We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Madison Oakley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Madison, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
My biggest sources of creativity come from being out in nature, ancient history especially mythology and from the people around me following their passions and sharing their stories. When I find myself uninspired this is what I turn to. Perhaps a long walk through one of my favourite trails, listening to the river, looking for interesting feathers or bones. Doing a deep dive into a historical figure I haven’t heard of, or finding new myths about some of my most cherishes gods and goddesses. Going out to a coffee shop and people watching or striking a conversation up with a stranger, chatting with the baristas. Or inviting someone to coffee and just listening to them. Looking to what my friends are creating and how hard they’re working can give me a spark as well.
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 work as an art and figure model. Posing for many different kinds of artists working with all different mediums. For paintings, sketches, sculpture with photographers both digital and film. Sometimes for classes and the study of human form or with beginners to drawing the figure. At times private sessions with artists. A live session or reference photos for paintings. There is much creativity, as I am choosing the poses. With classes there often is more direction to what kind of poses, depending on what the students are learning and what level they are. Sessions start with shorter poses or gestures. Here I can do movements that would be harder to hold over long periods of time. Then increasing to longer poses around fifteen to twenty minutes. Some sessions we will have one long pose anywhere from an hour to six hours, with a five minute break every twenty minutes.
For photography the intense stillness is no longer my focus, but compelling poses and expressions that convey the story we are trying to tell. I like to discuss with the photographer prior to the session what the vision is, this helps me narrow in on what essence I need to channel.
Every session is different, everyone I work with has their own preferences and inspirations. This work allows me to be deeply creative, adaptable and provides a tangible result which is very rewarding. I work at all different studios in and around Atlanta Georgia. I do travel all over to work with photographers in different biomes. I’m a nature nymph at heart.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I grew up dancing which I believe lends very well to being an art model along with many other aspects of my life. Learning how to move and feel in your body helps create interesting and dynamic poses. It gave me an understanding of what poses I’ll be able to maintain and for what time lengths. Along with how to convey emotion through movement or poses.
This one took time, but learning how to be observed by others without self consciousness. There are always little moments of doubt and insecurity that arise. But they are less and less these days. I believe this just comes from doing this type of work consistently, feeling more confident in what you are doing and building report with the artists. You start to feel more at home and get excited to see everyone. Also remembering they are working and very focused trying to capture the pose and the body, they are not staring at you deeply nor is it creepy in anyway.
Learning how to stretch and recover is important. Certain positions can be very uncomfortable and make you very stiff. Prioritizing warming up the muscles a bit and some dynamic stretches help prevent injury or intense stiffness. Most poses are not very comfortable and the extended time in them is not friendly on the body. I make sure to do a slight warm up before. Between poses or on break make sure to move the neck around, stretch the arms, stand and shake out the legs. Knowing what your body needs.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
My confidence and trust in myself. The past year has been a whirlwind of different jobs, road trips and moving to different states, new friendships and just about no constants in my life. Though it was full of adventure and opportunity there was always an underlying note of chaos and an untethered energy. Being able to handle all the changes life threw at me and figure out how to create my own pockets of stability has made my trust in my instincts increase ten fold. I know that despite the external situations I can figure it out, move through the chaotic moments and support myself. Working as an art model has increased that. I feel very in tune with myself. Both my body and how it’s feeling day to day and my mind. Sitting for hours brings up a lot of different thoughts to work through. I know where I am at, what I need to work on and have trust in myself to get it done on my own timeline.
Contact Info:
- Website: imdb.me/MadisonOakley
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maddie_oakley/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9IGng80WsXRrD4iw3Uzeag
Image Credits
Kris Krava, Nicolas Fernandez, Perry Julien, Greg Natelier, David Simon
