We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Adoria Maxberry. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Adoria below.
Adoria, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?
Having parents that encouraged my journey as a creative and created experiences for me to try a myriad of things ultimately shaped me into the woman I am today. My mother was an educator for over three decades and placed an emphasis on using the gifts that God gave you. She wanted to make sure that her children knew the importance of doing what makes you feel fulfilled so that it doesn’t feel like you’re going to work. My father was a free spirit that had a strong work ethic and an emphasis on trying new things. He was an adventurer. Experiencing outdoors, nature and the arts were common experiences for me thanks to my parents. Having two children that now have a focus on the arts as careers, has to be attributed to their emphasis on learning new things and being comfortable with who you are!
I can remember my parents making frequent trips to purchase art supplies and allowing me to create on any paper I could find. I also remember almost turning my house into a kiln by adjusting the thermostat and having my mom in a panic as it became unbearably hot in the house. I just wanted to make a gift for her, but I knew I couldn’t use the stove at such a young age. I could however twist the dial on the wall and set my art on the floor register. I vividly remember her exclaiming that I could’ve burned the house down. Now as someone who operates a kiln fairly often, I can’t help but to remember those times where I was still encouraged to create. After getting a crochet kit at a yard sale, I remember my dad showing me how he learned from his sisters how to make a chain and the basic stitches in beginning crochet. Luckily, he also had several friends that showed me patterns as I progressed in my skills.
They instilled perseverance and a desire to conquer challenges within both of their children as well as a strong passion to use the gifts that God gave us.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
For years, I worked in a corporate America career where I steadily climbed the ladder. What seemingly began like a normal request from my daughter to throw a paint-themed birthday party, turned out to be a life-changing encounter. Every year, I threw elaborately themed parties for my kids. This year, all of the parents suggested that I continue to throw events like this because they would absolutely pay for this service. I declined and proceeded to work in the financial industry. Eventually, the seed that was planted continued to grow and get watered through my volunteerism that often-surrounded teaching and working with both children and adults, especially in the classroom. After several encounters with random individuals that continued to point in the same direction the Spirit was leading me in, I finally decided to take a leap of faith and host another event. This was a success and led me to start the company Most OutGROWing LLC officially in 2016. Using a play on my senior superlative in high school of Most Outgoing, I realized that in life we all can’t have some of the other superlative titles, but we can all GROW beyond expectations and pursue the passions and dreams that are placed on our heart. We can all earn the superlative of Most OutGROWing. This company is an arts organization helping others to grow beyond expectations using the vehicle of art. Paint parties led to private instruction, murals, published illustration opportunities, speaking engagements, and a host of other unique opportunities. Eventually, I realized that this crazy leap of faith would lead to an even larger jump to leave my career to pursue the business full-time. Engagements were actively pulling me away from my “day job.” My husband asked what was holding me back after I hosted a successful event at Miami University. From this observation just a year later in 2017, I officially left Fifth Third Bank to pursue my business full-time. Shortly after that, I decided to return to school to pursue my passion and further my skills for my clients and myself. I attended DAAP (College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning at the University of Cincinnati) to obtain my Master of Visual Art Education and State of OH Licensure courses. Simultaneously, I was also asked to be a guest artist/instructor at a Cincinnati Public School which led to also becoming a long-term art substitute for the district while still running my business.
While I didn’t realize it at the time, the moves made strategically aligned with being able to be there for my family when it meant the most. While in my first year of my Master program at DAAP, I realized that we would be expecting our third child. In addition to that, my father was diagnosed with cancer. As his health began to decline and we were making difficult decisions, my mother was then diagnosed with cancer also. While in my first year of obtaining my Master with a full course load, my father passed, and while planning the funeral from my delivery room, I delivered my third child as my mom was having her port installed so that she may start chemotherapy. Within the second year of my program, my mom encouraged me to continue to pursue my master and was able to see me graduate with a cumulative 4.0 and named 2020 Outstanding Graduate Student for the school of art, despite the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic would keep us from truly experiencing a graduation ceremony. She passed in 2020 and 4 months later her mother who I’d also been a caregiver for passed at 101 years old. In what seemed like a whirlwind of tragedies, would not have been the same if I had not decided to pursue my passion for the arts and step out on faith. I would not have been able to have the final moments with the people that meant the most in my life. After no longer being concerned about the risk teaching in the public school system would have on my mother’s health, I began working in Cincinnati Public Schools as a full-time Visual Arts Educator while continuing to manage Most OutGROWing. Starting initially at Rising Stars at Carthage, I eventually returned to Woodford Academy, where I met my husband in first grade and eventually graduated from in 6th grade, where my children attended, where my mother taught for over 34 years before passing, and where I was named after the first principal of the school and my mother’s former leader, Adoria Whitaker Perkins. I am in my second year at Woodford where I replaced my elementary art teacher Karen Ater-Linser. It has truly been a dream come true being able to give back to my community in this capacity. I am still running Most OutGROWing and have several other roles that live up to the crazy company name such as being a lead teaching artist and designer for ArtWorks, a member of Black Art Speaks and lead muralist/designer for the letter M in the Black Lives Matter! Cincinnati Mural, designing a streetcar design hosted by Arts Wave for the Cincinnati Bell Connector, being the lead puppeteer and voice of Paige Turner the owl on the Emmy-winning Learning through Art children’s show “Paige’s Place” led by Kathy Wade, an NAEA Crayola Ambassador, and a board member for the Revolution Dance Theater and Artsville, and minister and praise team member at The Living Water Ministries in Hartwell. Ultimately, I cannot take any credit for the host of accomplishments but have to give God all the glory for orchestrating such a well-timed series of life events.
Taken from a recent interview with Voyage OH: https://voyageohio.com/interview/rising-stars-meet-adoria-maxberry-of-pleasant-ridge-kennedy-heights/
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist, creative and educator would be helping others see their potential within through the vehicle of art. Whether it’s looking at a piece I’ve created, or guiding others to create, often times I see people underestimate their abilities based on past experiences, teachers or feedback they’ve received. Everyone has the ability to do amazing things, but for some reason as we get older and even along the way of growing up, someone or something tells us that we “can’t” do it. Seeing the feeling of accomplishment that comes from my students’ achievements makes it all worthwhile. Both children and adults alike have been blown away by what they can create and it literally warms my heart each time.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Moving from the financial industry and HR/operations field into a focus on arts and education was a huge pivot that took a force of God to make happen. The leap of faith that I made was years in the making. While I’d always been someone who created, it wasn’t always as apparent to those who didn’t know me very well. I absolutely received a push from many different areas of my life that were truly signs that I needed to follow my heart. I absolutely loved my career but I realized that I wasn’t as fulfilled in an individual contributor role and my largest amount of joy came from working in the community and with art.
After helping a mentee with their application to DAAP and realizing how their Master of Art Education and Licensure program spoke directly to me, I realized that I wanted to go back. While it took a couple years of operating my business to realize that I really wanted to return in this capacity, I knew that this was the right decision to enhance myself for my customers and community.
As a high school student, I had been discouraged and didn’t pursue my love for the arts and I’m so grateful that I have the opportunity to share with others how I was brought right back to something I love and now make a living with it!
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.mostoutgrowing.com
- Instagram: @mostoutgrowing
- Facebook: Most OutGROWing LLC. Or https://m.facebook.com/100069823596395/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/adoria-maxberry-610a7728
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC5B-XUmAcsaTAMz0jbhlMWA
Image Credits
Will Jones Pixxel Designs Most OutGROWing Photography