Meet Madison Barnes

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Madison Barnes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Madison, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

I don’t think imposter syndrome is something you ever fully “get over”. As I continue to learn and grow in my craft, I’m constantly putting myself back in beginner spaces –learning new skills, trying new approaches, or stepping into unfamiliar territory. When that happens, it’s easy to question whether I should retreat to something safer or more familiar, where I already feel confident.

What’s helped me through imposter syndrome are a few mindset shifts.

First thought, everyone starts as a beginner. You can’t grow or truly excel at something without first being in a place that feels uncomfortable, uncertain, or imperfect. hat feeling usually isn’t a sign that you don’t belong –it’s that you’re learning and expanding.

Second, I’ve learned to trust my own creative voice. My work is an extension of my taste and my experience –there is value in that. When clients choose to work with me, it’s usually because they connect with my style and trust my ability to bring their vision to life. remembering that helps me shift my focus from self-doubt to the trust that’s already been placed in me.

instead of trying to eliminate imposter syndrome entirely, I’ve learned to move forward alongside it. I use it as a signal that I’m growing rather than failing.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I run Madhouse Brands, a creative studio with a primary focus on branding and web design. I help female-led brands, creatives, and founders create brands that they’re not only proud of, but truly connect with their target audience through a strategy first, design-driven approach. Madhouse Brands started as a little side gig that grew into a full-time career!

Along side of my larger branding and website projects, I am working on creating a product side of the studio though creating website templates, custom website sections, and other digital resources for both Shopify and Squarespace.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1) Mastering the tools of the craft

Learning design platforms was an obvious must. I’m proud to be self-taught across all of the tool I use daily –with focus on Adobe Creative Cloud. What I’ve learned is that mastery isn’t a finish line. Even now, I’m constantly discovering new techniques, shortcuts, and workflows. I am always a student. That curiosity has been just as important as the tools themselves.

Advice: Don’t wait until you’re ready. Start learning by doing.

2. Learning how to share your work and build visibility

Talent alone doesn’t create opportunities –visibility does. One of the biggest turning points for my business was learning how to get my work in front of the right people. Pinterest has been one of my strongest sources of leads. I treat it like a visual search engine: posting my work consistently, using key-word rich titles and descriptions, and linking everything back to my site. From there, Pinterest does the heavy lifting.

I also share content across multiple platforms, knowing that people discover work in different ways.

Advice: Don’t overthink self promotion. Share your work, make it easy to find.

3. Managing time, boundaries, and creative energy

Working form home, managing multiple projects, and being present for my family forced me to develop strong time management and prioritization skills. I’ve learned that structure creates freedom. Clear boundaries, realistic timelines, and intentional planning allows me to show up creatively without burning out.

Advice: protect your time as much as your talent.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I am always looking for creatives to partner with. I work closely with a few social media agencies and believe that a graphic designer like myself and social media agencies go hand in hand. Additionally, I would love to collaborate with photographers who can work with me in the branding process for clients –helping create the vision of brands through branded imagery.

Lastly, as we grow, we are looking to add other brand designers/website designers to the Madhouse team. Feel free to send us your portfolio and why you think you’d be an excellent fit on the Madhouse team.

You can connect with me through instagram by messaging @bymadhouse, or by emailing me at [email protected]

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.madhousebrands.com
• Instagram: @bymadhouse
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/madhousebrands/