Rising Stars: Meet Madison Thorn

Hi Madison, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’m a 3rd generation photographer and I tell people I was, “born a photographer and raised as a musician”. I’m from St. Louis, Missouri and I cut my teeth on the music scene there, I just started taking my camera to shows I was already either playing or seeing. I worked as a freelance music photographer for about eight years before I moved to Nashville in 2018. I hit the ground running in Nashville, working with The Beach Boys and John Stamos at The Ryman in my first month. I managed to make friends and connections across the entire music scene in this town and I was doing very well in growing my career. Then the pandemic struck.

Suddenly, my career was gone, jobs were gone, everything came to a grinding halt. In what was quite possibly the darkest time I’ve experienced in my personal life, a person made the news in April 2020 while holding a sign at a protest that read, “Sacrifice the Weak. Re-Open Tennessee.” “The Weak” referred to those the CDC called the ‘High Risk’, those with underlying medical conditions that were most likely to be killed by Covid-19. I’m one of those people. My Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease and puts me in this unwanted category. The sign was devastating to see, a total stranger had decided what my life was worth, and it was nothing. I decided I needed to change the narrative, to not only show the broad range of individuals in the “High Risk” category but to show that we are far from weak. So, I started collecting stories and portraits of those in the “High Risk” category. I spent the summer and fall interviewing people in my community. We had to do the shoot outside their home; sitting far enough apart for safety, but I would spend a couple of hours speaking with each person. It turned out to be an empowering experience for them, I gave them a platform, a voice, and amazingly, they largely just asked for empathy from their neighbors in those trying times. Sure, some were mad about the “Sacrifice the Weak” mentality but most of my subjects were empathetic and understood life-changing events since most of our diagnoses completely altered our lives. The series culminated into a website, highriskhumans.com, where I began to share the stories and portraits I had collected. The “High Risk” far and wide could read these stories and understand that despite the terrifying times of isolation, they were far from alone.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As far as my career goes, I have been fortunate to know many photographers, all better than myself, who were actively willing to support me and point me in the right direction. It wasn’t a cake walk, I’ve been flat broke more times than I can count, but I’ve always had my path and good people willing to help me along. The pandemic was certainly rough though. In the beginning, I lost track of days of the week, I had a roommate who wouldn’t wash his hands, and me being in the “High Risk” category made everything life threatening. I was just in an incredibly dark place. Thankfully, the “High Risk Humans” series gave me mission and purpose, something I greatly needed. I was able to help my community; I could advocate for the people who were being cast aside, and I was able to give some folks just a bit of hope. I’m not sure where my mental health would be if I didn’t have the series, as much as I seemed to have helped folks, they helped me far more.

 Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
“Armed with only her camera and her compassion…” – Jason Lamb, “High Risk Humans” story for Channel 5.

That quote from Jason Lamb does an excellent job of summing me up. I have always tried to lead my actions with empathy and kindness and that ended up translating well for the “High Risk Humans” series. Listening to someone’s story, truly listening, is an act of compassion, and it was something that we all greatly needed during that time of isolation. I managed to do that through my photography and just taking the time hear people’s stories. I’ve continued to help the community by volunteering with local nonprofits to document their efforts in everything from vaccination events to flood cleanup. I will always love capturing musicians and artists, but finding ways to help my community through photography is where my heart lies and will be my “passion project” for the rest of my life.

 

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters to me most is family. Not necessarily the family you’re born with, because luck is not always in your favor, but the family you build. I’ve met so many wonderful people in my life, and I’m thankful for each of them. I do my best to surround myself with the kindest and most compassionate people, it makes life a truly beautiful thing. The happiest place I know is at a crowded table, enveloped by the laughter and joy from the family I created.

1 Comment

1. 

   Mary Young

   August 19, 2021 at 4:23 am

   I’ve known Madison for years, watching her expand her horizons with her photography has been inspiring. She’s taken 100’s of exceptional photographs of my late husband Rusty Young and his band POCO.
   Madison puts her heart into her work. I loved seeing each new entry in her High Risk Hunans series. Keep up the good work girl and I hope to see ya next time I’m in Nashville.

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