Student Showcase: Madelaina Polk

Madelaina Polk

B.F.A. Photography

Interviews by Anthony Kosenkov

Portraits by Maria-Annelise Coello

What inspired your series “SANA”?

I really wanted to do something that was inspired by the healing of reiki. My other works are completely different from this project. I do a lot of sports photography, which is completely different from fine art photography. With this project, I really just wanted to show people that there are other outlets to heal your body.

How did growing up with reiki influence your world view?

Trust is the biggest part, I think. Growing up around that I’d think “Do I trust it? Do I? Is this something that I want to continue with my own kids?” Stuff like that. After time and after seeing that it was working in my body and it was healing and allowing me to be the person I want to be, allowed me to, like, trust my mom and trust reiki. But I know that for some people they don’t get it, they don’t like it. They want to stick with the doctor, you know who tells them “Take this sort of medicine blah blah blah!” But most of the time we don’t see them healing the thing that’s really affecting them.