personal

BRANDING

LOVE

lifestyle

categories

Pivoting.

Hey stranger—you might be a returning visitor, or a fresh face to this space. Either way, I hope you’ll stick around for a bit and swing by every so often to see what we’re up to.

Hi, I’m Madison. If you want to hop over to the about page to get a sense of who I am and where things started, but as life is ever evolving, this post is about where we’re at now. There’s been a lot of changes over here, both internally and externally, physically and metaphysically, and more. If you’ve been around here for awhile, then you know what’s up.

Here’s a short synopsis to bring you up to speed:

  • I’ve worn many hats as a creative, starting my career as a portrait photographer in 2012, primarily focusing on high school senior portraits, which then evolved into contract work for Sarah Briggs Jewelry, and then creative portraits and the like.
  • MADISONCARY biz cards
  • In April 2021 I rebranded MADISONCARY and shortly after in August 2021 I launched and quickly paused a new project called SACRED PORTRAITS.
  • As life would have it, September 2021 was my last family session as a working photographer.
  • January 2022 I was diagnosed with a grade 4 brain tumor (diffused midline glioma to be exact) Take a listen to the instagram post I wrote shortly after we learned the news. (Plus some extra commentary)

Madison luikens brain cancer

it’s been a journey to say the least.

Since I can’t quite be behind the camera these days due to my poor vision and unsteadiness on foot, I am reviving this blog as a way to share and connect further via long form writing than the glimpses we see on social media. Writing has always been a passion of mine, and rather than give platforms like Instagram my best work, I wanted a to have it all live in one place that is solely mine.

 

So, what can you expect?

 

Poetry and ponderings mostly. Probably paired with images I’ve captured over the years.

Why poetry? It’s my favorite form of expression and my most sacred form of prayer. I’ll be sharing some work that you may have already experienced, and a lot more that has lived in the notes app of my phone or scribbled on the pages of half-filled journals. The audio portion of my blog will resurface as well. You can listen to previous posts here.

There is no agenda or goal with this, other than a creative outlet for me as I heal. While writing a year’s worth of medical updates on Caring Bridge, I realized how much I missed the blogosphere. So here we are, taking a leap, regardless of who shows up to read it or not. Because honestly, it’s for me. And if you decide to stick around, I look forward to connecting with you.

The topics you can expect to find here: musings on love, life, trauma, faith/spirituality, family, growth, gardening, my favorite things, who knows! There’s no set agenda or schedule, just heart-led and honest. What you encounter here might be different from your perspective, but that’s the cool thing about art. It’s the process of working out a perspective or interpretation  on paper, canvas, song, dance, etc. This space is not here to convince you to think one way or another, but a container for the exploration of  ideas and lived experience, and possibly find comfort, too.

So with that, take what resonates, and leave the rest.

If something hits, let me know. If you want me to write on something in particular, let me know on that, too. But before I start opening the floodgates, I’m going to speak my truths first.

As with the phases of the moon, if you’ve been around enough, you’ve seen all iterations of Madison, from youth director, to photographer, to crossfit coach, to nutritionist, so thank you for being here as I evolve into the next iteration of me. All those versions are still within me, as I navigate what comes of this chrysalis I currently find myself in. I hope you stick around long enough to find out. And if not, you’ll know where to find me.

Welcome back to MADISONCARY

 

 

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

top

© 2021 Madisoncary | site design by foil & Ink