That was my aunt, no one knows.

Speaker 1: 27:40

It was like it showed people in front of my art, engaged, talking about it, and it also gave me feedback to like what could work, what do I like doing. It took a lot of reps in that, but it was in very, very, very important lessons. So I keep doing this. And then, all of a sudden, I'm like well, this, this reach out concept that I used to get to college, that I used to get to finance, I was like, why don't I start reaching out to like architects, interior designers, like anyone that would listen? And small, unpaid opportunities started to come up Not definitely not enough to like quit my job, but they were substantial enough that they were exciting. And there was like, hey, do a little mural over here. Hey, like we would love your art in this restaurant, like whatever it may be small opportunities.

Speaker 1: 28:22

And specifically, there was this opportunity through this architecture firm in New York. They're a Toronto based, but that is a project that was going to New York and my style of art fit really well. And they said to me like they need you to do a mural here. I was like, wow, that sounds great. And but it was going to be like a week long mural and I had just taken, I had just reserved time off for my honeymoon coming up and I remember going to my boss there's a couple of months before my wedding and I remember going to my boss and saying you know what? I gotta go do this. I'm gonna say I actually had the time off and he was a great guy, so I'm not talking bad about him, but I go, I had the time off. I go, I'm gonna take a week off and go to New York to do an art mural and he's like art, he's like you're not an artist.

Speaker 2: 29:01

And he was like looking back, he wasn't like that. He was like, he was just being honest.

Speaker 1: 29:06

He's like what are you talking about?

Speaker 2: 29:07

Did know, did know. You're a passion.

Speaker 1: 29:09

Yeah, you're like you're not gonna go do a mural and I was like, damn, he's right. Like what am I even thinking? Like I'm gonna like leave Toronto for a week to go do an art mural for like a?

Speaker 2: 29:17

thousand bucks when I'm making a good salary.

Speaker 1: 29:20

This is crazy, right, so I turned it down. No way, yeah, I turned it down. So two months later, that same architect calls me and he goes hey, listen, that project's opening up next week and the artists that we hired flopped on us like long story. They need you to do this. It was a Wednesday night. It was the night that I closed on my first house, that townhouse. It was the week before my wedding.

Speaker 1: 29:43

So, like the full next week was my wedding and I was like I'll be in New York tomorrow. Wow, I went to my boss that I'll be in New York on Friday. I went to my boss on Thursday. I said I'm so sorry, but I am pursuing art full time. And he was extremely supportive because I went all in. And when you go and, as we know, when you go all in on something, everyone around you starts believing it. When you're like half ass, you're like I don't know this. No, you have to go absolutely all in on your goals for everyone else around you to start believing in that. And that's what happened to me. I said I'm doing this Literally. The next morning I was in New York and I've never looked back, so, but it was actually a crazy timing because it was a week for my wedding and like the night.

Speaker 1: 30:20

It was the worst timing in the world.

Speaker 3: 30:21

That's why you never got to leave. Yeah, I'm so grateful, my wife is so supportive.

Speaker 1: 30:26

She's fantastic. I mean, that's why we've been together for so many years. But she was like, of course, let's do this and then so, but yet that was the transition into art. It was like a that was a tipping point. But there was, like so many, there was five years of me painting where, like no one really cared or knew.

Speaker 3: 30:43

And I was just like.

Speaker 1: 30:43

But I was like you mentioned, like I was. I was building that like the formative blocks to get me to where I was.

Speaker 3: 30:49

I wanted to sorry.

Speaker 2: 30:51

I was gonna say, basically you were the iceberg. You know, they always say that the top parts the least visible, but you just kept showing it for that five year period. But underneath was just this power waiting to be unleashed and it took that hey, we're calling you again, Get to New York. And you're like that's it, yeah, that's it.

Speaker 3: 31:09

Something you told us before we started recording. But you're colorblind. Yes, I wanna, and I think our listeners are just gonna die from hearing this yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 31:19

So I knew at like three years old I was gonna be an artist, so I set it up on my mom. No, I'm just joking, I'm just joking, I'm just joking. You said in the womb. You said this what? Years later everyone asked me like are you like lying about the colorblind thing? I'm like, yeah, when I was a little boy I set this up for a marketing flaw. Right Like you're so funny.

Speaker 2: 31:40

But yeah, we were eyeballing my shoes in studio, so they're green. We were talking about this.

Speaker 1: 31:45

Yeah, I was like, oh, those are gray and they're like, no, they're green. I'm like, okay, I give up, okay, I'm not gonna win this fight. But yeah, being colorblind, so like I don't see shades. So you know, blue and purple look exactly the same, green and brown look exactly the same, green and yellow look the same, red and brown look the same. So when colors are beside each other they look the same.

Speaker 1: 32:02

And it was part of those five years that I was working in the greenhouse by myself, a lot of paintings looked horrible, and I mean this. The reason was I didn't see color transitioning and I was doing like very classical art things where, like, you mix paint and you put it down, you work relatively fast and I would be like I can, I mean I can read. So I read the color, it says blue, I put the blue here, I read this says yellow, Okay, cool. And I paint and all of a sudden the canvas is muddy brown. I did not see that transition happen. I don't see muddy brown. So I would do the canvas and I'd be like, oh, this beautiful face or whatever it is, and my wife will come in. She'd be like, did you mean to make this all like brown. I'm like, no, no, no, it's blue and yellow. She's like, no, no, no, no, it's all ugly brown. I'm like, oh wait, what? And I wouldn't see transitions.

Speaker 1: 32:46

So it was very pivotal for me because I was able to say I had to work on a new style of painting which is like this very long, it's a longer drying process. So pretty much the only difference that I have to do now from like someone else's paints who's not colorblind, is every time I add a color it has a fully drying cure. I can't work fast, I can't blend colors, it's just like very elementary in the sense of like add your blue, let it dry. Right, add your yellow, let it dry. And that's what gave the you see my paintings in person like they're very thick and rich in texture is because of that Is like there's so many layers that go into my artwork and it's also part of my story and it helped a lot. It actually I think it helped. Yeah, like genuinely, which was could have been something like that. Maybe not want to paint growing up Right Was something that made my art so distinctive. I love your art.

Speaker 3: 33:34

I've. Thank you. Yeah, your art is incredible and for our viewers. We'll put a link to your site and everything so that people can see it. It's gorgeous.

Speaker 1: 33:41

Thank you, it's gorgeous and it's.

Speaker 3: 33:44

I don't know if the word simplistic is doing it justice, but the fact that it's based on your, your, the heart and just the color, and then to find out that you're colorblind and just the richness of it.

Speaker 2: 33:57

That blew our minds. That blew our minds. We're like what? Basically? We're a giant blob of gray shade here. Yeah, you know, based on the green and the gray.

Speaker 3: 34:05

How would you describe your art to someone who hasn't seen it before?

Speaker 1: 34:07

Yeah, it's like the real definition is like mixed media, contemporary. It's like very modern in its tones. There used to be, it's a little bit not anymore, but like there's like some some street elements to it, cause I use a little bit of spray paint and drips, but overall it's like very modern but recognizable imagery. Even like now I've transitioned to, I'd say, 80% of my paintings are mainly based around, like my heart motif, which is something that I just been known for around the world at this point, but it didn't always start that way. Like I tried so many different things, I use a lot of pop culture, a lot of references, a lot of text which is probably based off of my old, my uncle's old poetry that inspired me, so I write my own poetry now inside of it, but it's all very like very uplifting, bright, colorful, like inspirational, original art is what I try to do, right.

Speaker 3: 34:58

What's been your pinnacle moment so far? And you obviously haven't reached it yet, but what is your pinnacle moment in relation to art? What, when you look back, it was like other than the first one. What has been your favorite?

Speaker 1: 35:13

When I think about like different pinnacles and things like that, like I often look back to saying like all these different peaks have created the pinnacle I don't think there's been. I mean, there's been so many incredible different things that I've done, that I've been inspired by, whether it's opening my first gallery in Yorkdale Shopping Center, whether it was like opening the gallery in Miami or doing a show in Australia, or even doing things with celebrities has been really cool, like Post Malone and Drake and Little Wayne and Demi Lovato and like a bunch of Justin Bieber like really fun, interesting stuff.

Speaker 1: 35:44

And every single time I did one of those things, I was like that was the thing. Yeah, Like I did a big show. Do you guys know Grant Cardone? Yes, so Last Art Basel, which is a big event in December, we did a big show together, Like 10 pieces for 10X, like all big show with them. I was like that's going to be a thing and although it was fantastic and I'm so grateful, when I look back at all of these events, I was like well, all of them added to the pinnacle.

Speaker 1: 36:06

And I don't think there's been one singular tipping point. There's just been a lot of different little ones, right, right, and that have led to like one decently sized one, yeah, yeah. So yeah, there's just been a lot of little ones, right, yeah, and I say little as a figure of speech, because I really am so grateful for how big they are to me. I have one coming up. This is the first time I'm saying it, no one knows this, but I'm opening up a gallery in the airport.

Speaker 3: 36:33

No way. And Pearson, which is going to be really cool. Wow yeah, I've not told anybody that. Congrats. There you go Shopping here first. Amazing yeah.

Speaker 1: 36:40

Terminal one in departures. It's going to be a big gallery vinyl wrap. We're going to have like hearts all over the floor in the airport, oh so cool yeah, so I'm very, very excited about that. So like that's another big one, right?

Speaker 2: 36:51

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 36:51

But it's just like another little tip, yeah.

Speaker 2: 36:54

So what is next for Anthony?

Speaker 1: 36:56

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 36:56

Where is that vision going?

Speaker 1: 36:59

So it's different, unique things like this I've. You know, being an entrepreneur is a blessing and occurs for a couple different reasons. I have tried so many different things in this journey and although, like art and canvases is the main source, the main driver for me, I've opened up jewelry lines and clothing lines and restaurants and like so many different things, and I always come back to art and you realize in the whether those fails, failed or succeeded. Um, if you're not giving it 100%, it will fail. And what ends up happening? Even if I am giving something else 100%. You look back and there was a couple of times where I'm like I didn't paint for six months or I only did like, uh, I only did customs for six months. I'm like people would ask me where's your art? I'm like I'm actually working on these four other projects. So what's next for me is really refocusing, like the second, the light later half of this year, 2023,. We're in 2023.

Speaker 3: 37:55

Yeah, okay, it's a blur, I don't.

Speaker 2: 37:57

I actually don't ask me what the date is.

Speaker 1: 37:59

I was genuinely like we might not be in 2023. The last half of this year.

Speaker 1: 38:05

Um, my real focus is to re refocus on the actual canvas side of everything for me. Um, I believe more opportunities are coming for me that way. Instead of me trying to like develop businesses and brands and all this is crazy stuff I'm like why don't I just refocus on the canvas and then that's going to lead to opportunities like follow your heart, exactly, yeah, leading to opening up? Yeah, because I really believe that, like, when you follow your heart, incredible things happen. And like, my heart has always led me back to the canvas and by doing that, by making more art.

Speaker 1: 38:35

When a client asks me what do you have available? This is what I have available. Or when a gallery I did a show, um, a couple of months ago in Australia and the only reason I was able to do that show that it was such a quick turn turn around. They're like hey, we have an opening of this like slot in our gallery and like two I think it was like two weeks and you, we want like 20 paintings. I happen to have like 20 paintings that were in my inventory.

Speaker 1: 39:00

And I, if I didn't wasn't making inventory, I physically would not have done that show and that show ended up becoming a great success and like doing a ton of work in Australia now, but it was only because I had it. So I look back to all these times and I was like it's like a clothing line having inventory, like if you somebody tells you about your t-shirt and you don't have any, like, why do you have a clothing line? So that's what I'm really focused on moving forward and then just um, just trying to get healthy, I mean, that's really that's really, really believe.

Speaker 1: 39:29

Yeah, but I got really, uh, I'm finally refocused on that because I really believe it's a pivotal and important aspect of doing everything.

Speaker 3: 39:37

Yeah, no morning workouts and just eating a little better and you'd have to be perfect. No.

Speaker 1: 39:41

Like we're not going to be perfect. I don't want to be actually like there's so many times where I went on like these little little rants of like eating a hundred percent clean and all the fun stuff and not drinking and not this, that and the other. I was like, well, I like I don't mind a cigar and a glass of scotch on a on a Friday night.

Speaker 3: 39:57

Sure, I'm not going to be a ranger out here and you're not doing it every night, exactly Right.

Speaker 1: 40:03

Like there's all moderation to everything, but like I think we can all live a healthier lifestyle overall. So that's my goal and I think that'll translate into my work.

Speaker 3: 40:09

Yeah, I definitely see the correlation to sure being healthy and it actually helping you out in your business because your mind is clear. Yeah, you don't hit those laws during the day of slug being a slug and couch potato right? Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 40:27

And I think the the wins, like you know, just just winning, um, working out to me, or like just training as a whole, is taught me that, like I can actually win a little part of my day. Yes, everything around me could be crashing. Yes, like everything could be going wrong A hundred percent. Nothing could be going my way, but I worked out that morning. Yes, I got up before three in the morning, I went to the gym, I lifted something heavy, I did something that I didn't want to do, and that was a win. Yeah, and you can't take that away from me.

Speaker 2: 40:51

You have to put yourself first. You have to do that in order to be there for yourself. Yes, and that's the present. For other people, yes, right, and that's the number one thing we see as an entrepreneur.

Speaker 1: 41:00

There's this, there's this concept um that a mentor of mine he's. He's an incredible guy. Uh, mark Evans.

Speaker 1: 41:04

He talked about was filling your own cup up first when you fill up your coffee cup and then it pours over to everyone around you. But if your cup isn't full, you physically can't Right. So, like you, you need to have your cup full, and that goes to health, that goes to wealth, that goes to your family, everything. Fill it up and then let it pour and watch how everyone around you is living a better life as well.

Speaker 2: 41:22

Yeah, yeah, definitely, and so if you have any requests and followers and viewers find you and um go from there. If you have any socials websites, whatever you'd like to share with us.

Speaker 1: 41:33

Yeah, so right now I have a current artwork on display in Yorkville village. If you're based in Toronto and then um starting October, well, october 1st will be in terminal one at the airport. So and then online. Um, Richardi paints, like my last name, paints on all socials and my website and it's all Richardi paintscom or at or try paints.

Speaker 3: 41:51

That's awesome, Wonderful and once again we've had a successful show. Absolutely Wonderful guests.

Speaker 2: 41:57

Thank you very much for coming. We appreciate it. Thanks for coming, Anthony.

Speaker 3: 42:01

If you, uh, if you haven't subscribed to us yet, please do so. Uh, watch us, listen to us, absolutely.

Speaker 2: 42:06

Make some waves.

Speaker 3: 42:07

We'd like to thank Perception Studio. If you are looking to film a podcast or any kind of filming or audio or anything, come down to Perception Studio.

Speaker 2: 42:16

And remember, as always, to dream bigger, make waves and take action and life, and we'll talk to you on our next episode. Love it, thank you.