It’s time for a new series, my friends – Creative Mix. One of the blessings and curses of creative people is that many times we have a LOT of interests. We might be writing fiction in the morning, working on a painting in the afternoon, and editing photographs at night. So, how does that work? What are some of these creative jobs like? I’m looking forward to getting a glimpse inside the lives and ways of some awesome people.
I’m kicking it off with Sana Keefer. Sana is an interior and prop stylist, and the owner of the vintage decor shop Pip & Estella. Sana is also the creative director for her husband’s photography venture, Haya Culture.
Woah, right? Creative people are BUSY, you guys!
What is your creative mix? Tell us about all the awesome things that you do.
My creative mix is very visual. I’m a stylist, a vintage decor shop owner and creative director. As a freelance interior and prop stylist I work on styling stills, product, editorial and food. That diverse sort of skill set has allowed me to be a supplier for large retail influencers and contribute styling or creative content to full spectrum lifestyle media companies. I have been lucky to partner with amazing brands that are changing the design industry on and off line.
Interior/prop stylist is one of those dreamy glamour jobs. Tell us what it’s really like – the awesome and the awful.
Such a great question. At a conference last week someone asked me if I ever work on the weekends as a stylist. I almost fell out of my chair laughing because I work every weekday and every weekend unless I’m on vacation. I think every small business owner does in some capacity. This is why it was important for me to build a business doing what I love. I don’t see how my company would survive if I treated it like a 9-5. The upside is that when you make a career out of something you love, even the awful doesn’t seem so awful.
Since I run a vintage decor store it makes sense to maintain my own prop inventory which means sourcing and cataloging it. It’s a huge time-saver when I’m pulling props for a freelance shoot because I can quickly look to see if there’s something on the shelves that I can cross off the shopping list. Some days are dedicated to standing on 10ft ladders in the studio cleaning 30 years of dust off props to shoot and catalog by size, color and style. (Latex gloves and spray cleaner being the complete opposite of glamourous). But there are other days where I’m marveling over the one object in a finished photo I happened upon at an estate sale because it makes what would be just a picture become a story — my fave!
I’ve noticed that Evan (Sana’s husband) photographs some of your styling projects. How often do the two of you work together on creative projects, and what’s that like in terms of creative direction?
Before Evan and I were married we were so nervous about working together too much for obvious reasons. But the demand began to increase so we didn’t really have the option not to work together. I help him with the creative direction for his photography venture, Haya Culture and he helps me to push the Sana Keefer brand to a more modern space. I’m tech savvy but he has the technical know-how to help me translate my ideas. When you see food moving on my site, he’s made it happen with stop-motion or time-lapse. It can be tough to work with a loved one but once you get it right, magic can happen.
You have a lot of things going on in your life. How do you stay focused and make sure that you’re working on things that are really important to you?
I think half of it is discipline and the other half is making sure that you’re surrounding yourself with people that will support you and remind you of what you are trying to accomplish, whether that be directly or leading by example. It doesn’t always have to be someone you see all of the time, it can even be a blogger with a great work ethic that you follow. Inward Facing girl is one of those places for me!
How has blogging and social media impacted your career?
Both have made a world of difference. Even when I had my brick and mortar retail store in Brooklyn, the majority of those people came because I was visible online. It created a level of trust before they even walked in the door. It’s also been great for my styling work. Clients have found me through my blog, Twitter and Instagram. I like to think of my blog as a place for inspiration, motivation and resources for daily living while Instagram gives readers and potential clients a glimpse into my real life and personality. Twitter connects it all. When I’ve hired freelancers for my own business, I’ve always selected people that demonstrated their talent in addition to behavior that would indicate that they were professional, fun and easy to work with and 99% of the time it turns out well!
Thank you so much for stopping by, Sana!
So what do you think of the new series? Is there a creative profession you’re dying to know more about? Be sure to let me know!
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