Meet Madeleine Burrough | Artist & mother

We had the good fortune of connecting with Madeleine Burrough and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Madeleine, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
When something doesn’t go according to plan, we are often told that everything happens for a reason. I disagree with this line of reasoning. I believe that the random winds of life will continue to blow sometimes in our direction and sometimes against us. And this is ok! Living with intention and compassion for all seasons of life builds resiliency. It also fuels creativity and growth in ways I didn’t always understand.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Elizabeth Gilbert once said about creativity that “A creative life is an amplified life. It’s a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life and a hell of a lot more interesting life.” When I was in college studying biology I found that if I added a visual arts class to my schedule I performed significantly better in all my other courses. This should have been a dead giveaway that art is the key to my soul, but it took me a long time to realize exactly what that means. I think I am still exploring that with my art. I am trying to get better every day, and show the world that I too can learn new things. I use watercolor and oil primarily but I am also exploring with more mixed media recently. I am always trying something new and pursuing my dream of making a living through creating.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m a huge fan of Steamboat! There is so much to do and the scenery is so beautiful. My best friend and I enjoy exercising together so we would bike emerald mountain. The views from the top over town are most rewarding. We would definitely hike from the mad creek side to the strawberry hot springs where we would soak in the warm waters. It’s always nice to go downtown and relax along the Yampa river, where something always seems to be happening. I love eating at Mambo, I think they have the best happy hour in town. If there was a free concert in town from the keepin it free concert series we would bike down to enjoy some live music and good company with everyone else in town. A day trip out to one of the beautiful lakes surrounding Steamboat would be a great activity for the whole family and when we got back into town we would take the kids for ice cream at Lyons drug. All in all we would enjoy all of the outdoor beauty that this wonderful oasis has to offer!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Here is a little shoutout to the lockdown around Covid. Although Covid was horrific, and I am sorry for the pandemic, I was surprised at how much I changed over the lockdown. I am a mother to five sons and was working full time prior to Covid. I feel like I woke up and discovered that my life was moving way too fast. I slowed down and realigned my values with my actions. I value my family and my creativity and now my actions reflect that. I am now full time in my art and have more time for my family. My husband has been incredibly supportive of me taking this leap of faith and for that I am forever grateful.

Website: Www.steamboatartist.com

Instagram: @steamboatartist