We had the good fortune of connecting with MaDiaC and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi MaDiaC, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When I was starting my studio I was first acting out of a sense of fulfilling a personal need for an artistic space that could serve as an incubator of sorts for my musical endeavors moving forward. I believe it is important to create a specialized space that psychologically, emotionally, and physically places you in a creation mindset. I wanted to achieve this for my greater network as I invite people from all over the world to come by and experience creating music in Atlanta through the lens of The Dojo.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At The Dojo you will find yourself immersed in a unique fusion of East Asian and Africana Diaspora art and culture. This is exemplified as soon as you walk into the entrance hallway of the studio. There you will find yourself in a bamboo forest before you even step into the main studio room. The purpose or mission of the studio is to facilitate a creative, professional, & diverse environment for artists dedicated to elevating their abilities to the next level. This journey is far from over and although there have been many obstacles they studio is still standing and evolving from week to week.

Challenges did arise such as: time management, payment systems, booking/scheduling and more. However, the through line has been my dedication to solving these issues in the same way I love to create. Exploration and collaboration. The usefulness of third party applications and websites in tandem with the need for core values and expectations for myself as the owner and our patrons has been essential to the development of the The Dojo.

My story is similar to a lot of other people who recently graduated college and found themselves in a pandemic. I saw an opportunity to build the biggest studio I have built to date. The brand of The Dojo is built out of my experiences with the world and the music throughout it. The Dojo itself it meant to be a meeting space for creatives to feel safe, creatively inspired, and most importantly, at home.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Currently my best friend actually lives outside of the city and comes into Atlanta from time to time. For eating, and only because I have an extreme night owl in me, We gotta go to Cook-Out. The food is always consistent for me and you can’t go wrong with a milkshake at around 3am. Secondly, I definitely would have to take them to Slim & Husky’s for some amazing pizza and custom sodas. They always have dope music playing, a hiphop inspired menu in combination with the similarly inspired art and civil rights icons that are depicted its definitely one of my favorites. I personally get a Husky Cee-No-Green. No disrespect to my Slutty Vegans out there.

For places to go I love street art and murals so Krog street is definitely on my list. The Krog street tunnel is a favorite spot of mine in the city and the Atlanta Belt Line is close by also which makes it easy to move around on foot and see the other graffiti pieces that are in the area.

The High Museum would be another place I have to shoutout not only for the amazing art pieces of varying mediums but also the variety of events and artist that are featured from Virgil Abloh to Pablo Picasso.

Lil 5 points would be my next suggestion as there is never a dull moment when going through the stores in the area. I have played gigs, went thrift shopping, crate digging, and more in the same day over there.

Piedmont Park is another nice hang out spot due to the large area there are many different activities you can take part in.

East Atlanta Village is another area that is a favorite of mine if only because of the energy/atmosphere and the fact they have a favorite Thai restaurant of mine next to TEN ATL where there is a music jam session on Monday’s that I like to pull up on sometimes.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to shine a spotlight on my family, and in particular my father. He as been a constant advocate for my musical and artistic aspirations. He and my mom have been willing to act as my advisors, mentors, and loan cosigners. My two siblings are also very supportive and have aided in various funding, construction, logistical issues, and even accounting inside my business. I could not have gotten through some of the tougher times without them reminding me that I am not alone.

Website: madiacmusic.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madiacmax/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxwell-estis-1288ab83/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCql8fJ5FmT1Z89CbkBJU60A

Other: SPOTIFY ARTIST URL: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2JIOeDw91TuhPvx0v0e26F?si=esPh3YLBR3qFx2dDm4R10w

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