About Madeleine
My name is Madeleine Petti, and I'm the artist behind MaddyMariePaints!
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I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, with my two sisters and my architect parents. I have fond memories of ice skating on the frozen pond in the winter, cheerleading, and always, always drawing. In addition to having creative genes, I was quickly developed an entrepreneurial spirit as a child. When I was five years old, I sold sticks to my neighbors hoping to make a quick buck. Apparently my mom made me donate all $1.25 in profits to the Children's Hospital since five year olds don't have a need for money.
As a kid struggling with what I now know is ADHD and bipolar disorder, I had a lot of fun just exploring with bright colors, acrylic paints, and just getting messy. Art gave me a creative outlet for the nonstop rollercoaster that was and still is my brain.
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In high school I briefly considered becoming a professional artist, but my AP art teacher was not impressed with my colleges, self portraits, or excessive use of glitter. So I dropped out of AP art, and just decided to pursue my art as a Lone Ranger.
I studied psychology at the University of Alabama with the intention of becoming a licensed mental health counselor. However, I found myself constantly drawing and working on art and design projects for my sorority chapter, Delta Gamma. After I got my iPad in 2019, I decided to make a little art account to post my drawings and paintings. Hence, MaddyMariePaints was born. I started off just doing art commissions for my sorority sisters and friends of friends, nothing too serious.
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After graduating college, I entered the marketing industry as a social media coordinator and graphic designer after realizing that I already have too much burnout to go get a Master's in counseling education. I moved to St. Louis from Tuscaloosa to be with my mom after she broke both her arms. When the tech startup I was working for shut down due to lack of work, I fell into a depression. Here I was in a new city with no friends nearby and nothing to do but look for jobs, day in and day out.
I was desperately grabbing at straws to cure my boredom and lift my mood, so one day in June I decided to launch a collection of ready made original artwork. I had a crappy button maker that fell apart constantly, but that didn't stop me from designing and producing a collection of artwork and gifts inspired by Alabama gamedays. I really just made the collection as an experiment to see if people would even be interested in my artwork sans customization. I launched my gameday collection in August, the week after Bid Day (#BamaRushTok, anyone?) so that my friends and sorority sisters would have time to purchase items before the first game of the season.
My Girls on Gameday collection ended up being a huge success. It's been a hectic little journey for me so far, but I'm so excited to see what's on the horizon for MaddyMariePaints!
