Alice and Max prioritize balance between work and creativity

Alice Haux is a doctor, and her partner Max Fröderberg is an architect. But both of them are also craft artists. For the couple, balance in everyday life means being able to combine their careers with their creative drive - an opportunity they are now pursuing in Skaraborg.

Alice and Max met when she was studying medicine in Uppsala and he was studying architecture in Stockholm. When they had both finished their studies, it was Alice’s medical internship placement that determined where they would go. They ended up in Visby, on the island of Gotland.

The internship period was intense for Alice, and when she completed it, she felt she needed a change.

“Life is too short not to work with your hands! Finding balance feels very important for both of us. I really enjoy my work as a doctor, but I also need to be creative to feel good,” Alice says.

Alice, who had inherited tools and materials from a relative who was a gold- and silversmith, wanted to explore the artistic field together with Max. They took several courses and learned the basics.

While the couple lived in Visby, Max worked at the municipality processing building permits, and after several years he was eager to try something new. After Alice finished her internship, they took the chance and applied to Steneby School in Dalsland - Alice for a program in silversmithing and Max for woodcraft. After a year of studies, they both chose to continue with an artistic specialization year, where they had the opportunity to work together in both wood and metal.

“We’re a good team,” the couple says.

A spontaneous application led to a job

After their years in Dalsland, a new shared dream emerged - to combine careers in their respective fields with creative craftsmanship. The couple first moved back to Visby, but they faced one obstacle: it was difficult for Alice to get the radiology residency she had hoped for. After a period of part time work at a health clinic, combined with starting their own smithing business, she realized that Gotland could no longer offer what she needed. Max, too, was ready to leave the island.

“I felt done with being a bureaucrat and applied for jobs as both an architect and in other creative roles, but there weren’t many opportunities available on the island.”

Alice began looking at hospitals that might be interesting employers for her and sent a spontaneous application to Skaraborg Hospital in Skövde. The next day, the head of the radiology department called - and Alice got the residency she had long hoped for!

House hunting

Today, Max and Alice are temporarily living with Alice’s parents in Skövde, but they are house hunting and hope to soon buy a place of their own.

“We have rather specific criteria. We don’t need a big home, but we do want plenty of space to be creative - and it has to be close to the hospital!” the couple laughs.

The relatively low house prices in Skaraborg are a big plus.
“Having high mortgage costs doesn’t go well with trying to build a parallel career as a craft artist in the middle of life,” Max notes.

Supporting each other

Sharing the same goals and dreams makes them good at supporting one another. They describe it as taking turns - during certain periods, one of them can focus more on their creative work while the other carries more of the financial responsibility.

Right now, Alice is focusing on her new job at the hospital.

“I’m in the middle of a four month introduction. There’s a lot to learn, but it’s also really fun - especially ultrasound! All my colleagues are very nice and I feel great here,” Alice says.

While Alice is at work, Max has developed an interest in designing and making pearl necklaces.

“When we packed up our smithing workshop before leaving Visby, I needed to find something else to do that didn’t require as many tools or as much space. I started experimenting with beads and learned how to tie necklaces using traditional methods. Since then, I’ve really dived deep into it! My goal now is to build up a stock so I can sell at markets and find local retailers during the spring,” Max says.

As part of establishing themselves, the couple has begun reaching out to like minded people in Skaraborg.

“There isn’t the same explicit focus on art and culture here as on Gotland or around the school in Dalsland, but it feels like a lot is bubbling under the surface. We’ve met several local creatives through a newly started network, and there seems to be a strong interest in doing things together - something we’re really looking forward to being part of!”

This text has been translated with the help of AI.