Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaxon Buzzell.
Hi Jaxon, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve loved music my entire life, being in cover bands when I was younger performing alt rock songs from the early 2000s. Fast forward a few years and I started expanding my taste into rap and hiphop, I loved something about the intimacy of a lot of the lyrics, shows, music videos and genre as a whole. I then began photography my freshman year of high school and always had the end goal and dream of being in the hiphop photography space in some capacity, I’d always had an interest in photography as my dad and brother had been doing it for years, but I didn’t start taking it seriously until high school. I started out doing street photography as well as some nature photography, I’d always wanted to try portraiture and motion work but had a hard time finding subjects. After a couple of years of this COVID came in and we went into lockdown. Being unable to go out and shoot photos left me with very little creative outlet which although at the time seemed terrible, looking back, it was the greatest thing that could’ve possibly happened to me as it forced me into new avenues of life and creativity.
I got to know myself much better, I matured a lot and took time to reflect what I want in my life on both a professional and personal level and this ultimately led to the creation of my multi-media platform modrNation. modrNation is my business that highlights underground talent in the music scene by interviewing up and coming artists, shooting music videos, and most recently holding live concerts. Coming from a family where my mom and dad both started their own businesses, I’d picked up that love for entrepreneurship and they’d both done it in such creative ways that the possibilities were just endless to me of where modrNation could go. Throughout quarantine, I worked to build the brand and that eventually got me an opportunity to shoot my first music video for an artist named Sideshow, from that point on, it’s just been a snowball effect of new artists wanting to be a part of the brand, shoot videos, or just meet up to play some new music and I couldn’t be happier to have the opportunity to meet so many new and talented people all the time and get to have the platform to create and share my art alongside some of my favorite artists in the world.
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?
Nothing is ever a perfectly smooth road but I’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by incredibly supportive friends and family and have had some great mentors and inspirations over the last years. However, being an eighteen years old business owner and creative comes with commonly being looked down upon and being perceived as unequipped for the task at hand.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about modrNation?
modrNation is my multi-media platform that I use to spotlight up and coming talent in the underground hiphop scene. I use the platform to promote my music videos, interview artists, highlight my favorite underground talent and put on live concerts. I formed modrNation as an escape from the typical struggles of being a photographer, artist or videographer in the music industry, by creating my own platform I control the funding, crediting, and curation of every event, music video, and any other piece of art or content that comes from it. I want modrNation to be known as more than another rap-blog but I want everyone to be able to connect with the brand, myself and the artists I promote in one way or another, whether that be going to a show, getting a picture with an artist, reading an interview, or buying a piece of merch. Everyone can and will have a different experience with modrNation and the integrity and culture behind the brand is what will keep this company so intimate and connected to every person or artist that ever crosses paths with it. Putting on a live show recently was always a dream for the brand and it truly couldn’t have panned out any better than it did, that was a very special experience and something that I definitely plan on doing much more of in the future. I want readers to know that whether you are scrolling the Instagram, attending an event, or anything in between, you can always expect full creative integrity and care behind every post, every artist supported, every piece of merch, and anything else that can be pulled away from modrNation.
How do you think about happiness?
The little things in life have always been what I’ve found the most and truest joy in. There’s always an end goal and bigger picture but if you don’t acknowledge every step of the way, you’re not even going to remember how you got to this end result and for me at least that makes it much less special. I’ve always enjoyed the journey just as much if not more than the destination and that’s what I find so beautiful about art, the creative process, and running a business. There is simply nothing more fulfilling or enlightening than bringing an idea into fruition, it’s the most self-realizing process I’ve ever been through. Visualizing something in your head and making it happen is ultimately my passion, I’ve been able to break that into directing and entrepreneurship but put simply, that is what I love about what I do.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: modrnation.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modrnation/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/jaxonbuzzell/
Image Credits
All photos from concert: Jaxon Buzzell – 2×2 grid photo: Jaxon Buzzell – Fisheye portrait: Jaxon Buzzell – Black&White: Isaac Ruys – Jaxon shooting music video: Dexter Navy – Jaxon in room with photos on floor: Christopher Buzzell
