407 Essence of Life with Riccardo Sai

Welcome to the Focus On Why podcast. I'm Amy Roelinson and I ask my guest one simple question. Why? Focusing on the importance of why I share with you the relatable, uplifting and inspiring conversations I have with people from all walks of life. This podcast will encourage you to focus on your why, to enable and empower you to achieve the success you desire. Have a purpose, have a plan, focus on why. Before we start, I would like to draw your attention to my weekly email newsletter Friday Focus. Each Friday I focus on one topic with one action arising. The link to sign up is in the show notes or head over to AmyRolinson.com and sign up right now. Today on Focus On Why I am joined by Ricardo Saí. Welcome. Hi Amy. Hello everybody. How are you doing? I'm very good. Very well. Yeah, me too. So it says on your zoom screen here, your name and your visual story teller tags after it. So what is it you're focusing on Ricardo? Well, I focus on visuals and stories and to be honest, this title is a bit of a work in progress because it's so difficult to define who I am in one words or two words. And I think at the moment, visual story teller is probably what captures best who I am and what I do. But it's a work in progress. Let's put it that way because effectively I'm an artist. I'm a creative. I'm a visual story teller. Yes, I'm a director. I'm a photographer. I'm the founder of a visual storytelling studio. So I wear different hats and I think somehow visual storyteller is probably what captures most of those hats. I think it, but it's a bit of a work in progress. So stay tuned. I might change that in the next few weeks. Tell me what is it that you feel you need or why do you feel the need to define yourself in one or two words? It's just that I mean stories is a very important element and somehow it's something that I've been doing all my life. As a hobby, as a job. So story was a was a very important element. Visual. It's a yes. I always been a very visual person. But at the same time, I work with audio and a lab audio. I mean, all the composer composes that I used to work within the past and another moment as well. They get a lot of royalties with my films because I use a lot of music. I love audio and music. I find that really inspiring in terms of my visuals and the story that I'm telling. So a lot of time I work, I start working with that. I sort of an audio soundscape before even I start thinking about the visuals. Sometimes is the other way around. I start from images and then I come up with a soundscape that I like. So, yeah, I don't know if I'm answering your questions, but maybe I was kind of trying to explain a little bit more about visual storytelling and the two components on that. What I love is that word soundscape because instantly it takes me to landscape and the soundscape is so key to, as you said, that filmmaking because you have without it, there's no intensity, there's no atmosphere, there's no drama. You watch anything on telly, I with a sound down, nothing, put the sound up, everything, it connects you, it's such a big thing. So maybe it's the connection that is key for you. Yes, absolutely Amy, connection for me is always been a very important element of not all of my work, but also my purpose and why I'm doing things, any, any things that I do in life really. And it's interesting because I'm nearly 50 and I've been thinking about my life, what I've done and just thinking about, you know, really, is there a sort of a, a feel rouge, something that connect all the dots, a thread, the weaves, all the things that I've done in my life, all the relationship that I had, all the films, the photos that I've done, all the proges that I've done in the past and, you know, so I feel, I still feel very young in many different ways, but, you know, is that kind of the moment of my life where I'm thinking about the past and I'm reaching a point where perhaps I believe maybe half of my life or maybe more than that. So just really, I've been thinking in the last, I would say maybe a couple of years about what's really in it for Ricardo. And I think connections has been really, I would say the foundation of a lot of the things that I've done in my life, a lot of the proges, experiences that I had, it's been a major drive for me. So well spotted. Well, with that, I'm wondering has there ever been any disconnection? Oh, yeah, also disconnection is, I've, yeah, I mean, there's there's there's many, many times where I felt a disconnected and I and I think I felt disconnected by people, I felt disconnected by projects, but somehow I think the drive is always been the connection. So, so and a lot of it and that there has been different phases in my life where I felt really disconnected by myself from myself. And by in a way, I know that and really getting deeper on that disconnection has been quite revealing and a lot of time revealed something about myself and has been a bit as if it was a story, you know, just facing those obstacles and and walls of a disconnections with myself. It's always been a drive to actually climb that wall for me and and I love that. Of course, when you are there, you see this massive mountain in front of you. It's difficult to think that on the other side, actually, there might be sunshine, there might be a beautiful landscape there you were not even considering existing on the other side of the wall. But when you reach the top of the mountain, after you've been climbing, step up to step and sweat drops after sweat drops, you get to the mountain and I as you can imagine, I grew up in the mountains. So, so mountains has always been an important symbol in an important image in my in in my life and and I've learned a lot from from mountains. Climbing mountains and and living in the mountains as well. So yeah, I've learned a lot about being disconnected, but I think I always been an optimist. I think I always had the feeling that there was a brighter side and that even the darker side came to me for a reason and to teach me something. I think I always had that from quite early in my in my youth, I would say, I always had that kind of conviction and these lessons that you've so cleaned over the years from the mountains. What else has nature taught you? Oh, nature, nature, there's so much we can learn from nature and so so much that we should learn from from nature, I think. I think nature is is is really we are nature in a way. So again, we're going back to to to the exactly what I was saying before about the fact that we we are we need to start from ourself. To first really understand who we are, how we operate and in a way that there's not much difference from from ourself and nature. Nature is a is perfect as it is, that's the is perfection is a geometry. Recently, I've been with a very good friend of mine to cue gardens and and I spend the whole day taking photos of of nature of flowers and and something that is quite interesting because I've kind of never done before. But I allow myself to immerse myself in nature and really. Actually, in those stories, those incredible textures there are there. And they are, you know, they're microscopics. But if you're there, and if you look at them, there's a whole world that closer you get, you know, that they're more immense. They are those flowers, those buds, those plants. So to me nature is a mentor in many ways. And so its perfection is a geometry, is change, is dynamic change as well. I mean, I became Buddhist a few years ago, and I learned so much from this philosophy, from this practice, and nature has always played a big part in my Buddhist practice as well. Again, this idea of being totally in unison with nature, and Balaue phase dynamic change, Pantare, and they used to say in the old days, and I think it was a racliter who said that, everything flows to Tuscore in Italian, and everything flows, and I do think there's a place for terrible stories as well. And for beautiful stories, stories of changes, stories of transformation in this planet, in our lives. So I always welcome when people share with me their sufferings, and they're incredible, and challenging times that they experience. And I do feel somehow as a storyteller, and using the visual form of storyteller, a sort of a sense of duty in capturing those stories, and sharing them with the world. And I think the world would be a better world if there were more transformative stories, stories of change, beautiful story, but also harrowing and tragic stories as well. I mean, because life is what it is about. And I think that nature is exactly that. So it's a place where animals kill each other. And so that's horrible, but that's life. If animals didn't kill each other, didn't eat vegetables, that's the, there wouldn't be life. So it's kind of embracing that to me, and I think that to me is the biggest lesson from nature, that everything flows, everything change, it transform from one state to another one. It's incredible, isn't it? And I posted last year, I'd been waiting for a particular magnolia to flower, and it took 12 years before it finally flowered. I'd moved it from a pot and planted it back into the earth, and it flowered. And those flowers were unbelievably gorgeous. They lasted three days. And it just taught me such a big lesson of deferred gratification to sort of appreciate what happens in the moment, because again, as you say, change is the only constant in our world. I wanted to ask you about this beauty that you've touched on and how important beauty is for you to recognize and bring into your work. - Beauty is very important for me, and it's interesting because somehow, what is driving me is capturing beauty. And it doesn't mean creating beautiful images, beautiful stories, because I do believe there's beauty also in horror, in tragedies. It's exactly what I was saying before, because it is, life is beautiful. And I think art in a way for me, it's a way of somehow understanding that in the beauty of life, seeing life as a beautiful thing, that is a beautiful gift. And that's why I'm an artist, and I use creativity to really kind of capturing that beauty and translating that into stories, into images that can touch people. It's interesting because I've been thinking about my company, which is called Storro, which is based on the village where I grew up, sorry, my dad actually grew up in the north of Italy. That is a village I'm really connected with. It's a very deeper level, and my family home is just like hundreds of years ago, at the old hundreds of years old their house. And it's full of incredible stories, and that's where my family roots are. And I do think it's somehow name in my company as a Storro, it's very meaningful for me. - We were talking about how you were saying about beauty in horror and tragedies, you said life is beautiful, and then you brought in why you've chosen the name Storro for your village. So I just want to ask you, because what you shared there is about your family roots, and we've been talking about nature, we've been talking about various elements here, but nature is in your language as well. You know, you've been talking about these metaphors of life, and it's beautiful. - Yeah, so beauty, it's very important to me, and I think it's interesting because in the past, I was almost obsessed by capturing beautiful images, perfect images, well composed, and beautiful stories. And, but actually, the more I think about, the more from quite early stage in my career, I always been fascinated by the dark side of it of life. And again, I think is, in a way, it is part of the medium of photography and film, light and shadows. And in fact, when I studied at the University of Literature and Philosophy in Bolonia years ago, life time ago, when I graduated, I wrote an essay about exactly that, about light and shadows, because that even before I became a Buddhist, but I think to me, the fact that life is transformation and is a constant flux of shades of shadow, of night and lights, you wouldn't have a photo if you didn't have light, and if you didn't have the sun, or if you couldn't recreate those kind of lighting effect with artificial lights. So to me, the reason why I always been attracted by the film and photography, it's exactly that, because it's part of the medium, but it's even deeper than that. So it really, there's a deeper connection with film and photography and what is life about. And I love the fact that the film catches 24, 25 photos in a second. So, and those photos, if you put them together, there is a dynamic change between, like a very small change between one photo and the following one. And together, they 24, 24 of them, they make a second. And then of course, you have 60 seconds of 25 frames. And together, you have, if you put them together, eventually you have a film, but I think that's what is life about. It's life is about images, it's about moving images, it's about scenes, morphing with each other. And together, that's what is life about. And that's the creation of life. And so that's why I always been very fascinated by film and photography. And in a way, that's an incredible visual storytelling tool. They allow people to connect at a very deeper level and very meaningful way also with the essence of life. And the essence of life is beauty, I think, kind of capturing that beauty is always been a very major drive in what I do and why I do it as well. And from the beginning, I was being fascinated by the fact that life is transformation. And life is a constant dynamic force and moving from one scene to the following one. And that's beauty, you know, and I had always been very fascinated by thrillers, by horror films as well. And I used to study them and I've done a couple of documentaries about cancer as well. And my interest there was in a way to go beyond what was happening and discovering, for example, the fact that in cancer, the reason also beauty and the reason there is life as well. And I wasn't particularly aware of because I always thought that cancer is such horrible things, you know, being dying is a horrible thing, being sick is a horrible thing, but actually it could be an opportunity to redefine and repurpose your life. So I'm always attracted by those kind of stories and that's also why recently I decided to shift the focus of what I do and why I do and I've changed the name of my company into Storro, which is the name of the villas where I grew up, sorry, where my family grew up, my dad in particular, I'm really, really connected with and the essence of what I do with with my company, with my incredible team is moving stories. So stories that move people, move these stories also because they are dynamic in many different ways. So they drive emotions that drive change. And some of them are moving pictures meaning that they are filmed, but you know, they could be also moving stories in a in a static form. So it could be photography, for example, it could be like a all sorts of different visual tools there that can be used that but they do move and I think they inspire move and they do move forward and not backward. What I'm thinking here right now is I'm overwhelmed by the number of images that are in a film that that for me to be on a little bit of a squirrel moment where I calculated that in a two hour film you've got 172,000 or 173,000 images in that time. So that's amazing in itself, but the perfection you mentioned it a couple of times, you said nature's perfection and that it's with all its geometry and that and that you were really focused when you first started to put together these perfect, beautiful, well-composed images. What do you believe is is it possible to achieve perfection? I think is a perfection is in the making it's a bit like happiness I think it's not like we're looking for for heaven we're looking for the happy place we are we're looking for when I when I retire I will I will be happy because I can do what I really want. And somehow I think in my life I always been an old person or maybe I always been a young person I don't know so I always did what I liked in a way I'm very grateful of my parents that somehow even though it was a difficult it wasn't easy for them I think but they they really trusted me and they knew that I was a creative person. I was an artist so so they they they supported me in that so if it wasn't for them I wouldn't have been in in in London in the UK where I live now. So forever grateful of that and but at the same time I think I always I always lived in in the moment so I mean I remember years ago I used to have an allotment and is one of those things that perhaps you you would do when you retire when you when you retire you you got time you go grandchildren and why not having an allotment. And or I used to do all sorts of things that that perhaps most people would consider doing that when when they are you know in their 60s or 70s and I've done them when I was in my 30s or 40s and also like doing what I do I always felt I mean not all the time but most of the time it felt like a hobby. And then how many people have these luxury of consider their job a hobby and it's exactly going back to what we were saying before about feeling disconnected is when I felt that my job wasn't a hobby anymore that I understood that it was time for change and that was the beginning of these new chapter in my life which is really working with. The purpose led businesses ethical brands and value driven people which is at the moment is what is what feels more close to my heart I would say. And it's really interesting because what I'm hearing here is is a really strong message of don't defer happiness to retirement it's possible at more than possible to if you focus on the purposeful and meaningful things in your life that happiness ensues as naturally okay so you talked about how adopting that mindset of. An older person a retired person somebody who has achieved everything they wanted to and then they can live out as they desire that's possible to do from now from wherever you are whatever point you are that's possible and it's having that shift in mindset to to understand that but it is it kind of came naturally as you said the mountains taught you the lessons of life and death and dark and light and beautiful essay on light and shadows which I'd love to read by the way. It's really really interesting what I would love to explore is what you just shared about purpose led ethical value driven what's important to you about purpose. Well purpose is is really everything and it's interesting because it was only. It was only during the pandemic there are really first of all I never heard about purpose I mean yes as a word I knew about that before I still struggle to translate that in Italian which I still haven't found a way to translate it in Italian so but. But it's it's it's been an incredible discovery and I think they found there's so many of us during the pandemic which you know it was a few years ago actually but it's still so present in many different ways. But for me and for many people I think it was quite a pivotal time where we we started to think about the deeper meaning of life and to me in a way that journey started years ago when especially think is a seven years ago that when I when I became Buddhist so that was the seed was already there but I had to wait as. A lot of time it happens in stories an obstacle so an external force that challenge you and definitely the pandemic challenge me in many different. Beautiful and horrible way to to change it and I had to wait until that to really understand what was my place on this planet what was my purpose and and it's interesting because a lot of time. A lot of time before realizing what is your purpose it's it's the same heroes journey that heroes go through during a story during a film or a book they need to leave what they know about life they need to leave their home and start an adventure and that adventure is dangerous is difficult and then it to go through a forest then it to meet. Dragons and giants and walls or any kind of horrible creatures there are trying to stop them to change and to learn something and at the end after they go through all that. They go back home home is different it's a different home it's the same I mean the the shell is the same but it's what is inside that is different and it's a it's exactly that journey that transform you and that journey has transformed me and and gave me and the less the biggest lesson is really that I found my purpose which was again. It happened because I had to leave my home I had to leave my comfort zone and I had to. Leave everything behind all the certainty is all the things that gave me comfort before and that come back is a new man as a grown up man in a in a different way and that was my purpose and I and at some point I felt that and I really. challenge, what is the purpose of images, what is the purpose of stories, what is the purpose of art, what is the purpose of creativity. So I really started to have deep conversation with myself about that. And I realized that I wasn't ready to leave everything behind because that was part of my DNA. So it was really part of who Ricardo sigh has always been. So I grew up that as that kind of person. So in a way, the pandemic really challenged me and really kind of opened my eyes. And I started to think about maybe my purpose is elsewhere. I couldn't find another meaningful where and decided to stick with it, stick to stories, stick to images. But, but aligning myself and my values with other people and brands who understood that. So my purpose became and has become really supporting these brands and organizations who are on a on a purposeful and meaningful and ethical and sustainable journey. And help them to craft those stories in a more meaningful and moving way so that they're not become just stories or films or photos that are just there that don't say really anything after a few weeks. The stories that can really stick with the audience, stick with people for a long time and resonate with them at a very deep level. So that's my my new purpose. And that's why I saw. Important for me and gave me give me hope, gave me, gave me like a new fresh approach to life. And in a way, I'm a happier person now. Yeah, I love that. And what I want to pick up on is the difficulty you said about being able to translate it into Italian. You know, what does purpose mean? And I'm just wondering whether it's because it's the wrong word that you're trying to translate. So hear me out here. So purpose and the why are different. They're interconnected, but they're different. And the why is not something that you can find externally. It's found within, it's felt within, it's created from within. Purpose is the overarching intention that guides your direction in life. And it's whatever you choose that to be. But the why is the emotional significance that you assigned to that purpose? Interessive? Yeah. So the why is providing you with your commitment and your focus to and the drive than that natural drive that you've been speaking about. So with this journey of being a hero and exploring all of these challenges that you had and recognizing that home was still home, but it was you that was different is because it was from the creation of what you've changed inside internally. That externally, it didn't, it wasn't that you found anything there. It was from within. Does that help potentially with a translation into Italian? Oh, I don't know. It was interesting because I believe me here for more than 20 years and there's a it is. But there are, I was having some conversation with some friends of mine who have been doing very well in their lives. And you know, they have leadership roles in companies, etc. And and it's interesting because a lot of them they use actually English words. So somehow I think English has got these beauty in itself as a language, in capturing in in a single word, a much bigger meaning. So so I think it's so but it's I find it really fascinated to kind of move from one language to the other one, but at the same time, English is somehow I find it easier to talk about what we've just been talking about until now in English that in Italian. So but at the same time, I like to challenge myself to kind of have this conversation in Italian. So maybe we can do another one in Italian, but you need to learn. I do, I do. I don't just I'm just thinking back to what you've shared has revolved around a lot of reflection out of all of the thinking that you you had where you were translating, you know, what was going on with your life and you spent the last two years, and really understanding more about what's in it for you. And from this reflection has created subsequent action. And that's what I talk about all the time reflection with action. And the why emerges from the reflection and the purpose is created through your action. Okay. So that's that's the connection connection between those two elements and interpreting your inner world and understanding the meaning of those experiences because we can choose to ascribe any meaning to any moments that just as you shared, there is beauty to be found in moments of darkness. As in the cancer, it helps you to redefine what's important, what's what's really the as you said, the essence of life and that in doing so, you do become aware of how to capture the beauty around you. And I think that's the thing. Often these big catalysts and death or near death experiences, serious illness, all act as a catalyst to understand what really matters. I agree. Absolutely. Yeah. You're supporting the brands and helping them to understand how to articulate what they're doing in a moving and meaningful way. What's that going to allow them to do going forward? There's been a lot of debates in the advertising and marketing and branding world in the last few years, especially when facing some of the major changes that are happening at the moment, you know, all sorts of crises as we know wars and climate challenges as well. And I think brands that are facing an ethical dilemma, which is, is it right to sell products that people don't need? I think that's quintessentially as well. A lot of brands are struggling with it. And I do think going back to what we're saying before of their beauty is important to feel good about yourself, to have a nice dress, to have a nice holiday, to have a nice camera and even the act of gifting something to someone that has meaning for that person. It's got values. And it says, very important. So, I think it's important to buy things and to gift people something. So an awning something. It's important. Even though even that concept of awning something has been challenged, you know, so if you think about Spotify or the streaming platforms, you don't own the VHS or the CD anymore, you know, so it's about the experience of listening, of watching a film. But at the same time, there's there's there's even more importance of these days of stealing together, to being in the same cinema together, to, and there's a lot of, there's a lot of interest in what I call the immersive experiences, because people want to feel where they find senses something, you know, we're craving for, for, for, for experience to feel something. And so, so I think brands are facing are quite an important and challenging time and a lot of the big global advertising agencies are really struggling and closing down as well. For, you know, it's a very long conversation and of course, artificial intelligence is part of that transformation as well. But I think it's a defining moment, I think, where I think is that it's a time where customers are not customers anymore. Citizens are people are humans and they start asking questions and they, they, they feel, they have agency and they have, they have a purpose and their purpose is also deciding if something, if they want to buy something or not. So, they're, they're not just consumer, they're just humans with, with the brain and, and they know that they in, in that kind of awareness, there is meaning, there's purpose and there is also a political power as well. So, the brands that I think are, are doing well and they are, loved by people are the brands that understand that I think. So there are brands who care about the planet, there are brands who care about humans and they're not just greedy bastards, just after the money, you know. And I think that has been important in a certain time few decades ago, perhaps, but definitely now is a thing, things are different. And the scenario is completely different. So, so I see the role of advertising and people like myself is working with people and with brands and organizations who are perhaps already on that journey, who have going through a transformation, who are understanding more and more than portals of these kind of conversations, or perhaps even brands and organizations who are by early a run and they they they understand the power of creativity and people like me to make them make them see things in a slightly different way and communicate in a different way and use stories in a different way and and connecting with the with the audience or with the customers or with the with humans as a prefer to to to call them in a different and more meaningful way. So and helping them in that kind of transformation. One film at a time, one piece of communication are the time because I think even a 30 second ads or even a two minutes film can really have a meaningful impact them. And and I think it's a time where we need to we need to start really shifting that and embracing that to in a more meaningful way. I couldn't agree more and this shift of consumption to contribution is huge and the responsibilities that companies have to the planet to the sustainable future of the planet is huge and every decision that a company makes matters in terms of if they are authentically leading with through collaboration and through contribution. They are responsible not only for changing the nature of how business is conducted but for changing nature itself and it is a huge responsibility but also an opportunity and it is led by citizens. It is led by us as long as we don't get swept up with the elements of bigger faster, shinier, newer. It's it's really again focusing on what really matters. So any company or individual who has heard what you've just said, how would they be able to say Ricardo's a person to come and work with me and my company? I wish I had a magic wand. I think for me it's I mean if you mean like how do they get in touch with me and that's easy. I mean it's it's they can engage on the conversation that I have many on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is it's it's for me it's it's a place we are at least in Italy. I don't know in England but in Italy people used to go in squares and they used to go to the market. They used to have conversations in in in the square. I think social media and in particular LinkedIn which I really like it's a way it's a it's a place where people can have conversations online but it's I think it's quite a wonderful tool to to have those kind of conversation. So everything start with conversation. So I would say start a conversation with me just just connect with me on LinkedIn and you can find me as Ricardo Sae with double C and just a less than engaging on some meaningful conversation and see if we can collaborate on on projects and and with the you know more meaningful and impactful way I would say. Well not only have you just shifted my entire image of what LinkedIn is now. So every time I'm now going to post on LinkedIn I'm going to feel like I've just walked into this beautiful piazza and a look was surrounded by history and knowledge and wisdom and and beauty and that's just transformed to my my sort of stepping into social media. So thank you for that image. I love that really really do. But also I've loved this conversation you know it really has been a captivating beautiful conversation and there's been some really lovely vulnerable moments. There's been some really so many different areas that aren't going to be reflecting on and taking action as a result. So thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It really has been a very very pleasurable this conversation. Tell me have you got some final words to the list? Please Ricardo. Well first of all thank you so much Amy. I mean what you're doing is incredible. You are an incredible person, an incredible human and what you're doing it's it's incredible. I mean sharing those stories and giving an opportunity for so many people to shine and to share their stories and I think it's really touches a lot of people's hearts I think and I think that that's it's incredible. So thank you. Thank you for giving me this opportunity and I'm hoping I'm talking for other people as well because you've done hundreds of these conversations. You started hundreds of these conversations with people and it's a best incredible in itself. I think for me any final words difficult. Really embrace your beauty and embrace your perfection. Look at nature and when you see a beautiful flower when you when you see them sunset when you look at the sea when you when you go underwater and you see the beauty of the the world under the water when you see the waves when you see when you see the birds flying when you hear the sounds of nature I mean just think about that that's actually you you are that's already so so it's sometimes it's easier to look at beauty outside of you it's easier to to look at all these and to listen to the sound of nature and all that's beautiful I love nature which is absolutely true but at the same time all that is inside and outside of you and I think yeah I think we need to become more aware of that and and starting from our self and also looking at the beauty around the corner it could be our neighbor could be a family member our spouse our children and you know children can be challenging and can be horrible but you know it's they're beautiful so I think sometimes it's easy to use like like a wide angle lens and look at the beauty of the landscape at the beauty of the planet scene from from the space but also just use a macro lens and just look at the beauty of the skin look at the beauty of that beetle on the on the flower just crawling on on top of the flower so I just constantly having that shift of perspective and I think creativity stories films they help you to do that they keep shifting the lens of how you see that life and and and and your experience on planet earth so hopefully it means something to someone it definitely resonates with me how has this conversation had an impact on you what value have you received from tuning in what are your reflections with actions please take a moment to leave me an apple podcast or Spotify review sharing how focus on why has made a difference to you today remember the conversation doesn't end here to keep it going simply connect with me on LinkedIn Instagram Facebook or Twitter or join the focus on why Facebook group all the links are in the show notes have a purpose have a plan focus on why