let’s bring back slumber parties
LA-based artist duo maddie and christine reflect on 8 years of creative partnership, girl dates and what keeps a friendship growing.
In a video titled “Christine’s Last Day", two women are laughing in bed. One is sitting cross-legged and the other is lying down under the covers. They are talking about their favorite Sanrio characters and looking through souvenirs from the day. Triangles of the night sky peek through a knotted curtain, a yellow orb light warms the room. They are best friends.
Today I’m chatting with every A24-watching, clay-throwing girl’s favorite creatives: Madelynn de la Rosa and Christine Mai Nguyen.
Maddie and Christine popularized a style of Youtube vlogging that romanticizes the mundane through stylistic cinematography techniques. You feel as though you’re watching an alternate universe version of Frances Ha…everything is tenderly cinematic.
Frequently described as “Amélie and Wes Anderson's baby,” Maddie’s vlogs are so charming. The short curly bob. The color grading. The symmetric composition. She captures her life with a sense of wonder that’s hard not to love. I think she has the perfect voice for narrating children’s audiobooks.
Christine was one of the OG “lo-fi” girls on Youtube. Her videos stood in contrast to the peppy energizer bunny vlogs that could sometimes feel like…the sensory equivalent of a strobe light. I would secretly watch her vlogs at my corporate consulting job, quickly switching tabs whenever a middle manager walked by the glass panels of my office. I think if you were on Youtube during the Glossier era, you had a favorite Glossier girl. Mine was Christine.
Ok let’s jump into our topics!
why the best friendships are also creative partnerships
how to move through friendship conflict
is Youtube is really a viable career option these days?
what the clay scene in LA is wearing
How did you meet?
Christine: I want to say we met IRL at an event at The Line Hotel in 2016. We’d been internet friends for a couple years before that just from watching each other’s videos on YouTube. URL friends.
Maddie: I remember Christine shouted me out in a video in like 2013 or 2014 or something and I got really giddy and I was totally flattered because I loved Christine’s videos! Back in those days people on YouTube did tags and shoutouts (it was really fun and friendly and more community-driven I feel like!) So we were on each others’ radars years before meeting :-) I moved to LA in 2015 and we ran into each other randomly in Venice when she was working at Illesteva. That was the first time we met, and then she invited me to an event in 2016 and that was the first time we hung out IRL :-)
What experiences strengthened your friendship?
Christine: Traveling together really helped build our relationship, I think. It’s rare to find someone you travel well with who isn’t a sibling. We went on a group trip to Japan and ended up splitting away from the group multiple times because what we wanted to do with our leisure time aligned more than the rest of the group. I think that made our bond grow stronger.
Maddie: I agree with Christine! We have traveled all over the world together and we get a tattoo each time we go somewhere new. I think our first big trips together were Japan and Berlin! We have so many inside jokes from our trips… I also was in San Francisco for a work trip a few years back and Christine drove up to stay and hang out for a day and it was really sweet. I was like, damn she’s a real one!
How do you support each other’s creative practices?
Christine: We often share ideas, outcomes, outbreaks, even failures…then encouraging one another which is most important at the end of the day.
Maddie: We’re in cahoots (duh) so we are always workshopping ideas and sending each other inspo videos/photos/concepts. We are always thinking about each other in terms of opportunities and ideas and I really value Christine’s opinion. We’ve got a good thing going!
There’s this narrative that Youtube is still the gold standard of social media careers, in terms of actually being able to make a living. What’s your take?
Christine: It can be but if that’s all you’re after, it can become obvious and the content will suffer.
Maddie: It’s funny because we started making videos way before monetization was a thing, way before anyone was getting brand deals. The money is a BONUS. Sometimes you have good months and sometimes there’s absolutely nothing coming in. All you can rely on is doing your thing and doing it for the love of it.
Is social media a good way to make friends?
Christine: I think being on the internet gave me thick skin. I think it’s made me more comfortable to be myself and choose the right people to invest my time rather than spreading myself thin. I think social media is a great way to make friends! It’s such an easy way to find people who have things in common with you or if you’re seeking more variety, find someone different and learn from them.
Maddie: SOCIAL MEDIA IS A GREAT WAY TO MAKE FRIENDS! Way back in the day I would meet people off Myspace lol. And no, I don’t think being an “internet” person really means anything now since everyone seems to be one of those!
Have you ever experienced friendship conflict with each other? How did you move through it?
Christine: Absolutely. I remember working on setting boundaries and I feel like I overcorrected and left some of my closest friends confused. A lot of communication and giving each other space to reflect is important.
Maddie: I feel like Christine has seen me go through so much (sorry Christine! lol) I always see any miscommunication we have as a blip!!! Ultimately we love each other so giving each other grace and space is the way to go!
What are unglamorous realities of maintaining a creative practice with the need to make money?
Christine: I can’t speak for everyone but I often do things I don’t want to do out of fear.
Maddie: I have pushed myself to do daily vlogs, weekly vlogs, hoping that would generate money through AdSense… But it never feels good. It never feels right doing it to try to keep up with some algorithm. If you’ve got it in you, go for it! Creating is such a fun, sacred thing IMO and when you try to push/rush anything it just doesn’t work.
Have you ever considered working a traditional 9-5 job? If you have—what are the pros and cons!
Christine: I have done it and I consider going back all the time! One of the pros is obviously a consistent paycheck and benefits…feeling taken care of. Cons can be exhaustion and feeling like what you’re doing has no greater impact on the world.
Maddie: PROS: health insurance, structure (having a schedule, etc.), good way to meet new people. CONS: could be creatively unfulfilling/not feel meaningful.
Christine, I remember watching a vlog where you talked about the Jesse Kamm sailor pants and how if you lost them in a fire or something they would be the first thing you would replace. And that made me want them. Those pants were such a fixture of late 2010s LA, huh?
Walk me through your fashion evolution.
Christine: OMG I probably said that because they were a huge financial investment for me! I don’t feel that way at all anymore…I think I just got burnt out. In terms of fashion evolution, I’ve been really into sets lately. Even suits! I like looking presentable when I’m not working with clay. I’ve spent the majority of the past 4 years post pandemic wearing clothes that will eventually get clay on it.
Maddie: I remember Christine and I at the Echo Park Craft Fair in like 2017/2018 and she was like… I gotta get rid of my Jesse Kamm’s because EVERYONE was wearing them. I think they were trendy for a while but I haven’t worn mine in years. SAME, Christine! Everything I own just gets messy because I’m usually at the studio so none of my clothes are safe.
I noticed you both really love a funky little hat. Tell me more about that.
Christine: Oh! I used to work at a hat shop in my teens to early 20's and that was a huge "coming of age" situation for me. That's where I grew into my personal style and made a handful of long term friends. My hat collection started there and I've kept some, given away many. I think right now, I'll only reach for hats for more of a functional purpose like sun coverage. I'm fortunate that the hats I have are dressier so it seems more intentional. De La Fuente is a brand that makes my favorite hats. I have a straw one called the Sonora that has an O'Keeffian vibe that I like to wear on walks around the neighborhood. I also made my own beret last year using a pattern from a milliner named Eugenia Kim. That was a huge accomplishment for me.
Maddie: Christine will thrift me hats sometimes or give me ones she thinks are cute! Any funny hats I have have been thrifted (mostly just for fun!!)
What are people in your ceramics/artist orbit wearing?
Christine: Presentable work wear; comfortable, functional, intentional…and then the occasional peacocking.
Maddie: Workwear for sure!!! Minimal, good mix of vintage pieces. It’s clean and cool, I feel like.
Best place to people watch in LA?
Christine: Gallery opening receptions! Or book fairs.
Maddie: Universal Studios lol
Thanks for reading!
Maddie’s Youtube, IG and clay IG
Christine’s Youtube, IG and clay IG
xoxo
viv
I've never been really been into Youtubers except Jenna Marbles (elder millennial here!) but these two are delightful. Thank you for letting me into your lovely worlds.
Awww thank you Viv for having us!!!! 🤗🩷