We were lucky to catch up with Madison Morton recently and have shared our conversation below.
Madison, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
Learning the modeling industry was a timely process. I spent the first several months as a model doing my own research, and making a valiant effort to meticulously study every factor and element of the industry.
My biggest obstacle being a new face in the modeling industry, was that I didn’t have a contract, nor a substantial resume to stand on. For me, when doing my research, that was step one. I was a freshman in college at this time, and every single day without fail, as soon as I would get home from class or from work, I would open my laptop and try to obtain as much information as I could get my hands on. I would search for agencies in Texas, basic terminology, and overall what getting started looked like. Eventually that grew into composition card templates, proper runway technique, digitals, casting calls & interview etiquette.
Before I knew it, I landed a contract with Model & Talent Management, and I began my training through their modeling and acting school. The curriculum was designed to be taught over the course of 30 weeks. I hung on my instructors’ every word, and genuinely, I learned more than I ever could have fathomed. My training covered topics such as runway technique, speaking skills, posing, facial expressions, how to dress, proper nutrition and exercise, elevator pitches, basic acting skills, different fields of modeling, modeling history, proper makeup, and frankly, so much more. For me, modeling consumed just about every ounce of free time that I had, and aside from my training through my agency, I sought inspiration around me. I would stop in stores to admire prints of models on their walls. I would flip through magazines and dissect every piece of the image. I stayed up late many nights watching runway shows online. As silly as it sounds, I would practice posing and facial expressions in the mirror, so that it would become muscle memory in front of a camera. Countless times when I would visit my mother, I would have her sit in front of me, and take videos of me walking so that I could self assess, and correct my techniques.
I am a firm believer that there is always room to learn more, and see growth in your craft. To this day I still seek inspiration around me, and think of ways I can boost my skill set to the next level.
Madison, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Madison Morton, and I am 20 years old. I work professionally in the modeling industry, and I have been modeling for over two years now.
I was introduced to the world of modeling in the summer of 2022, with absolutely no background and no knowledge about anything in regards to modeling. I was sitting in a salon chair one day, getting my blonde touched up, when the colorist doing my hair stopped and asked me, “Hey Madi. Have you ever thought about modeling?” To that I responded with “It has never crossed my mind.” She handed me a flier with information about a casting for a runway show, and said “Take this home with you, practice walking in heels, and show up.” The casting was one week from the date of that hair appointment. When I got home that day, the first thing I did was google what a runway casting even was. The first consensus I came to was that I was going to be walking in front of people, and second, that I had a lot of work to do. I created a Google Doc to consolidate all of the information that I gathered.
My search history consisted of:
“Casting call makeup”
“Casting call hair”
“Casting call etiquette”
“What to wear to a model casting call”
“What’s a model bag & what do I put in it?”
“How to walk like a model”
A week, and about a thousand google searches later, it was time for the casting. When I arrived, I was immediately terrified to the point where I contemplated leaving. There were around 150 men & women standing in line, and several designers were present. I was handed a number to stick to my jeans, and I hopped to the back of the line. Most of my walk for that audition was a blur, but I remember being super stiff, awkward, and appearing extremely nervous. The casting director saw right through me, and she had me walk a second time. Push comes to shove, and I somehow booked the show, and went home that day with a new love and passion for modeling.
The passion that I have to this day for modeling is what I am most proud of. As I’ve stated, I’ve only been modeling for just over two years now, however I have a drive and dedication to grow at my craft, and expand my opportunities as much as possible. I prioritize being versatile, and trying as many new things I can. Patience and persistence is absolutely vital to see results, and that applies for all goals one can get. 2 years ago, my dream was to be signed with an agency. After I signed my contract, my goal was to work more. Once I started working more, my dreams got bigger. I dreamt of getting work in New York City. In this past year, I’m so lucky to get to say that I have been able to travel to New York twice now, the most recent time, because I was featured on a billboard in Times Square. I have to pinch myself every now and then, because truly, it can feel like I’m waking up into a dream come true. From the bottom of my heart, I am so grateful for every opportunity I’ve been given and every person I’ve encountered on the way.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Without a doubt, the most rewarding aspect of being a working model in the industry, is the opportunities I have to work with such talented & brilliant individuals.
Whether it’s other models, photographers, makeup artists, hair stylists, event directors, designers, influencers etc. I am always eager to see the artistic creativity that people have to offer, and see things from new perspectives. I’ve had conversations with designers about where their inspiration lies for collections they create. I’ve seen first-hand photographers taking a seemingly plain setting and giving it life with the use of their camera settings and lighting. I’ve watched makeup artists and hair stylists create the most fabulous transformations for styled shoots and runway shows.
More specifically, the models I’ve encountered while working in this industry have been genuinely so wonderful. In the past year especially, I’ve met so many new faces, and I’ve been lucky enough to have such great people that I admire take me under their wing.
I am so inspired by the talented that surrounds me daily.
The community of models I am often associated with are all such remarkably talented people, and the support everybody has for one another is unlike anything I have ever experienced. We cheer each other on with our successes, and we are always looking out for each other and protecting one another.
Truly, I would not be where I am without the creative artists I’ve been privileged to lean on and learn from.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
In the fall of 2023, my modeling career started hitting a quick upwards trajectory, and I was getting opportunities that I never would have expected, especially that early on. At the time, I was living in College Station, Texas, and commuting to major cities for most of my jobs and bookings. The rate at which I started working, I would describe as a “snowball effect.” Getting started, I would have a photoshoot maybe once a month- twice a month if I was lucky. Before I knew it, I would be shooting every other week, and eventually, once a week, and so on. The more networking I was able to do, the more opportunities fell into my lap. By the start of 2024, I was working consistently, and was commuting to jobs two to three times weekly. Being a college student, and having a separate part time job on top of it, left me with very little time, and definitely made for a challenging semester. Modeling was not something I was willing to put on the back burner, especially with the rate at which things were speeding up.
I pondered on the issue for quite some time, and came to the consensus that it was necessary to transfer schools, and move to Houston. It was a scary thing to commit to, to say the least, but being here now, has made me realize how incredible of a commitment it truly was.
In the summer of 2024, I left my life in College Station behind and moved to Houston with my best friend, and it seemed as though almost immediately, everything fell into place. Over the summer I was modeling full time, and was very booked and busy. It was an overwhelmingly surreal feeling. I walked in a handful of runway shows, had countless photoshoots, and I had the chance to meet several brilliant designers as well as other models, photographers, event directors etc.
Moving to Houston was a pivotal time in my career, because since moving here, I have had access to more for my career, and I have been working more than ever, and it has in a way, helped me be more efficient in growing my craft as a whole. Being in Houston has helped me come out of my shell, and more than anything it has challenged me to better myself every day.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Jon Freeze (@freeze.film)
Blake Zeitman (@blakesnapseditorial)
Josh Coronel (@joshcoronelphotos)
Gordon Lam
Chris King (@chriskingpro)