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

Hi Maddy, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
Never stop learning. Seriously. Just enjoy the process of trying and failing, failing again, and then go and try again. It’s human, it’s life! I might be showing how much of an absolute nerd I am, but… It’s amazing how many resources we have at our disposal to be successful and in learning ANYTHING we want to. If you want to know how to work on cars, develop film, make a soufflé, program an app, speak Icelandic: it’s all out there for you to learn. I’m such a curious person so the idea that we can never stop learning is humbling and yet, incredibly exciting to me at the same time. Be flexible. When I started doing photography I was getting paid by trading. To start out, I helped start a collective which was all about passion for music and telling stories about the artists. We would interview bands and photograph their concerts in exchange for press passes and concert tickets. This grew over time with my love for travel and capturing scenes, cultures, and people from foreign places. Over the years, my love for travel and photography went hand in hand with adventure elopements and eventually wedding photography. By being flexible over time and trying out new styles, my work has evolved and truly taken shape into something I’m incredibly proud of. Balance. I really believe in being fully present in everything you do and making very definitive time to do tasks. Whether that’s physically shooting, editing, spending time with family, or going to drinks with friends. I think it’s really crucial to be cognizant of the time you are spending doing each thing and block out time to get things done, done WELL. I’ve heard a saying that when you are saying “yes” to one thing, you are also saying “no” to another. So it’s really crucial to look at what all you are agreeing to and make sure that it’s what aligns with what you want and what you are willing to give your all to. Passion and creation. I read this line in a book once and it resonated with me: “If she didn’t create, she simply went mad.” Do something that gets you absolutely FIRED UP! Honestly, what makes you feel most alive? If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If you are hanging out with me… we are probably driving somewhere. Most likely I’d start with with some wine at Barcelona Wine Bar in RiNo and walk around the art district. Really ease them in. Day 2 we are driving somewhere higher in elevations, no questions. We will hit Red Rocks on our way out of town and grab a bite in Golden or Morrison. Then we are headed for a hike – maybe a 14er? I’d like to get all those finished up here soon. Either way we are hiking something up near Leadville. There’s a great little coffee shop up there called City on A Hill that speaks to my soul. Plus who doesn’t need a Melanzana “Melly” jacket if they are visiting colorado for over a week? If it’s warm we are going to stay up there and catch a clear night sky where we can see an entire milky way. Maybe I’ll teach them some astrophotography while we catch some shooting stars. I realize the question asked what we would do in the city but… if we have time I really like to show people the Great Sand Dunes. Okay maybe this looks more like a 2 week visit? Eventually we get back in the city and we check out Adelitas or Onefold for brunch while our legs recover a bit. A mellow day in the park with some friends is in order, we can do City Park or Cheeseman, their choice! Then I think we grab some ice cream at retrograde while we wait to get a cocktail at the speakeasy in the back. Excellent combo. After our super long excursion we can finish up with a day in Boulder. There’s plenty of crags to rock climb there and we can float down the creek with a beer in hand back to the car so we can get them back to the airport.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family is everything. They are my support system for when I inevitably fall down, fail, and have to figure out how to get back up (again). My friends and peers in the community are also incredible. I have so many people that have encouraged me and have my back no matter what endeavor I set on. I feel really grateful for such amazing people around me every day. I’d also like to shout out to any business development, fiction, design, or otherwise amazing book that I’ve read. I won’t bore you with a whole list of all my favorite books and podcasts but if there was one thing I was to recommend, it would be to pick up The Alchemist.

Website: www.madelinejstudios.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/madelinejstudios

Image Credits
Annie Quick Photography, Madeline J Studios

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