We were lucky to catch up with Madylin Nixon-Taplet recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Madylin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
When I was young, I knew creativity was a major part of who I was as an individual. My love started with writing (anime fanfiction in particular because #BlackGirlNerdLife). Once upon a time in my life, I even had my sights set on creative writing and authorship. Unfortunately, art and creation was not high on the list of “suitable” career paths for a college-bound Southern, Black female, so I instead set new sights on veterinary medicine, because, hey I love animals too. And anything in the medical field should be acceptable to those I wanted to make proud, right?
Fast-forward to 2015, my senior year of college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Go TarHeels). I was 1 major, 2 minors, and 6 years of grueling work into my academic career. One day, sitting on the floor of my apartment, I looked my best friend in the eyes and said with the utmost resolution, “I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t want to be a vet.”
Though I felt so deeply sure about this decision, I also felt completely unsure of my next steps or what I would possibly be doing otherwise. But I knew that this field was no longer my heart’s pursuit, and I wanted something more fulfilling. Knowing it was too late to change my degree and far too exhausted to enroll in another post-graduate program, I set my goals towards social justice. It just felt right to associate reformative community ventures with the fulfilling change I was looking for, so I filled out applications for internships throughout the Triangle,
About a month later, I had an interview with Frontline Solutions. In the middle of the conversation, my interviewer Khayla Deans stopped mid-sentence and said, “you know, we’ll get back to this, but I really think you should check out this organization called The Beautiful Project. I don’t exactly know why, but I think you would really be a perfect fit for their intern program.” And we continued on.
I wasn’t going to, but something in my spirit felt compelled. They had an exhibit that was concluding that weekend. There was one last showing to sit and speak with the founder of the non-profit and meet the creators of the work. So I did. And I fell in love. I felt as if walking into this room, filled with portraits on every wall of these beautiful, black faces and beautiful black stories had set fire to every new and old dream I had as an artist. It felt more than just right. I felt called.
And so I applied. I interned. Founder and fellow photographer Jamaica Gilmer put a camera in my hand for the first time, and exclaimed, “Go. Create! You got this!” I never looked back. So here I am today, and for the past 8 years, passionately existing within this chapter of my life titled: The Professional Creative
A beautiful rendition of my artistic journey can be found on our blog at : https://www.thebeautifulproject.org/blog/it-always-comes-back-to-beautiful-by-madylin-nixon-taplet
Madylin, 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?
I am a North Carolina based freelance photographer who specializes in what I call Photographic Hyperrealism. I truly believe that every single human on this planet has something beautiful about them, even if they aren’t always able to see that within or for themselves. My goal is to show people themselves! Exactly and as beautifully as I see them. My shooting style can best be described as Intentional Etherealism. I live in the E T H E R E A L realm. The way my eyes see the world is described as having a rose gold tent with black lace wrapped around the edges. My passion is portraiture. I love getting to know my clients on a deeply personal level, like a mindful carpe diem of the creative work, and portraiture allows me to do that as slowly and as intentionally as I see fit.
I started my LLC, Love Önwa Photography, in 2020 in response to losing my job of 13 years as a veterinary assistant. Wanting to spend more time indulging my love for photography, wanting to advance my artistry, and wanting to develop & grow myself as an entrepreneur encouraged me to pursue this career in earnest. So I invested most of what I had left financially into the work.
The Mission: “I Capture Souls and the Magic of Life”
The name Önwa means moon in igbo, as I am a child of the moon (Cancer ♋️ Energy). When I photograph, what I present to the client resonates as a letter that I am writing to their soul. To their experiences. To the beauty I see that I want reflected back to them. And so I end with ~Love Önwa.
As a New Orleans native, I’ve been in loving community with black folx for as long as I can remember, and have always had a passion for advancing my people. As Associate Director of Artist Training for The Beautiful Project – a Durham, NC based arts education non-profit – my ambition is to teach young, black artists the way of intentional creation and its impact on narrative freedom. My goal is to foster within them the potential of cultivating their own voice and power with the discovery and development of individual creative processes empowered through community engagement.
Though my passion is portraits, I also occasionally lend my vision to event services as well as partnering with other organization in the Triangle on their individual creative projects. Currently, my llc is being contracted as Documentary Creative Advisor for The Black Girl’s Guide to Surviving Menopause, a US-based culture and narrative shift multidisciplinary project focused on normalizing menopause and aging.
The work is grand, but it is fulfilling!
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I love this question. Mostly because I believe, at least I’ve seen it many times throughout my personal journey, that B E C O M I N G is the art of undoing and unlearning.
In order for me to fully embrace myself as an artist I had to first unlearn the bias of pursuing art as a career. I realized this lesson I had been taught, that “art doesn’t pay the bills” mentality, was warped by ignorance of the field. “Artist” is the panoptic terminology, but when I really delved into what that meant and how I fit in, I discovered that there are so many career paths that define the category. I want aspiring artists of all kinds to understand that there are so many different career pursuits available within this field. There are pursuits within the pursuits. There are avenues within my own medium that I never would have known were available to me without being brave enough to just simply get started with what I loved doing artistically. So embrace your bravest self and CREATE! No matter what criticism it lends itself to from those around you.
In order to fully embrace myself as an artist, I also had to unlearn and undo the self-doubt that had been ingrained for many years about going after something I loved & felt naturally drawn towards. Questioning whether or not I was truly meant for this work. Comparing myself to so many well-established artists that I admired, but had a hard time seeing myself as. Where did I learn this? Who taught me not to believe myself? I imagine it was that hard hitting sting of imposter syndrome that scrapes the helm of every person’s professional journey at some point or another. For me, at least in the beginning, the self-doubt sometimes felt too profoundly in-bedded within creative psychosis to be cured. But the cure did come. December 2019. My work, as well as the work of a number of other amazing photographers and writers within our cohort, was featured in an exhibit in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The Beautiful Project presents, “The Pen, Lens, Soul” Exhibit.
14 of the 22 photos on display were mine. Tears in my eyes. Unshakable validation in my soul.
“I’m a photographer?” I asked
“You’re a photographer.” she whispered back.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
In the summer of 2020, during the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic, I began to feel a kind of familiar rage that is unfortunately all too common amongst black people in America (and honestly across the Diaspora as a whole). Rage that is backed by the torment of racism and all that it consumes in its wake. May/June 2020, the George Floyd protests broke out all over the U.S. and social media was wrought with aggressive posts hailing from both sides of the issue.
While scrolling one morning, I noticed that one of my co-workers (at the time I had been working as a Veterinary Technician for Banfield Pet Hospital in Bossier City, La), had posted some incredibly racists posts that centered black protestors and how she would be enthused to inflict violence on them if she could. I’m not sure why in that moment I felt the peak of that internal anger, but in response, I posted on my page a kind of intellectual warning to all of those who wished to challenge me and my people during this time of unrest. The post was personal and did not mention anyone or anything in particular outside of how ready I was to fight for what I believed in most.
The next day at work, I was told that this co-worker had been called into our manager’s office, given advice around removing her posts OR unfriending her fellow co-workers who may feel offended. She was then sent back out to continue her work day. Within that same hour, I was called into the office, told that my post had been reported by a client and I was immediately fired from my job of 10 years.
I was in shock. I was angry. I was hurt. But I politely packed my things, Said a final goodbye to my co-workers, and left.
When I got home, my partner held my hand and promised that everything would ok. I gave myself one month to sulk and grieve a profession I had been in and loved since I was 15 years old. Exactly one month later, with the only money I had left to my name, I purchased my first professional series camera (a Canon Mark ii 6D mirrorless full-frame) along with a 50 mm & 17-24 mm lens, began my journey as a professional photographer and NEVER looked back.
I do not regret the experience. I thank God on a regular basis that I was removed from a place that no longer served me or my greater purpose. And now, 3 years later, I am not only living out my dream and making more than twice my previous salary doing so, but I’m also able to tell stories like this one and so many others around black lives, and how easily we are discarded by those who only want us to adhere to the status quo of racist society.
I only hope that in the end, the lesson was also learned by those who felt it so easy to discard my livelihood because of their prejudice and privilege.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thebeautifulproject.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/love_onwa_photography
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/loveonwaphotos
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/madylin-nixon-taplet-b702a6266
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/loveonwa
- Other: LLC Website : www.loveonwa.com (but this is under construction at the moment) Photography Portfolio : www.behance.net/loveonwa5156
Image Credits
Madylin Nixon-Taplet, Love Önwa Photography Khayla Deans, The Beautiful Project