November 2, 2018
As Boston’s cold winter approaches, we’re offering a particularly warm welcome to Aria’s newest team member and North Carolinian, Madeleine Smith. Madeleine just joined the team in October as an account coordinator at Aria. During her first week, I sat down with Madeleine to learn about her passions, favorite music, and even her next hair style. Read on to learn more!
CD: Can you share your 15 second bio? Where are you from? Where did you go to school? What are your hobbies?
MS: I was born in Atlanta and raised in Greenville, North Carolina. I attended BYU (Go Cougars!) because I grew vacationing with my family in Utah and the familiarity of the university felt like going home. I moved to Massachusetts this July, and am loving the tree-covered mountains of the Northeast –my husband and I have hiked the White Mountains almost every other Saturday since moving out here. When I’m not hiking, I’m reading, cooking, or scouring the internet for the funniest animal videos. I really want a puppy, but just can’t justify getting one right now!
CD: What would the name of your life’s playlist be? What are some artists that it would include?
MS: My life’s playlist might be called “Secondhand Awkward.” I’ve never heard or seen another person’s awkward situation without experiencing it with them; it’s this part of me that makes watching The Office almost unbearable. In terms of genre, the playlist would include a lot of alt rock, like the Bahamas and Saint Motel, but also some Whitney to help soothe my angst-y heart.
CD: What are three things you ‘geek out’ on?
MS: Indoor plants, puppies, ceramics. I managed to transport ten plants from Utah to Boston, including an heirloom plant from my great grandmother-in-law! I grew up with dogs, and currently have a labradoodle still living at my parents’ house. Ceramics is my favorite creative outlet. I love the tactical and textural element of the art form. I use a potter’s wheel to create different functional pieces like bowls, mugs, vases, and pots.
CD: What are your two of your favorite social media accounts to follow?
MS: I’m a total Instagram junkie as I love the visual inspiration. @Maldemar’s pictures resonate with me. He makes ordinary moments beautiful and thought provoking, reminding me to be more present in similarly, ordinary parts of my life. I also love @dearlybethany’s content because I’ve learned so much from it about ethical, sustainable, and slow fashion through her style journey.
CD: What’s something that we don’t have in 2018 that you miss?
MS: Blockbuster. I think it’s so silly that I can’t just go to a store (physical or virtual) and pick up a movie for a dollar. I have to text five different family members for seven different usernames/passwords for online streaming sites and then spend the next 10 minutes searching each site. It’s 2018 people! Why is there not a one (cheap) stop for all my entertainment needs?! Okay, rant over.
CD: If you were the winner of the next $1.5 billion (!) lottery, how would you spend it?
MS: One of my top bucket list items is to circumnavigate the globe without flying. I wouldn’t want to fly because I don’t want to miss the in-between places we so often overlook when we travel to one location. By traveling on land and water, I would see how landscapes, people, and cultures shift from one country to the next. I’d definitely use that $1.5 billion to make that dream a reality. I’d also do all of the boring, practical things like paying off student loans and setting up college and retirement funds. And of course, I would donate to charity.
CD: What’s one goal you have for 2019?
MS: To bob my hair—I’m sharing this for some accountability. It’s in writing so I can’t chicken out! Well, maybe…
At Aria we are always looking for talented and passionate individuals to join our team. If you’re interested in learning about a career at Aria, please reach out to Jessica Cohen at jcohen@ariamarketing.com!
