Shoutout LA interview

I was recently interviewed by Shoutout LA, a California-based magazine covering local artists and interesting stories. Here is their first question with my response:

Hi Maddalena, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?

One of my favorite quotes is by author, poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou: “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” I believe this statement to be true. I think wildlife offers endless possibility for creativity. More nature-inspired pieces I make, more designs I came out with. At times, I find difficult to keep up with my own ideas while sitting at the jewelry bench. Just need longer days…

You can read the full Shoutout article here.

An interview about my handmade jewelry and my work as a marine biologist for Shoutout LA

The moment you realized art fed your soul

I was recently interviewed by the great team of POET AND THE BENCH about my life as a jeweler and as a scientist.
Here are a couple of the questions that I was asked:

Describe the moment you realized art fed your soul.
There wasn’t a specific moment—I was really young when I started sketching animals on a piece of paper. My creativity found expression, first in drawings, and later on, in writing, photography, and jewelry making.

What themes do you pursue in your art?
Every jewelry piece that I make is connected to nature and my life as a scientist. My background as a marine biologist plays a huge role in my creative process, and each of my jewelry pieces tells its own, unique, nature-inspired story. I think it’s important to always tell a story; it doesn’t matter if you write an article or a book, take a picture or make a piece of jewelry.

If you are interested in reading the full interview, click here.