Meet Mac McFadden | Sterling Silver Jeweler and Magic Maker

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

Hi Mac, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I currently work a 9-5 as well as owning my own business, so balancing both on top of life OUTSIDE of working has been a constant in my life since I started my business in 2021. It can be challenging to remember to pursue things I love other than my art, but I have to continually remind myself that my life is what feeds my art, and that without enjoying other things my craft suffers. I enjoy making art so much that the division between work and play gets blurred, so I have to be extra vigilant when I’m overworking myself, so as to maintain balance and not give myself burnout.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I always say that my art is focused on creating wearable talismans in the form of handcrafted sterling silver jewelry. My goal is to help imbue peoples lives with everyday wearable magic, enriching the personal power that lies just below the surface. My art is inspired by celestial bodies, folklore & myth, the occult, and the natural world.

I often employ methods of hand fabricated and formed pieces, as well as wax carving and metal casting. That might be one of my favorite methods, but I don’t employ casting as much as hand fabricating as it is a little more time consuming and my current studio is still growing in a way that makes casting more feasible for my number one technique.

I came to love metal casting in college, pursuing a degree in sculpture and theatre design. Upon graduation I worked heavily in the event production industry (which is still my day-job) and began teaching myself Silversmithing during quarantine. It was a very slow process to teach myself, and a costly one at that, but I began little by little until I realized I couldn’t put it down. It was the first Art medium that I knew I’d be spending the rest of my life doing.

I knew then what I know now, that I will always have room to learn, grow, and evolve in this medium. That there is no such thing as mastery, and that learning will forever be the road I follow in this craft. And there is something very freeing in this realization. It leaves room for exploration and play, something that I find highly rewarding and driving in my art practice.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Ohhh…. This is a hard question.

Most of my favorite places to visit are parks, thrift store, or coffee shops. I live in the Donelson area of Nashville and I tend to frequent areas in this part of my community, like Aroma G’s Botanica. I always bring people from out of town to this metaphysical store! Next door is a Garden center called Secret Gardens and it’s the cutest little nursery with a great selection at really reasonable prices. My neighborhood park is Two Rivers, which is honestly pretty huge, and there’s a great path to East Nashville that’s fun to bike along.

I also really like Southern Thrift. There used to be one in Donelson that got closed, but thankfully there are two more in Nashville. The Frist is always a good time for Visual Art, and so is 21C. They have a great restaurant and bar attached called Gray& Dudley’s. I love grabbing a cocktail at the bar and then walking around to look at the art.

One of my absolute favorite places in all of Nashville though is Stay Golden. This is home to the best coffee I may have had in my entire life (and I’m a BIT of a coffee snob). I can’t ever let anyone visit me in Nashville without bringing them here for an amazing brunch and a coffee Ill be thinking about until the next time I return.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
It takes a village to build up dreams into a reality, and there are so many people I have immense gratitude towards for supporting me and helping me make my own dreams come true with my business. The biggest and best support in everything I do is my Husband. He comes with me to every market, helps me price every piece I make and balances my budgets, and helps keep me going if I feel I’ve lost my way. There are so many more things he does for my business that I haven’t mentioned, but I truly don’t know where I’d be without his love and support.

The community I’ve found in Nashville at the makers markets is truly phenomenal. Every vendor I’ve ever met here is amazing and willing to jump in and help each other out. It truly warms my heart to be apart of such a welcoming and growing community of artists. I’ve learned so much from my fellow artists, and I just continue to make new friends at these events. It blows me away the community I’ve found in Nashville with other makers (y’all know who you are!)

And I couldn’t leave this question without a huge thank you to the organizers for events and markets! These amazing humans do so much incredible work to make sure the Arts get there own recognition in Music City. I can’t phantom the amount of time and effort they put into these events, but some of the absolute best Nashville markets I was honored to vend at this year was The Spooky Ghoul Fest, Goddess Craft Market, Porter Flea, Pagan Pride Fest, and the Wicked Markets. These organizers are the best at looking out for their vendors, and are so incredibly passionate about getting our art out into the world. It’s always a huge accomplishment to me every time I get accepted into any market, and these organizers make it always so worth all the hard work that goes into vending at these events.

Website: www.ElementalMoonArts.com

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mac.ElementalMoonArts/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu60EGZeFlcJWnUVhB1e4mw