We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Madi Warner. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Madi below.
Hi Madi, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
I spent most of my young life struggling with self esteem and confidence. It stemmed from anxiety, depression, and undiagnosed ADHD. The things I was experiencing and struggling with were often pushed aside and not taken seriously. As I got older, I found confidence in the person I could be when I was intoxicated and able to forget about my insecurities and social anxiety. I thought this was the secret and I liked feeling like everything was a party. It worked really well…until it didn’t. The drugs and alcohol ended up tearing me down and showing how truly sad and insecure I was inside. That false confidence and self esteem I felt when I was under the influence was just instant gratification. The feelings of guilt and shame every morning when I woke up started to be stronger than the feelings of being my “best self” the night before. My depression only got worse and worse. Almost three years ago, I was finally able to get sober, and it completely changed my life. I was finally able to see the potential everyone said I had in me and never believed. I truly feel like I can do whatever I put my mind to. Nothing can make me feel more confident and secure in myself than knowing I can pull myself out of the gutter and build the life I always dreamed of but didn’t think was possible for me.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a mixed media artist in my free time and a graphic designer as a day job. I love creating and learning how to do new things, so I am constantly picking up new hobbies. Some of my favorite things to do are drawing, ceramics, film photography, painting, and sewing. I have recently started learning how to do some screen printing and lino block printing, as well. I am largely influenced by my personal experiences, animals, sobriety, and color.
Ever since I was a kid I absolutely loved drawing and painting. All I wanted to do was draw pictures of dogs…and be a pop star (classic leo behavior). I continued practicing my drawing and painting into high school and started getting into film photography, also. Unfortunately, I lost my desire to create for a long time due to my drug and alcohol abuse, which started when I was around 13 years old. Once I got sober and started getting my mental health to a good place, I realized I had so much time on my hands. Like I couldn’t believe how much time I spent drinking! It was crazy. One of my close friends got me a sketchbook and some pens for my 30th birthday, and it was the absolute most perfect gift anyone has ever given me at the most perfect time. I fell back in love with drawing, which has just lead to me getting into other mediums as well. I started Lucky Rabbit PDX in May of this year. It always felt too vulnerable to share much of my art with the world, especially when I had such little confidence in myself. After taking a ceramics class and some encouragement from my friends, I decided that I wanted to give it a shot. I started an Instagram account, I got a free printer off Facebook Marketplace, and I dove in feet first! I still have no clue what I’m doing, but I’m having fun figuring it out along the way. The response I have gotten has been beyond heartwarming. I have been trying to make new friends and build community for a while, but it turns out that is pretty hard to do when you don’t know what your interests are or you are too scared to share them with other people. My only regret in life is not starting all of these things sooner.
The thought of any singular person feeling seen or inspired by my artwork or my story makes me cry like a baby. I went from being afraid to be vulnerable by sharing my artwork, to being a total open book about my experiences, struggles, and accomplishments. I am a strong believer in talking about mental health/addiction and trying to destroy the stigma surrounding these things.
My dream for Lucky Rabbit PDX is to one day run my shop and do my art full time and have my very own studio set up to do ceramics…and sewing…and screenprinting…and…
Anyway, the sky is the limit and you can truly make your life whatever you want it to be. If you are scared to do it, you should probably do it!!! The best time to start is now.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I used to be super selfish, defensive, straight up delusional, and unwilling to take responsibility for my actions.
Three qualities or skills I have, or have picked up along the way, that have gotten me to where I am now are: I am super resilient, I believe in myself and advocate for myself, and I pick things up quickly.
The advice I would give anyone trying to develop or improve these skills, is you need to be self-aware. You need to be open minded. You need to be willing to listen and to learn. These things can help you get to know yourself better and that, I have found, helps build confidence. If I am ever feeling like my life isn’t where I want it to be, I think about myself as a child and, as cheesy as it sounds, I ask myself what little me would think about my life now. The answer is always that little me would never believe how far I have come, how many amazing experiences I have had, and that I really learned to apply myself and use my talents to make my life into what I want it to be.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
My biggest area of growth and improvement in the last 12 months would be artistically drawing and ceramics, and personally advocating for myself and really trying to figure out what I want out of life and what steps I need to take to get there. I have been pushing myself out of my comfort zone and trying new things. I started selling my art at markets this summer and it was something I was really nervous to try but it has been so rewarding! I am making new friends and getting the chance to connect with people who have similar interests to me. This will hopefully lead to more opportunities in the future for pop-ups, collaborations, and OF COURSE sticker trades!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://luckyrabbitpdx.bigcartel.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luckyrabbitpdx/
Image Credits
aric hanley, @lonlierthangod
myself
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
