Silversmith// @Maxwilkey
Photographer// @mahlee_sem23
Tell us about yourself? Where your from, how old you are, etc?!
Yo! What’s good! I’m Max, I’ve lived most of my life in Utah but I spent some time growing up on the east coast in North Carolina and West Virginia and I also lived in Italy for 2 years!. I’m 23 years old, I play the drums and piano, I love being creative whether it’s writing a song, building human spider webs, making dope jewelery etc.
What inspired your collection? Why no gems?
So funny enough I actually found a ring in the forest near my house and it was a simple band with a hexagon on it and I knew I had to make something like it so the next day I basically recreated the ring I had found and much more. and I think it’s good to mix things up! Gems are super fun but sometimes they are too bulky for me so I wanted to try something different.
What inspired you to make "The Swamp"?
I’ve always been a lover of nature. I’ve been hammocking since I was 15 years old and I was constantly building janky tree houses and forts in my backyard and as I got older I had this idea to weave rope nets between trees as a comfortable fun place to hangout so thats how the swamp was born! Since then we’ve done a ton of movie nights, game nights, photo shoots and everything up there!
What was your favorite part in the process of making The Swamp?
I’d say my favorite part of creation in general is seeing what I’ve made to be used and appreciated by others. I LOVE seeing people’s reactions to the swamp when they see it for the first time and same thing with my jewelry, I can’t wait to show people what I’ve made and see their reactions. At the end of workshops when people see their finished product ahhh I love seeing their excitement.
What are your Summer plans?
Unfortunately I’m going to be taking a break from the Gem Studio to go do sales in New Orleans! This is my 3rd summer and I love pushing myself to improve and be better.
What do you do when you aren’t at Gem Studio?
Dream of being at the Gem Studio hahaha. I love spending time with my family. I travel a lot, go on adventures, I’d say I’m a very spontaneous guy that is always up for anything!
Top three fav songs at the moment?
Oh geez idk anything from The Band Camino