We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Madeleine Davis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Madeleine thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?
Clarity is kindness. As a business owner, it signifies foresight and more importantly, respect.
With previous experience in nonprofits and hospitality, I like to say that I am filled by serving others. You may be familiar with the saying, “the customer is always right.” My primary goal while in the hospitality industry was to de-escalate situations from growing into the need for someone to be right, and thus, the need for someone else to be wrong.
While working in a fine-dining steakhouse, the lexicon, “clarity is kindness,” became even clearer. One night, I answered the phone to a woman crying hysterically. She was concerned that her son would not ask the wait staff to take photos of him proposing to his girlfriend at dinner that evening.
I invested myself in the situation by asking for details regarding his reservation. Then, I used the floor chart to approach the server and ask my coworker to alert me when the couple was about to receive their dessert (a.k.a. the time of the proposal). In the meantime, I watched from the host stand until the young man stood up to go to the restroom. It was at this point that I introduced myself, referenced the phone call from his mother, and came into possession of his phone in order to capture the special moment for the couple.
Kindness is not just about a smile. It is a constant and repetitive act of anticipating the needs of others, clarifying how you can best help, and then proceeding to deliver.
No matter the situation, clarity is kindness. The more structure we can provide for a specific vision, the more comfortable the people working around us are. Imaginations are most definitely meant to run wild. However, when it comes to completing projects, such as videos for social media, guidelines help yield a clean, consistent, and creative end result.
One example of these guidelines is branding. Removing certain stylistic choices promotes trace amounts of routine. This simple routine not only results in increased brand recognition for viewers, but it also allows the creator or creators’ imagination to dominate where it needs to.
Madeleine, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
For any potential connections, I hope that the number one takeaway about me and MGD LLC is the mission statement, “to empathize with and empower artists, creatives, local and small businesses to grow their online community.” I am a creative coordinator, photo/videographer, photo/video editor, social media manager, and visual artist. Essentially, I am fluent in Adobe and have a passion for marketing. I specialize in concert photo/videography, and collaborate with musicians to develop their personal brand image.
After graduating from Vanderbilt University, I began bartending in Nashville, where I soon realized that a vast majority of my coworkers were the artists performing around town. I became more creative by the day, and invested in my first camera in May 2023. That Canon EOS Rebel T7 attended and captured countless writers’ rounds throughout Music City.
Over the course of 15 months, I have been honored to video/photograph over 30 shows, 4 venues hosting live events, 2 festivals, plus 1 wedding. I have also partnered with 3 major brands on video editing projects. Today, I shoot predominantly on a Sony Alpha A7 III for concerts and community events. I prioritize collaborating with local businesses and independent artists to support the community that supports MGD LLC.
A few examples of problems I solve for clients range from curating three months worth of cohesive social media content to promote a brand, to educating on how to use a 35mm film camera, to removing trash bags on a street corner from the background during a photoshoot. What sets me apart is this range, a meticulous mindset, and the confidence to share. I am most proud of my ability to balance interactions with physical and virtual communities. I am outgoing and online- a seemingly fleeting skill in modernity.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
1. https://creatoom.com/ for FREE mockups
2. endlesstools.io to create your own FREE 3D designs
3. https://www.creativeboom.com/ to stay up to date on current events in a creative mindset
4. https://dirtylinestudio.com/ for FREE fonts and typography
5. https://brandingstyleguides.com/ for FREE corporate style guides
6. https://texturelabs.org/ for FREE textures
7. Metricool for social media scheduling. One of many platforms, but my favorite at the intersection of cost effective and actually effective
8. FoundersCard for anyone actually. There is an application, and it is geared towards small business owners. It is separate from your credit score and is not a credit card, but provides excellent benefits and perks, especially for travel. I recommend balancing the cost of the annual fee with the total of potential savings to decide if FoundersCard is right for you.
9. Novo for small business banking! While it is a completely digital fintech company, deposit account services are provided by partner bank, Middlesex Federal Savings. A physical debit card is sent to the account owner and a virtual card can be activated on a mobile device. There are no fees- ever! Since there are no physical locations or ATMs, if you need to withdraw cash, the ATM fee will be refunded to your account within 60 seconds of the transaction. I highly recommend Novo for any small business owners/considerers.
10. “The Creative Act: A Way of Being” by Rick Rubin for honest soul searching and soothing.
11. “Maybe We’ll Make It” by Margo Price for the moments where you are running on empty, still running into the sun, but running behind.
11. YouTube. I knew the website, but it is helpful to take time to find creators, podcasts, and tutorials that are relevant to your field or journey. YouTube is an excellent opportunity to put yourself in rooms that have not opened doors to you yet. Keynote speeches clutter my watch history.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Ultimately, to repurpose an old building as a community center where adults and children alike can find a safe, healing space where they can express themselves.
Art, photography, and collaborating with others to create something meaningful have been the most exhilarating and rewarding experiences for me. I wish to make these experiences possible for others.
Art supplies are not cheap or limited. Plus, this goal extends beyond visual art: recording studio, photo studio, computer lab, dance classroom, radio station, a stage for concerts and theatre shows, etc.
The arts deserve a larger place in modern society, and people deserve more places at the tables to make art in modern society. The mission is to create something that, when shared, creates so much more for all of us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://madeleinegdavis.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mgd.art.photo?igsh=MWx4ZTgxa2pmem43Yw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555948117908
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeleine-davis-/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mgdartphoto
Image Credits
“Personal Photo” taken by Max Blachman