We were lucky to catch up with Michelle Antonorsi recently and have shared our conversation below.

Michelle, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

My mother raised me and my sisters’ with so much creativity. We were always drawing and doing crafts for entertainment. I think because of this, art has always been part of my life, I always new it was something I wanted to pursue but I didn’t have a vision of what my artistic path could be. I actually studied architecture, against my architect mother’s recommendation because I thought it would be creative enough and allow me to earn a good living. I soon realized that it was not what I was looking for; the concepts that fascinated me didn’t translate into functional buildings. After graduating I moved to Berlin for a few years where I was exposed to a huge international art scene. This was crucial in my search for a direction and voice, but I spent a lot of time feeling frustrated and lost. Throughout this transition, my family and friends were incredibly supportive and it is thanks to them that I am finally beginning to see my ideas materialize and a path take shape.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was born in Venezuela to an international and very open minded family. When I was about three years old we spend two years in Paris, where my mother pursued her master’s in french art history and my father completely changed his career to follow his passion for cooking and chocolate. Eventually we settled in San Diego, California where I spent the rest of my childhood until  moving to New York City to study at Pratt Institute. Pretty soon into my architecture degree, I realized that I was more interested in images, spaces and experiences than the construction of buildings. As I tried to pivot my career I started exploring across many mediums, from digital animations, to painting, and even cake decorating. While living in Berlin, during one of it’s famously long and dark winters, I started beading necklaces with a friend, this eventually blossomed into a full collection and Maison Michii was born. The creative project currently explores artistic concepts in the form of jewelry and set design. The latest collection is called ‘Playa Luna’ which draws inspiration from the idea of a beach day on the moon. It showcases irregular grey pearls paired with sterling silver and glass beads. We built a huge set in my studio where I painted what became the backdrop for the paper mache lunar landscape. This became an integral part of the collection’s presentation. It’s crucial to me that the concept is intricately woven into every aspect of the work and products which is something that I think sets it apart.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Of course buying their pieces is great support, but also going to their shows and being an active member of the community makes a huge difference. You can also support through social media by engaging with them and sharing their work.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

It’s incredibly rewarding to witnessing an idea or concept come to life through your efforts. Seeing something you create get released into the world is very powerful and also very vulnerable.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.maisonmichii.com
• Instagram: @maisonmichii

Image Credits
photographer: Mattia Amoroso stylist and model: Andrea Antonorsi model: Camila Antonorsi creative director and model: Michelle Antonorsi