(Former) Resident Advisor: Max Machen

Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Max Machen, an Illustrator that creates bright, visually witty prints, scarves, caps and more! I lived in Edinburgh for a brilliant five years but recently moved to Sheffield and I’m already missing it.

What’s been a highlight of the last 12 months for you?
It’s been great to get back to lots of drawing and printing making my work again. I’ve got a one-and-a-half-year old so for a while everything had taken a back seat but now I’m settled in a new city It’s been so fun scribbling down new ideas.

What’s coming up in the future for you?
I’m working on an exciting collaboration with D.C.M Garments, a clothing brand in Glasgow which I’m really excited to get going with, so watch this space – it's going to be something new and really fun!

Where do you recommend people go in Edinburgh? 
A must-do is to climb up Arthur's Seat and the Crags for the panoramic views of Edinburgh. I’d also head out of the city centre and go for a walk down Leith Walk and check out the Shore. There’s a great coffee spot on the edge of the water called Custom Lane. A place I really miss already is Portobello, Edinburgh’s seaside town. Go get a pizza from Civerinos and eat it on the beach!

Favourite place to eat?
There’s nowhere better than Polentoni on Easter Road. It does the most delicious sandwiches, pizzas, salads and cakes and it’s all made in the shop by the Italian owner. It’s also great value and was dangerously close to my old studio. The only downside is you can’t sit in but there is a nice park nearby.

Favourite place to drink?
If it’s alcoholic drinks you want Paradise Palms is a fun vegan restaurant/bar/club in the centre of Edinburgh. Down at the Shore the Malt and Hops is a great place that you can get takeaway pints from and sit on the river edge and bask in the sun or watch the sun go down. Or Spry at the top of Leith Walk is a nice boujee wine place.

Spry. Image: Siobhan Nevada.

But I'm more into coffee so here’s my list of coffee spots to check out: Red Kite Cafe, Leith Allotment Cafe, Söderberg, Tills & Co in Portobello, Burr & Co, Ante, Elm Row Cafe, Fortitude, The Milkman.

Favourite shop?
Edinburgh Mercantile in Stockbridge is a small but beautifully curated shop – everything in there is very nice and I find it very inspiring. But I also have to mention my loyal stockists! Red Door Gallery, Independent Zebra and Curiouser & Curiouser are all great shops for lovers of art and design.

Why did you like living here?
It was amazing to live somewhere that looks so beautiful, every turn there’s another great view. The people of Edinburgh were also always very friendly and welcoming and I’ll miss the people I met there. I also loved living in a city that has a bit of everything, from busy city life to peaceful hill walking and beach lying.

What annoyed you about living here?
I didn’t know about the Edinburgh haar before I moved there but I definitely won’t miss it. It can be a glorious sunny day and then you see a bank of cool fog rolling off the Forth and into the city, blocking the sun and cooling everything in its path. Also, although this is for the Fringe guide, I have to say the swarms of people that descend on Edinburgh over the summer can get a bit annoying (no offence haha).

Do you have an Edinburgh festivals survival tip?
Don’t try and see too much! Leave time in-between shows to soak up Edinburgh.

Apologies to the west of Edinburgh I feel like I’ve left it out but I always lived in the east so that’s where my main haunts are but I’m sure there’s lots of top places to explore elsewhere too I just don’t know them!

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You can find Max Machen's work including prints and apparel at Red Door Gallery, 42 Victoria Street; Curiouser & Curiouser, 93 Broughton St, 106 Bruntsfield Pl; An Independent Zebra, 88-92 Raeburn Pl