For Ioana Podaru, creativity is not a moment of inspiration - it’s a mechanism. A way of thinking, testing, adjusting, and building ideas that don’t just look good, but work. Fascinated early on by how messages shape behavior, she naturally gravitated toward the intersection of strategy, psychology, and data.

Today, she sees creativity as applied intelligence: intuition sharpened by numbers, imagination validated by results. Whether working on research, campaigns, or growth strategies, she is driven by one thing - the moment an idea comes to life and proves its impact.

1. WHAT WOULD MAKE YOUR SOUL SING? WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?

What makes me happy is that moment when an idea comes to life and actually works. When something I thought through changes a behavior, attracts people, creates a reaction. Not just aesthetically , but in a real, measurable way. It makes me feel like I’ve added a small but meaningful piece to a bigger mechanism. Sooo this is the reason that I do this:))

2. A CHILDHOOD STORY THAT ANNOUNCED THE CREATIVE PERSON YOU ARE TODAY

I used to invent stories and build “scenarios” for almost everything. I would turn simple situations into small strategies, how to convince someone, how to phrase something to get a certain reaction. I think I’ve always been more fascinated by how messages work than by the message itself.

3. BEST CONTEXT EVER FOR INSPIRATION WAS

When I started working with real data. Seeing reactions in Ads Manager or Google Analytics makes inspiration tangible. It’s no longer just creativity, it’s applied psychology. That intersection between numbers and intuition is where I feel most inspired.

4. THE PROJECT YOU LOVED MOST

The research project about advertisements shown to children during cartoons. It made me understand that advertising isn’t just creativity, it’s responsibility. It was the first time I felt that what I study has consequences beyond a brief.

5. THE PROJECT OTHERS LOVED MOST

The promotion strategy for the restaurant where I work. Because the results were visible. When you see numbers growing and you know exactly what you did to get there, the satisfaction is different. More grounded. More mature. But love it.

6. THE BEST THING ABOUT LOCAL CREATIVITY IS

Our ability to adapt. We know how to do a lot with limited resources. There’s a strong instinct for context and reality. It’s practical creativity, not decorative creativity. 

7. BEST STATEMENT OF LOCAL HUMOR

Self-irony. The ability to laugh at ourselves. It’s both a survival mechanism and a powerful creative tool.

8. ADVICE FOR INTERNATIONAL HEADHUNTERS, RELATED TO LOCAL CREATIVES

Don’t underestimate creatives who have worked with small budgets. That’s often where you see the sharpest strategic thinking. Constraints force clarity. And clarity builds strong creative minds.

9. BEST PLACE IN THE CAPITAL

Calea Victoriei.

I love it for the contrast. You feel history and modernity at the same time. It’s one of the few places where Bucharest feels layered, alive, and visually honest.

10. BEST PLACE IN YOUR COUNTRY

The Danube Delta.

For the silence. For the way it forces you to slow down. It’s one of the rare places that doesn’t feel curated, it simply exists in its own rhythm.

11. MOST DISTURBING CLICHÉ ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY, IN THE MEDIA OUTLETS OF THE WORLD IS

Reducing Romania to simplistic stereotypes. We’re more than recycled Eastern European imagery or exotic narratives. The complexity is often ignored.

12. YOUR COUNTRY SHOULD BE KNOWN FOR

Practical intelligence. Adaptive creativity. People who build and evolve even when the context isn’t ideal.

13. YOUR VIEWS ON SPIRITUALITY

For me, spirituality isn’t about rituals or labels. It’s about lucidity. About how honest I am with myself.

It means stepping out of the noise: social media, performance pressure, comparison, and asking: Am I doing this because I truly want to, or because it’s expected?

Spirituality is inner coherence. Making sure there’s alignment between my values and my decisions, including professional ones.

In the creative industry, it’s easy to become addicted to external validation:likes, results, money, recognition. For me, spirituality is grounding. It’s where I remember who I am beyond performance.

I don’t see it as something mystical. I see it as a constant exercise in self-awareness, accountability, and stillness.

Without inner balance, creativity loses depth, it becomes execution without authenticity.

14. YOUR VIEWS ON MONEY

Money is a tool. It brings freedom and validation, but it cannot replace meaning. I want what I do to generate value, not just revenue.

15. AN INSPIRATION SOURCE YOU RECOMMEND FOR A YOUNG CREATIVE

“Steal Like an Artist”- by Austin Kleon.

Because it demystifies creativity. It reminds you that no one creates in a vacuum and that learning by observing others is part of the process, as long as you transform what you absorb.

16. A LOCAL BASED FEMALE TALENT THAT DESERVES TO BE PROMOTED AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL

Irina Rimes.

For her emotional honesty. She doesn’t feel constructed, she feels real. And she owns vulnerability without polishing it for comfort.

BIO

I grew up in a house where quiet was rare. My parents divorced, but even before that, my childhood was filled with arguments, slammed doors, and heavy silences. I remember sitting in my room, listening to raised voices on the other side of the door, trying to understand things a child shouldn’t have to understand. I learned early to read tones, expressions, unspoken emotions.

I matured faster than I ever wanted to. I felt emotional instability before I even knew what stability meant.

My refuge was art. I wrote stories where everything made sense. I drew worlds where conflicts could be resolved. I built scenarios in my mind where I could control the ending. Creativity became my safe place, my way of turning pain into something bearable.

I don’t say this as a tragedy, but as a formation. From chaos, I learned emotional discipline. From vulnerability, I learned strength. I didn’t break, I built myself. And the fighter in me was born right there.