We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Madi Roberts. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Madi below.
Madi, 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.
To be honest, I don’t think that will ever go away. I’m surrounded by driven, talented, amazing photographers and someone is always going to do something better. But I think what helps me, is seeing that other photographer do better and think, “how did they get there? What can I learn from them? How can this inspire me to be better and to get to where I want to be?” It’s so easy to feel like we don’t belong in a creative industry. But there is art out there that YOU haven’t created yet. And there are people who want to see it. Think of those people. Not the ones who don’t see you.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My name is Madison Wilde Roberts! But most people call me madi or MadRob. I’m 26 years old and live in Saratoga Springs UT. I’ve lived in UT my whole life and I love it here! As a photographer, you really couldn’t ask for a better spot to get a whole bunch of variety in locations. I started my photography journey in high school. My mom got a Nikon DSLR for her birthday once and we brought it on every soccer game our family had. If I wasn’t playing, I was taking pictures. I loved getting the perfect action shot! I was so excited everytime I got home from a game to plug in that SD card and look at the images I captured. So my sophomore year I decided to take a photography class. I loved every minute of it. I loved learning photoshop and making art. I told myself I was going to be a photographer. I talked with my teacher and she brought me back to earth a bit saying it’s hard to make photography a stable job. I also did research on standard salaries for photographers and was immediately crushed. I thought I needed to make money in order to be happy so I switched gears to something I knew would make me rich. Orthodontics.
I graduated high school and started my college journey with my major being biology. I was determined to be successful and wealthy! But my first semester really opened my eye. It made me realize… I hated science. So I switched my degree to generals but I was still convinced I would be in the dental field. Maybe just not a doctor.
Some unexpected health problems arose and I had to move to SLC from Logan UT to be closer to doctors. Come to find out I was severely depressed and have generalized anxiety disorder. This also took me out of the game… it was a hard time but I learned a lot about myself and what makes me happy. Once I started to feel better. I started to attend school again. I started working for an orthodontist as an ortho assistant and I loved the people! The patients! But I wasn’t loving digging around in peoples mouths all the time. I was recently married at the time and my husband told me, “why are you in a job that doesn’t make you happy?” I said “well it’s not about happy it’s about making enough money for our family.” He said, “let me worry about that. Pick a career that brings you joy” and the first thing that came to mind was “where’s that old Nikon camera?”
And now 4 years later here we are! A full time marketing photographer for a local shoe company and a successful photo business where I get to create art everyday! I’m so happy I made the switch and happy to say that my photo teacher in high school was wrong.
My passion is to make everyone who books with me to feel like a model on the front page of Vogue. I struggle with self esteem issues myself and I know I’m not the only one. I never want to hear someone say,” I don’t have the looks for this.” Or “ I’m not pretty enough for that.” Cause if I do hear that then I’m going to prove you wrong. Our lives are all beautiful and I want you to see what I see through my lens. I was to convince you even if it’s just for a nano second, that you are worth capturing and you are worth remembering. Nothing brings me more joy then seeing my clients loose their mind that I captured the beauty that was in them the whole time. We all need to be more kind to ourselves. I’m here to show you the beautiful human you were being mean to for too long!
Thanks for reading! MadRob Photography is traveling a lot this year so stay tuned for some international photoshoots! I’m always active on Instagram so come say hi! I’d love to meet ya! Thank you all so much for the love and support! Love you all!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Consistency, determination, and support! Stay consistent with your passion! Don’t start something then give up on it 3 months in. I’ve been running my business for 4 years and it isn’t till just recently that I started seeing a huge difference in bookings. GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WORK HARD.
Be determined. There are so many people who will try and tear you down. But I was determined to prove them wrong. Heck, I was tearing myself down at some points. But you have to want this more than anything. No matter how much time and energy it takes. YOU CANT GIVE UP
Have a good support system! Whether it be your family, your friends, social media peeps, it doesn’t matter, you just need someone to cheer you on. As much as I wish it were true, we just can’t do everything on our own. And I know everyone has different situations… sometimes it’s hard to find the support you need. But even if it’s just one person. You need that person to cheer you up on the dark days. Cause there will be dark days. I wouldn’t have gotten where I am without my husband. My family, my friends. I own them everything. And I hope you have that. If you need someone to cheer you on then you message me. Cause I believe in you.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Time. I feel like I don’t have enough hours in the day. In fact, I’m responding to this interview at 2:00am because I won’t have time to do it in the morning. I can’t seem to take time for myself. I can’t stop working cause I’ll “fail” if I do… that’s what I’ve been telling myself for years now. I’m just now learning that that’s not true. I’ve been forcing myself to slow down to breath. To not always have a photoshoot or something to do. It’s been a very freeing experience to be honest. It feels kind of nice to give yourself grace and time to relax. Crazy I know heheh. But my creativity and joy for my profession was being blocked by this constant flow of activity and stress. I am not doing myself any favors by beating myself to the ground with work. How can I make art if I’m not taking care of me!? The one who makes the art? It’s still really hard for me to understand… I’m still awake at 2am worrying about all I need to get done. But my husband told me this that I keep reminding myself. “If it’s meant to be, it will be. Saying no to a job here and there will help you not get burnt out.”
Contact Info:
- Website: Not one yet but it’s in the works!
- Instagram: Madrobphotography and MadRobLoveStories
Image Credits
MadRob Photography
