Today we’d like to introduce you to Madison Cicchitto.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Well, hey there!! This is so exciting! First off, thank you so much for taking the time to learn a bit more about me!
As you may have already gathered, my name is Madison Cicchitto and, right now, I would describe myself as an aspiring graphic designer with a passion for bringing people together.
After I graduated college in 2023, I felt really weird…but I think a lot of us do? But, last summer I realized my weird feelings were actually here to stay, so I decided to begin exploring my random interests. Enter: queer&all, a community organization I started in October 2024.
At first, I didn’t know where to start, or what I wanted queer&all to be, so queer&all mostly served as an outlet for me to practice web design and graphic creation. But it quickly grew into something much more meaningful. What began as a personal visual design project has evolved into a platform that highlights local queer artists by developing, organizing, and hosting live shows, markets, concert series, and benefit events—each designed to spotlight individuals who couldn’t be more deserving of a stage.
You may be thinking, “But why did you create queer&all?”…or maybe you’re not thinking that. Either way I’m going to answer that question because, honestly, it’s something I like to revisit from time to time. Well, the original why in October – I had just moved to Long Beach alone. I had no friends, I love live music, and I really love gay people. Simple as that y’all!
But much like queer&all itself, the why has evolved too. Now more than ever, I want to serve as someone who brings people together to celebrate culture. I feel incredibly lucky to be surrounded by so many talented individuals, and I’m deeply committed to creating spaces for them—spaces where they can feel safe, uplifted, and maybe even accidentally make a friend or two.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would say in terms of roads, mine has been relatively smooth…just maybe a bit windy? Honestly, I think I just deal with the typical 24 year old gay girl tropes from time to time, but I will still share those here because, truthfully, I wish more people would just talk about how confused they actually are.
So, here I go! For some context, I’m currently living down in Long Beach, CA. I’m originally from the Bay Area and, let me tell you right now, I couldn’t be more proud of that!
I graduated from San Diego State in 2023 with a degree in General Business. I literally don’t know why I did that… I think I couldn’t find a single thing I liked in school (depression vibes), so I just went with what would require the least amount of brain cells (no offense to my business babies!!).
Right after graduating, I started a sales role at an alcohol supplier. I was just trying my best to put my head down and follow the traditional roadmap… highschool to a four year university to a corporate job like check, check, and check! I think I knew the whole time it wasn’t going to be my thing, but I had to try… It seemed so safe, scheduled, and easy. But, y’all!! When I tell you the past 6 years of following that damn roadmap has been the hardest of my life!! I’ve found there is a specific exhaustion that comes from being constantly unfilled that is almost indescribable…like a feeling of being burnt out, but with a terrible overlay of guilt because you aren’t really trying your best at anything.
Anywho, last summer, I hit a breaking point and just couldn’t take it anymore. It was clear something had to change! The current roadmap was simply not working. It got to a point where following the traditional roadmap was worse than being lost with no map. So, in August 2024, I did make a change!
I packed up my things and moved to Long Beach all by myself! I began taking design classes at Long Beach City College. Honestly, that’s probably where things started clicking for me. These little classes at LBCC marked the first time in my life that I didn’t care that I didn’t have a natural talent for something. I didn’t care because I could work on my designs for hours and it would feel like no time had passed at all. I loved it. And I just knew I was going to work harder than everyone else… because I finally felt passionate enough to do so.
Looking back, I don’t think my road is full of dramatic closures or potholes (Even though.. Wow! Can my little brain make it feel like that sometimes!). I think it’s more just a lot of quiet moments of doubt, second-guessing, and trying to make the right choice without there even being a right one.
I like my road though, because I’m starting to learn how to trust myself — noticing when things don’t feel right, choosing to leave situations that drain me, or letting myself move towards things that excite me, even if I’m not sure where they’ll lead.
For a long time, and sometimes still, I assume everyone knows better than me — about my career, about my purpose, about what I should want. But this past year, I’ve been really trying my best to take my own voice seriously. And even though I still feel so lost, I’m starting to believe that doesn’t mean I’m doing it wrong — it just means I’m doing it for me!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Great question! It feels like I do a lot of things.
Right now, I’m going back to school and pursuing design. I really like it and I think most things I do, I design.
I design events by going to lots of shows, listening to lots of music, reaching out to lots of bands, talking with lots of vendors, researching lots of local artists, bothering lots of venues, working with lots of local beneficiaries, and, ultimately, bringing together lots of people that I have never met and just kind of hoping it works?
I also design flyers. I love the process of designing flyers. I get so inspired by each event – the bands, vendors, venue, beneficiary – that when it comes time to make the flyer, I’ve already got probably over 50 different concepts worked out in my head. I start by sketching my designs on paper and then quickly move to my iPad, where I draw most of my designs by hand. My favorite part of the flyer-specific design process is all the different versions and iterations that come with it. Then, oh my gosh, I just love to send them to my friends (the ones that don’t judge me obviously), my little sister, and few of the bands or vendors. I love to hear everyone’s feedback so much – good, bad, or indifferent – because, regardless of how people feel about my designs, they interacted with something I made…and that’s so fun for me!
Though I love designing events and flyers, I think I am most proud of my work designing narratives through film photography. Capturing events is particularly meaningful to me because I get to craft how something is remembered. ANd I’m forced to grow every time I shoot film photography because I literally have to trust myself. Trust what I see, how I see it, and what I notice, what I value, what I feel, what I think others feel? I don’t know. But then, the best part, I get to share that perspective with others. Ugh! What an absolute treat!
I think what sets me apart from others is how much I appreciate the experience of designing from start to finish.
I absolutely love the process of designing — creating a concept, curating all the different pieces, and then carefully bringing everything together. However, I think I equally enjoy sharing my finished designs with people. I really look forward to seeing how the things I design make other people feel. For me, design is really powerful because it is based on the choices you make and how those choices are perceived by other people… haha wait, it’s actually kind of scary when you think about it like that…but, oh my gosh! How special!
How do you think about happiness?
Dude, for me, it’s the people around me—family, friends, and my favorite strangers—and those random little moments of almost mundane connection.
I get really into the small day-to-day stuff: calling my sweet friends, sharing a meal, locking eyes with a damn animal, laughing at something that’s objectively not funny, kindness from someone I probably will never see again, and the unexpected, meaningless things that just go my way.
What really makes me happy is knowing that I’m part of these moments, people, and shared experiences. On days when I feel weird, overwhelmed, or undeserving, I remember that those moments and people are still here because I’m here, and I’m part of it. And then usually I can get myself to at least crack a cute little half smile or something.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://madcicc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madcicc/
- LinkedIn: https://queernall.com/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/queernall/
Image Credits
Justin Reynolds, Michael Arroyo, Madison Cicchitto
