Entering the world of designer slash blogger slash DIY adventurer and colour magician (and let’s not forget Paint School host) Maca Atencio can be described in one word (coincidentally the same one she uses to describe her design style): joyful. She’s warm, bubbly and full of colour, something you see reflected in every aspect of her creations, from her incredible studio space in Montreal, to her photography and fashion sense.
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Originally from Venezuela, Maca started her journey in blogging ten years ago in Montreal, when she was working in branded content full-time at a local newspaper. When she went on maternity leave with her oldest, Nico, she took the opportunity to “create something cute” by blogging about her life. Maca put her background in marketing, sales and interior design to use and picked up a lot more skills along the way, from web programming to photography courses she took at a local university. The arrival of Instagram changed the game for Maca as brands started to reach out, wanting to partner with her until she eventually made the leap into a full-time creator.
“I was always interested in not only crafting, but making in general,” Maca tells us. “I was always drawn to make things.” She started by sharing all about her mom life, plus recipes on her blog, but eventually, she naturally progressed to share her love of all things design and DIY. “That learning process of DIY made me spark my creativity in so many ways that now it’s what I love the most.”
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“My brand is me. It’s something that I’ve been doing for the past 10 years. If you see a photo on my blog, it’s me who took it, and it’s something that I’ve been very attached to. And that’s what I love about it. It’s like, from my logo, my photos, my editing videos— everything needs to have like a little Maca touch,” Maca tells us. And does it ever. Maca’s signature Maca-ness can be seen in all the extensions of her brand, from her DIY projects that you can find on HGTV Canada, to her lines of calendars, ceramics and original art prints available for purchase on her site (so you can bring a little bit of joy and colour to your own home!). Be sure to keep an eye on her socials as the new Hey Maca fall collection will be dropping soon, and it’s not one to be missed.
The latest Hey Maca’s venture has been the studio space Maca designed and works out of, located in the heart of Montreal. Maca tells us about the unexpected reception she got for what initially started as a place for her to film and store her things. “The studio was just a dream that I had since I started blogging. I was inspired by so many big bloggers from the US that had studios at the time. It was just like my ultimate goal as a blogger. And I found that space almost four years ago, and it was a surprise as well—the same way I had with my social accounts—when brands started to reach out. I had the same shocking reaction with my studio because like, I pretty much decorated it as an extension of my house.” Other creators, brands and even television and film productions started to take notice of the dreamy world she had created, reaching out to rent the space, which created another (unexpected) revenue stream for the Hey Maca brand.
Every day in the Hey Maca studio is different as she works through various projects from inception and ideating, to creating and building, to editing videos and photography. What’s consistent is her love for a good breakfast (arepas from her home of Venezuela are her favourite) and the passion and care she puts into each extension of her brand. As part of that, Maca puts special attention into creating in a way that’s responsible for the environment. “As a crafter, you know you have a lot of waste. That’s one thing I was very concerned about. There are so many materials and so many different mediums that you’re going to keep wasting things. So how can I make this in a very smart, zero-waste kind of twist?”. From a zero-waste desk for the studio to using recycled paper for her DIY projects, Maca challenges herself to craft responsibly as a foundation of her brand.
So with all this already in her empire, what’s next for Maca? The colourful creative is also looking forward to designing and renovating the second floor of her home, and she’ll be sharing the whole process through videos on her newly-launched YouTube channel and DIYs, which you can find on her social or right here on HGTV Canada. Expect to see an open concept with a ton of natural light (a must for any creator), custom touches and, of course, lots of colour. Maca is currently in her sage green era (and we’re here for it.)
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Chatting with Maca will leave you dreaming of paintbrushes and possibilities, both in your home space and in your life. The most poignant advice she left us with was about one of her latest hobbies, pottery, which she picked up during COVID-19 lockdowns. “Something really beautiful that pottery taught me as a DIY-er is that failure is part of my DNA. Before I started making pottery, I was very inclined to think it needs to be perfect on the first run. Now, I embrace failure. So after I started pottery, it helped me so much [as] a maker. I always tried to show the realness of, like, making things. It’s not going to be perfect, you’re gonna keep doing it, and then eventually, you’re gonna get the results that you want.”
Images courtesy of Maca Atencio.
