In Feature 040 of ‘Conversations Behind The Campaign,’ we sat down with Stephanie Stamatis, a multidisciplinary still life creative specialising in art direction, set design and styling.
Born in Australia with Croatian roots, Stephanie grew up surrounded by layered traditions and a deep appreciation for the smaller, often overlooked details that make things beautiful. Encouraged by her grandmother’s appreciation for objects and storytelling, she developed an early fascination with how everyday items can hold memory and meaning.
Today, that sensibility defines her work. Stephanie creates still lifes that feel familiar yet fresh – using simple forms and textures to evoke nostalgia and explore the connection between objects and emotion. Her distinctive style has attracted an international client list that includes Aesop, Ghia, Summer Fridays, A.Emery, and Goop.
In our conversation, Stephanie talks about turning fear into fuel, knowing when to pause, and why honest conversations about pay and time matter more than ever in creative work.
Did your love for storytelling through visual mediums start early in life, or has it grown and evolved over time?
I think anyone who is lucky enough to be in the creative industry has stories about their creative endeavors as a child. For me, I grew up quite isolated and spent a lot of my time inside the house watching fantasy films and colouring in the lines.
My love of objects was nurtured by my grandmother. She showed me a love of beauty that was unique to her and unlike anyone else I knew. She squirreled away hand made lace and tchotchkes in drawers and always took me shopping for special christmas decorations. These items became special to me. Now I look at objects as story tellers and communicators and use them in my work.
What’s your process when conceptualising a shoot? Do you start with a story, prop, or particular feeling in mind?
I am a sensory person, and perhaps a bit cerebral. I sometimes get an idea or a feeling stuck in my head that I want to explore and through searching for imagery it comes to life. I often feel deeply nostalgic and like to communicate my experiences through objects. So all of the above, really.
How much of the creative direction comes from the brand – and how much is your interpretation of the launch, product, or story they’re trying to tell? Where do you think the sweet spot sits in terms of collaboration and creative license?
I work my best when I can offer my opinion to a client. More recently I am lucky to be working on briefs where clients trust me to take their needs and interpret them in my own way. I very rarely start from zero – the brand will tell me the direction that they want to go in and the shoot priorities and I build the art direction from there.
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I will always respond to a brief with my own brief. I think that’s where the sweet spot is for me. That area where I have immersed myself in the brand enough to be able to confidently offer new solutions.
In a previous interview, you mentioned not having big career dreams early on, partly out of fear of failure. Has your relationship with failure evolved over the course of your career?
I’m still terrified of it. The fear of failure continues to motivate me in the same way dissatisfaction motivates me. I always want to do everything I can do to avoid it so it keeps me working at a level that I can be proud of.
You often take everyday objects and present them in ways that feel anything but ordinary. What is it about these ‘essentials’ that makes them so integral to crafting your still life images?
I love the ordinary and things that are a part of the human experience. They come with their own inbuilt language
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I think that using everyday objects in my work dissolves the wall between the work and the recipient and most people would be able to find a way to relate to what they are seeing.
I also love the shock factor people feel when they recognise an object and are surprised when it isn’t something more coveted and it can be disarming. I also want to make images that feel tangible and a part of the real world. Adding something ordinary gives the image a human element. A crumpled napkin or a bistrot coffee cup is a universal experience.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
Everywhere and anything. I am deeply inspired by vintage advertising and retro objects that remind me of my childhood. I love films about food and food in films, 80’s fantasy and Studio Ghibli. I collect art and photography books. Coming from Australia I didn’t begin travelling regularly until late in my 20’s so lucky for me the beginning of my international experience and my new career in styling overlapped and my visual vocabulary exploded.
How does your inner world – the one that isn’t photographed – inform the sets and styling you build through your work?
A lot of my work has reference to memories. Usually from travel or my childhood. My personal world, at home with my husband and daughter, is just for me. I have found this is the best for me so that I can actually switch off completely. Otherwise my brain is constantly recording which sometimes means I am not present. What I have found though is I am so inspired by my daughter’s creativity and that is making its way into my work totally organically through her unfiltered, naive expression. It’s fun.
You’ve previously mentioned that your happiness in work directly affects your happiness in life. Creative burnout is often underestimated, especially by people outside of the industry, how do you stay creatively inspired whilst also switching off?
Previously, I had a very loose veil between my personal life and my career. The hours in the week were very blurry – I would drag work into the evening or weekends. Now with more help and experience I can carve out family time which I cherish. I don’t switch off entirely but I am definitely more present in my personal time.
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I often struggle with creative burnout and I think I am learning what’s best for me is just being excited for the next thing coming up.
What is your favourite part of working in the field you do?
Creating beauty. We are so privileged in the photo industry that everyday we get to create something that someone will find beautiful or inspiring. Also, I work with my friends most days, so that is always a joy.
How do you grapple with seeing your work – and style of art direction – being imitated, especially in a job where creative output is so closely tied to personal identity?”
This is a very loaded topic. On one hand I find it amusing and I love to see the imitations. My second feeling is perhaps something like flattery that I can in any way influence a trend. Where I become less amused is when my work is being replicated with little imagination and being sold as original ideas. After this many years it’s mostly water off a ducks back.
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I had a wonderful friend tell me to give away my ideas so I can find room for new ones and this is what I try to do. Once something is out it’s not mine anymore. It belongs to the world.
Considering I am constantly referencing artists, it’s the only way I can be.
What has been the biggest challenge in your career and what advice would you share with someone going through something similar?
The biggest challenge has actually been the years it has taken me to learn how to financially value the work that I produce. I think anyone coming up in the creative direction and styling world has a hard time keeping track of all of the hours and receipts, and I wish it was something I found easy. It’s something I wrestle with still so my only advice would be to start these conversations with peers and mentors and make it normal to discuss these areas of our industry.
Where can our audience follow and engage with you on social media?
Thank you! You can follow me on instagram at @stephanie_sombody
