We recently had the chance to connect with Brandon Kazen-Maddox and have shared our conversation below.
Brandon , a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I am currently being called to use both my singing voice and my signing hands to musically express the entirety of myself as an artist. As an American Sign Language artist, it is my responsibility to reflect the times, to create the change I want to see in the world, and to use every aspects of my abilities to bring that change forth. For 13 years, I have worked professionally as an American Sign Language interpreter, facilitating communication between the Deaf and hearing worlds. As an interpreter, it is necessary to remain unbiased in one’s opinion and remain essentially a shadow, in order to support the progress and empowerment of Deaf individuals. As an ASL performer, it is a privilege to be chosen to bring American Sign Language to audiences on a national level, but the Deaf community often prefers that Deaf performers are chosen to represent certain aspects of entertainment in ASL when representing the Deaf community. I am a hearing Grandchild of Deaf Adults or GODA, and my first language is American Sign Language. My professional experience in dance, theatre, and music are finely honed, and it is my right, privilege and honor to be able to express myself artistically through my first language and through the fullest spectrum of artistry I am able. I also share the many lessons I’ve learned through my public speaking platform which you can find more at www.speakoutnow.org/speakers/brandonkm
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a co-founder of a company called Up Until Now Collective, a film, television, media and opera production company whose mission it is challenge the status quo and build new structures for artistic creation. As an American Sign Language Artist, I create works of music, theatre and dance through the medium of American Sign Language, and collaborate with the Deaf, DeafBlind, Blind, and Disability communities in creating these works. Through my company, Up Until Now Collective, I work to bring together disparate communities to create holistic art that can be enjoyed by as many communities as possible. I also workin the realms of advocacy, activism and abolition, working to create a just world for all by bringing light to stories that live under the radar of the mainstream media world. SOUL(SIGNS): An ASL Playlist is a series of ASL music videos that promotes these values, and works with the Deaf and hearing worlds to make music visible.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
This response requires my acknowledgment of four particularly special individuals.
First, my mother: She was a white, single young woman, and a Child of Deaf Adults (CODA) raising a queer, Black child in the racially-segregated town of Vancouver, Washington, and she taught me the value of work. She would always tell me, “Sometimes, my dear, you have to do things that you don’t want to do in order to get to the next step in life. What’s necessary is not always what’s comfortable, but it needs to happen for you to grow in the person you’re meant to be.”
Second, my Nana, a Black woman originally from New York City, who taught me the joys of music and theater. “Sweet Pea,” she would say, “You can be anything you dream.”
Third, my grandma, a white Deaf woman and the origin of my first language, American Sign Language. Growing up, we would go to events and I would get to see her sign songs in ASL, while I sang and signed along.
Fourth, my partner, Kevin Newbury: An opera, film and theater director and the smartest man I have ever had the privilege of meeting, Kevin taught me what it means to be an artist, and to focus my energy on honing the strongest parts of myself.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Kindness is important in life, Brandon, but be discerning about who you let get close to your heart. Just because someone shares the same interests as you does not mean that they have the same interest for you in mind. Ask more questions than you answer and remain curious to the point of being an investigative. Though people may share common joys on your journey, not everyone will be able to stay along for the entire ride. Choose your fellow travelers wisely… and keep making strong, intelligent choices every day.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
I recognize that there are smart, or intelligent, people, who have a deep focus on their own well-being and happiness but who forget the deeply important concept of empathy. It is so pivotal that we think outside of ourselves as individuals; that we make decisions not only for our own self-interest but with the considerations of others’ in mind, and that we bring people into our circle who are different from us, so that we may know one another better as fellow members of the human race.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace when I am deep in the creative process of a project that I know will affect as many people as it can in the most positive way possible. Whether it is a hands-on, arts and crafts project with construction paper, scissors and colorful handwritten notes or an eventing-length American Sign Language dance theater production, if it’s creative, colorful and requires that people are depending on me to share my artistry, I’m in the happiest place on earth. In creating our ASL music video series SOUL(SIGNS): Making Music Visible, I found peace in creating art with musicians, Deaf artists and some of my best friends and collaborators in the world, and the peace I experienced was divine. I also find peace underwater, wrapped in the engulfing entity that is our world’s ocean.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.brandonkazen-maddox.com, www.upuntilnowcollective.com, www. speakoutnow.org/speakers/brandonkm
- Instagram: @bkazenmaddox
- Youtube: Brandon Kazen-Maddoxc
- Other: I would also like to gain a heavier market in Los Angeles.
Image Credits
Courtney Charles, Jill Steinberg, Marcus Shields, James Daniel, Brian Gonzalez
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
