25/07/2022
If you haven’t met him before, I’d love to officially introduce you to this amazing man. (Also, it’s his birthday today)
When I moved from NZ to Perth 5 and a bit years ago, he was rocking life as a multi-award winning, beloved, in-demand, wedding photographer. He was being flown all over the world to capture a couples epic day and to tell the story of their wedding. But for him, this work was more than that. When I first met Nath, we had a conversation about why he loved being a wedding photographer. He told me he loved using his camera to remind people of their beauty, value and that their story mattered. That they were powerful and wonderful and worthy of celebration. He is a storyteller. He writes just as beautifully as he captures moments, and to him, it's all the same whether he is using a pen or a camera...he sees and feels the world in such a beautiful and honouring way.
When I landed in Perth back in 2017, I had just wrapped up my wedding and portrait photography business in New Zealand and was starting over completely. New country, new friends, new business, a whole new life. It was really, really hard. He held me, supported me, and reminded me daily about the importance of the work I was doing. Even when it felt like it was too hard to go on.
As my work started to grow and build momentum, we realised that our lives were going to end up very separate if we continued working in our own different fields. So, he wound down his own career, to join me, to support me and to shift his own focus from wedding photography to the thing that actually drives him and excites him...human behaviour, and story. Story as in, the philosophy and tools required to write or create a meaningful one. He is a beautiful writer, and when you meet him, when you hear him speak, this is how he writes. He is reflective, gentle, funny, and deeply emotional. He cares so much about people and asks the most beautiful questions that make a person feel so seen and loved.
We soon discovered that Nath's work around story and narrative theory had a powerful place within the work I was doing around effective and empowering communication in healthcare and education. So together, we combined all our skills, work, passions into a giant melting pot and we have created a most interesting life. We have travelled all over the world together with this work - and even though I am often the face that people see, he is there in the background, quietly making it all possible.
We have published a book together and have at least 3 more waiting...one of them being his first novel!
The thing we are so proud of though is ALLYSHIP. We blend art, science, research and lived experience into an experiential communication program that is making a positive difference in healthcare, education and rare disease and disability support services.
It feels like our life’s work, and we are constantly stretching, growing, learning, and evolving. The heart of this work lies in human connection, redemption, compassion, celebration and above all, love. It’s a truly beautiful thing to build a life around our work, and our work around these values.
It’s not always easy. We have our moments of fear, conflict, and overwhelm. But we choose this every day and keep going. Our measure of success in this work is in the experiences we’ve had with people all over the world, the stories we’ve heard, tears we’ve shared and the freedom to walk our own path.
Happy Birthday Nathan Maddigan
