Episode 42: Rewriting the Path to a Creative Career with Maddie Miller

Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun

This week on Crafted Connections, I’m joined by Maddie Miller for a thoughtful, grounded conversation about building a creative career that evolves with you. She is an artist, printmaker, and digital marketing strategist based in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Maddie’s story is one of curiosity, experimentation, and patience. With a background in traditional fine art printmaking, nonprofit arts organizations, and community-focused creative work, she shares how her path has unfolded less like a straight line and more like a series of intentional pivots.

We talk about her early exposure to the arts through public arts magnet schools, falling in love with printmaking in college, and navigating the tension between wanting to be a full-time studio artist and needing financial stability. Maddie opens up about the impact of COVID on her creative practice, losing access to studio space and grant funding, and how that pause reshaped her relationship to artmaking.

From there, we explore how she leaned into skills she already had to build a freelance digital marketing practice, eventually forming her LLC in 2022. Along the way, she’s remained deeply connected to the arts through grant work, facilitation, and advocacy for access, equity, and creative opportunity.

This episode is an honest look at what it means to let your definition of “creative success” change over time and to give yourself permission to rewrite the story as you go.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

🎨 Maddie’s journey with fine art printmaking and digital marketing
 🧵 The reality of pursuing a creative career without a “salable product”
 🛠 How nonprofit arts work shaped her understanding of community and access
 ⏸ The creative pause brought on by COVID — and what came after
 🏛 Experiences with artist residencies, including time at Penland School of Crafts
 💼 Building a freelance business by leaning into existing skills
 🌱 Why it’s okay for your creative identity to evolve
 🚲 Finding inspiration, community, and endurance through cycling and outdoor life
 📖 Rewriting your story — and giving yourself grace in the process

You Can Connect with Maddie:

💼 LinkedIn: Maddie Miller

Need Help Shaping a Story That Actually Feels Like You?

Book a Story Strategy Session.

Whether you’re navigating a career pivot, redefining your creative identity, or feeling foggy about how to communicate your work, this one-hour session is designed to help you get clear and confident in your narrative.

🎥 Book your session and use code PODCAST for 25% off:
https://katelyncalhoun.as.me/story-strategy-session

Join the Conversation:

📲 Instagram: @CraftedConnectionsPod
📬 DM us your questions or guest suggestions!

Crafted Connections is lovingly produced by Calhoun Creative Consulting, a strategic storytelling firm helping people and brands tell stories that resonate.

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Keep creating, keep connecting.