Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Madison AiSanaye. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Madison, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
Being able to do what you’re passionate about full time is a challenge in itself. As a creative, I walked into the entertainment industry with a tunnel vision focus, which is great to have, but my problem was that I was unwilling to see any and all other options and opportunities that I could get after. I spent my entire childhood dreaming about being a film actor, and that’s it. I had danced growing up but it had never occurred to me to pursue that industry. I began working at The Performing Arts Center (the studio I had trained at) and in my time there found myself in a conversation with the owner (my, now, mentor) and he asked me what I wanted to do with my life and what career I was pursuing. When I told him I want to be an actor, he suggested I get back into dancing because “the more you can do, the more you can be hired for.” I decided after training with him for a few months that I want to pursue a dance career as well, which has led me to some really fun and incredible jobs, between music videos, television shows, and live performances. As I began to make more connections in the dance world, music artists had started hiring me to choreograph, which was another avenue I had never thought to explore. I have now choreographed music videos and live shows for artists which I never saw myself doing. My experiences on set as a dancer and a choreographer have taught me how to run productions and the behind the scenes of what it looks like organizing and setting up video shoots, which gave me the confidence to offer my services as a director, producer, and show runner for major short form content creators. What I’m trying to say with all this, is that if I had kept my tunnel vision of only wanting to act, then I would not have had any of these opportunities to expand myself as a creative and as a human being. It is so important to put your hands in as many projects as possible and step up to new roles that are unfamiliar. Each project can lead to another, bigger project and having the facilities, skills, and knowledge to execute each role is crucial to being able to work full time as a creative.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am a native to Los Angeles and the child of two parents who worked in the music industry. I grew up around all types of creatives; actors, singers, dancers, models… it was all around me and working in the entertainment industry is all I’ve ever wanted to do. My experiences have been incredibly diverse, from collaborating with talented artists such as Paula Deanda, Abigail Barlow, and Charlie Curtis-Beard, to contributing my skills to popular shows such as “Young Sheldon”(Warner Bros.), “Superstore” (NBC), and as “Karen” in “I Feel Bad” (NBC). The project that I am the most proud of, thus far, was having the honor of setting choreography for Grammy Award Winner Abigail Barlow for her first headlining show. We set a 45 minute show (10 dance numbers) within two weeks, and she took it all on with grace. I am so lucky that my first time choreographing a full show was with an artist who is open, receptive, dedicated, and hard working, and seeing my work on stage was a fulfilling and rewarding experience that I am so grateful to have in my heart. I think what sets me apart is that I come from old school training, so not only did my teachers and mentors give me acting and dance training, they also provided information and insight on how to work professionally, efficiently, and quickly. Whenever I step on set or into a rehearsal space, I am complimented on how seriously I take my work, how quickly I work, and how I notice the small details that others tend to overlook. But with that, I also know how to create a light, free, and safe environment for any artist and creative I work with, I create a level of trust with them as a human being and as a coach/choreographer/assistant/producer. And when it comes to choreographing and creating, I am dedicated to the art of storytelling and believe in the power of performance to connect with audiences on a profound level.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding part, for me, is taking the seed of an idea in my brain and turning it into something tangible. As creatives, we constantly have ideas running through our brains, whether is be choreography, music, art, movies, content, whether it me large or small, the entire process from the idea starting, to all the logistics of creating the environment to make it real, and then seeing the finished product, there is nothing more rewarding. We cannot feel reward and joy without the pressures of the process. But to take this even one step further, as a choreographer, the most rewarding moment that I will carry with me the rest of my life, was at Abigail Barlow’s show in Los Angeles, I had choreographed a lot of numbers for her show, and this was the first time anyone was seeing my work live. I was so nervous that not only would people not care, but that they wouldn’t like what I had created. After the show, my partner (who saw every step of the process and supported me through the moments I felt uncertain and stressed) said to me that he saw someone in the audience doing my choreography along with Abigail. It has to be one of the most impactful moments of my life to date. Not only did this person accept what I had to share, they liked it so much that they decided to dance along to it. Abigail and I had spoken about creating choreography that people could easily follow along and do with her (since she got her start on Tik Tok, she wanted her movement to stay within that world) and I accomplished exactly what I set out to do. It was a feeling of complete recognition and validation, which, through effort, is the most rewarding to me.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Absolutely, without your “why” it is very easy to become sidetracked and discouraged. My “why” used to be an Academy Award, I would look at gowns as a child and say to my mom “that’s going to be my Oscar dress!” But if you chase the results, you can forget about the causes you’re making and become discouraged quickly and easily when the result doesn’t come the way you wanted. Four years ago, I began practicing Nichiren Buddhism and through my studies, I have come to my new “why.” In this practice, our mission is world peace, now while I am only one person and can only do so much to achieve this massive goal, I have decided that my “why” is to contribute to world peace through my art. If I can succeed in all my wildest dreams and more, I can show others that they can do the same. The more jobs I get to work on, is an opportunity to spread peace and joy to every person on that job. If I can turn someone’s day around, or give them a new perspective, or give people something to reflect on either about themselves or the world, through my art alone, then that’s how I can fulfill my mission to contribute to world peace. Now, that’s not to say I don’t still want that Academy Award, but my focus has shifted from the end result, to each cause I make. I think about what I can do each day to take that step forward, how can I put action into my life and my career, rather than “why haven’t I gotten my big break yet?” It’s a small shift, easy to talk about but difficult to execute, but when I think about just one thing I can do every day for my career, suddenly it becomes easier to stay encouraged and determined. I’m not focusing on what I don’t have, I’m focused on what I can do to get one step closer to contributing to the world on a major level.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @madisonaisanaye