440: Maria Ruggieri - Creative Play & Connection with Nature

In this episode of "F-Stop Collaborate and Listen," host Matt Payne talks with Maria Ruggieri , a retired cancer biologist and accomplished photographer with a passion for abstract and detail-oriented nature photography. Maria shares how her scientific background informs her creative vision, and discusses how nature serves as a safe, restorative space—her “church”—especially in retirement. The conversation explores the importance of playfulness, curiosity, and intuition in the creative process, and how sharing her work is about joy and connection rather than external validation. Maria also reflects on developing a personal website to chart her artistic journey, her balanced approach to not chasing perfection, and offers advice for embracing creativity later in life. The episode wraps up with Maria recommending several inspiring nature photographers for listeners to check out. Resources Mentioned: Maria Ruggieri on Instagram Matt Payne’s new book: The Colorado Way Support the podcast via Patreon Photographers mentioned - Lena Bruce , Kevin Chawla , César Llaneza , Andrew Mielzynski , Krister Berg