We were lucky to catch up with Sven Waldhor recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sven, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I love my work, and I am so much internally and personally happier as an artist than I would be at a regular job, other than the instability of the finances. I often think about it, especially in these troubled times. I have been an artist and creative for the last 16 years and right now is the hardest time it’s ever been for a lot of people in the creative industries. The security sounds really nice, but being able to create, and support my family doing it, feels like a win.

Sven, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I created Liminal Artifacts to make mixed metal gold and silver jewelry, Thematically it vacillates between science inspired and fae propaganda. I am proud of the work I create and am deeply inspired by liminal spaces and the juxtaposition of disparate things. Light and dark, city and nature, day and night. This is expressed by the contrast between darkened and textured metals, and the bright play of gold in the darkness.
I have been an artist and creative for the last 18 years. For 15 years of that I owned a successful clothing design company, crafting high end leather garments that also explored similar themes.
Way back at the beginning of my leather journey I was also very interested in silversmithing and was taught basics by a quadriplegic man with a passion for silversmithing and gems who also taught some of my now successful metalsmithing friends. That full story is a story and probably for another time!
With the demands of the clothing company I mostly put it aside for years other than the fact that within that leather business I crafted custom hardware, buttons, snaps, and zipper pulls for my garments. So kind of jewelry adjacent but not quite jewelry… When I left the clothing company in 2024 I decided I wanted to take up metalsmithing full time again, and here I am now in the thick of it all.
In this current iteration of my work I am committed to using the finest metals and gems put together in the most interesting and complimentary yet contrasting way possible. If you like rare gems, textures and contrast, we will get along just fine!
One of my favorite things about my work is doing custom work for people. I love translating the language of a clients raw ideas and wishes into something tangible, meaningful, and shiny. Or crafting thoughtful memorial pieces that compassionately honor life’s ups and downs.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

With the clothing company and now the jewelry I think the most rewarding part has stayed the same. To watch someone put something on that adds to their essence, that armors them, that helps them embody their very own archetype is so rewarding.
To be able to have an idea and then to be able to manifest that idea into metal, into something solid and tangible and real that will last is also extremely satisfying.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal or mission has always been to create and be created in turn by the creation, and to never stop learning and growing as an artist. I never want to stop innovating and creating new things, I love making things I’ve never seen before.
A big goal is also to support and nurture my daughter, who is also a stellar budding artist in a completely different medium (drawing and painting) to find her art’s full expression as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.liminalartifacts.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/liminal_artifacts