Daily Inspiration: Meet Madison Miller

Today we’d like to introduce you to Madison Miller.

Madison, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I can only remember my own fascination with art from a very, very young age. Art has been apart of me and plays such a powerful role in my life. I loved watching anime, cartoons, movies growing up and have an intimate connection with music as well. I still have my doodles of Sailor Moon characters, art lesson exercises, ceramics. Visual art has always been a love for me and a way for me to express myself. Expression and artistic explorations peak my interest, even now.

I didn’t take my art seriously until I was in my junior year of highschool. I attended the East Valley Institute of Technology and explored Graphic Design and Photography. Although illustration was more of my want of a career, I learned quickly of brand identities and more. I continued to develop my skills as much as I could, noticing my drive to lead. I was also introduced into the world of fashion through modeling for EVIT’s fashion class that year. I enjoyed it and began to fall in love more with self-expression. But, the summer before my senior year of highschool, my life quickly changed.

With my brother-in-law passing suddenly and learning I was pregnant shorty after his passing. My senior year was full of high-risk pregnancy appointments, loss, change. My art began to be a swirl of abstraction from my feelings. My senior year of highschool was also in 2020. I delivered my daughter in February 2020, only to not return to school again due to being on bedrest and having a Zoom graduation. I continued to develop my art as I entered college. I entertained ideas of emotional intimacies I experienced, creating this sense of feminine edge my art possesses.

I continued to go back to my drive for leadership and expression, leading me to want to develop creative campaigns. Editorials, in combination of my art or at least sourced from my art, began to resonate with me more. From then, I developed personal campaigns that explored my connections with the worlds around me. These worlds around me seem to always have the common theme of human connection.

I currently have turned towards project management, project coordination, creative direction, anything of visual direction. I have found that human connection blooms with creatives in an unique way that allows me to feel more seen. I hope to continue down this path, connecting through understanding others and providing visuals to show the story of the experiences I live. I work under my brand, or as I would call it, my ‘proxy’, Galaxy Color.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Like all people, there have been difficulties on this road. As a young mother, I find it incredibly hard to even merely exist in social spheres. To work harder to be who I am and also be a mother is a position that is almost a constant battle. Losing my brother-in-law, who was a photographer, in combination with developing post-partum depression is a war for any person.

Not knowing who you are is something I do not will upon anyone, but it is something I have deeply experienced. That struggle is intense and rather lonely. Navigating life as a young mother, emerging creative in the scene, being a college student, is hard enough as is. A depression tied to not knowing how to express yourself or who you are only adds to that.

Although I have grown from this, my position remains the same. This battle of being a young mother in the creative industry is a difficult one, but I only have the drive for not only myself, but to prove this life to my children.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As an artist, I work in the realm of illustration and visual arts. My art presents a feminine edge and explores the universe as either an energy flows through me or as I experience life. I tend to present myself and my art in a darker aesthetic. The hidden things in the unknown spur my curiosity and I have a connection to them. I tend to be thematically experimental in my work, exploring things in the dark and exploring spiritual intimacies with the world. I ground my work with words and symbols, alluding to the fanatical adventure of life that we may ignore. Whether I explore a social injustice, a love of another, a butterfly, my art is tied through experiments and connecting experiences.

A project that would best represent the worlds I draw in is ‘Mother at War’. This project is something I am proud of as it illustrates the perspective of young motherhood. On the back of the jacket is my character, Trench, who represents my anxieties I possess as I live this life. Collaborating with Masai Ray, a close friend and photographer, to produce ‘Mother at War,’ truly emphasized the importance of connection and expression.

As a creative director, project manager, project coordinator, (insert everything else I do operationally and media wise here) in the local fashion scene here, you’ll see me backstage, running around, getting something done, directing on set, and more! I work with other creatives, connecting with them and creating campaigns with them. I absolutely love the fashion scene here because I can see others’ expressions of themselves and their perceptions. Creative campaigns are something I specialize in and I adore creating zines from projects. Zines are just another way to communicate more and I truly enjoy being the zinester I am, telling the story of the projects we all work on together. This community of creatives we strive to cultivate matters immensely to me and being able to extend this past creatives to clients drives us to understand one another more.

With this community, I have been so grateful to co-host on the Artist Archive Podcast! We explore the intersection between the arts and fashion, promoting real conversation in the creative community. This platform connects creatives as we take a real behind-the-scenes look at events, people, and more that progresses our society. I truly love being able to talk more with creatives, hearing their stories. This only centers me, again, on human connection and understanding.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Music is truly my lifeblood. It is something I heavily rely on for inspiration, emotional support, understanding, connecting, productivity. I currently listen to a lot of indie, alternative, shoegaze, EDM, and more! Music lyrics are often embedded into my artwork and artists I always come back to are artists like KIKUO, julie, Gorillaz, and Boa.

If I had to name a music artist that has truly impacted my life and my art, I would say Roland Faunte. Roland’s music found me in one of my lowest points of post-partum depression and I just remember stopping and listening. To be seen, truly, is a gift I know I want to cultivate with the projects I create or even be apart of.

I love looking at visual media and branding, wondering how people get to the solutions they create. Curiosity is inevitable in life and you must consume content to create content. Some of my favorite visual artists right now are Mark Ryden, Joao Ruas, si_ku, James Jean, and Henri Matisse. I love brands like Glossier, ISAMAYA Beauty, A24, and more.

I also have an amazing support system of friends, family, and the crew I work with. Being able to work and be supported by individuals who see, understand, respect, and care about you is a necessity for all humans. I truly could not be doing what I do without them and I am eternally grateful for them.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/galaxy.color/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madison-miller-439a082a9/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtistArchivePodcast
• Other: https://linktr.ee/galaxy.color?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=4ab8a05e-74b4-42ee-b614-d240a6b20f31

Image Credits
Image Credits for Personal Image: Masai Ray

Image Credits for B&W Image of girl crouching, color image of myself with hair in my eyes, and ‘My body allows assumptions’: Masai Ray

Image Credit for B&W Belt on top of scanned image of model with short hair: Jeff Otto