Meet Madalyn Higdon | Artist, Writer & Director

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

Hi Madalyn, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Créer Artists Salon was started in December 2023 by my close friend/collaborator Madison Condra and I because we both felt that there could be more spaces for up-and-coming creatives to share their work. Créer, meaning “to create,” pulls from French, as we were inspired by the 17th-Century artist salons held in Paris as a reference for our own events.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Ever since I was a kid, creativity has been an outlet for me. I studied film at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, which cemented my love for screenwriting and directing. As a filmmaker, I aim to communicate stories with care, authenticity, and ethos. I’ve learned that persistence is paramount in creating any kind of art. Create, fail, and create again. However, I’ve also learned that it’s valuable to celebrate the work you make along the way to one’s “magnum opus.” That’s why I think Créer is a great community-building space. It’s a way to acknowledge, spotlight, and encourage up-and-coming artists to keep creating. Hopefully, Créer can help artists get one step closer to creating the kind of work they themselves are proud of and excited about.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love the museums, especially the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. For food, I like Lala’s in Studio City, Gracias Madre in West Hollywood, and Leo’s Tacos Trucks (they’re all over, but I like the one by Pico Car Wash the best). For drinks, I like the Rubyfruit and El Prado in Silverlake.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I read Just Kids by Patti Smith while living in New York for the first time and found her words and story inspiring. To me, she is the true definition of an artist.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maddyhigdon/?hl=en

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4GDR1pD-wDUgauxv0dRmUQ

Other: Créer Artists Salon: https://www.instagram.com/creerartists/?hl=en

Image Credits
Maureen Higdon, Bea Cuenco, Gabriel Guimaraes, Madalyn Higdon