One Elon Creative and Her Journey to Storytelling

Self-expression is different for everyone. Some express themselves through fashion, music, art, or poetry, but Elon student Maddie Shosten expresses herself through film and photography. 

Maddie is a first-year student from Atlanta, Georgia that has deepened her connection with herself, friends and nature through film. The Edge spoke with Maddie to learn more about her and her creative outlet. 

Maddie’s love for film started when she would take her mom’s iPhone in elementary school to make home videos with her friends. As Maddie’s passion for creating videos grew, she received her very own digital camera in middle school as a gift.With her camera in tow, film became Maddie’s creative outlet. 

“I’ve learned to enjoy the process of creating,” Maddie says.

She found an escape through the entire process of film from the careful planning, to curated shots and the creative editing. She taught herself all of these steps through the help of YouTube videos. 

“Nowadays, it is so easy to teach yourself,” says Maddie. “It’s just a matter of applying what you’ve learned.” 

Check out Maddie’s work on Instagram @maddie._.mei! Photo provided by Maddie Shosten.

As the years went by, Maddie’s filmmaking hobby turned into her side hustle, and she created Mei Productions. In her spare time, she made hype videos for her friends’ sports teams in high school, and she uploaded these videos onto her YouTube channel. These videos got the attention of others, and several sought after her and her work. From then on, she has been able to turn what was just a hobby into professional work. 

Although Maddie enjoys working on professional projects, she also tries to prioritize her independent projects to nourish her creative soul. 

“It’s important to find a balance between work and personal film,” she says.

While Maddie navigated this idea of balance in her creative work, she also had the idea of building her website to showcase her work and personality. With extra time on her hands during quarantine, Maddie created her website as a way for her audience not only to see her work but also to see her on a level deeper than the surface. 

“I wanted people to get a sense of who I am as a person,” says Maddie. 

When looking at her website, one can find her previous work in film, her pictures as she has recently taken up photography, her past journal entries, her favorite books and much more. Additionally, Maddie uses her website to connect with others, the theme of authenticity and vulnerability runs throughout her platform. 

“I’ve created this platform as a form of my self-expression,” says Maddie. “I try to highlight that it’s ok to be flawed, as seen in my journal entries, and that one should enjoy the entire process of their life, I just so happen to document mine.”  

As Maddie documents her life through film and photography, she wants others to see that she harnesses her creativity through her individuality, and they can learn to do the same. At the beginning of high school, Maddie found herself struggling to connect with herself. She found her voice through filmmaking.

She says she learned that “if I can’t speak honestly with myself first, then I’m not going to have the tools to communicate how I feel to other people.” 

After finding her own voice, she wanted to lift the voices of others and has done that through several creative projects that can be found on her website. Behind all of the cameras and skilled editing, Maddie is a storyteller with film as her medium. 

“I want the stories I tell to bring about connections between other people,” says Maddie. 

Capturing moments through film has allowed her to create a deeper connection with herself and both her professional and independent clients.

Although Maddie is still adjusting to life as an Elon student, she is still making room for her creativity. If you’re interested in working with Maddie on a creative project, all of her film and photography packages can be found here on her website. 

And if you’re an Elon student, Maddie has created an Elon Photography Opportunity, which can be found in the highlights section of her Instagram here or on her Instagram accounts @maddie._.mei and @meixproductions.