when blogging becomes art - dietlind wolf

Monday, October 31, 2011

when blogging becomes art - dietlind wolf

I first noticed Dietlind Wolf's picture on her blog that looked so light and carefree that it stopped me in my tracks.

Dietlind works as a stylist and occasionally as a photographer. In her spare time (!) she also makes stunning porcelain, that she worked out how to dye instead of glaze - I love it!!

I'm always interested in someone with a job I think I would have enjoyed, so I asked her a few questions.

Hi Dietlind, thank you for letting me show your work. Would you describe yourself first as a stylist or as a photographer?

Thank you for inviting me! I am first of all a visual designer, I love the stylist's part of putting a shoot together, playing with a look, then I love the photographer's role of discovering how that look works. I like inventing feeling concepts and then filling them reality.

How did you get into this line of work?

I used to teach in a private art school where I loved working with the students, but I missed being in business. A friend told me about the role of stylists, something I knew nothing about! I was very excited and told all of my friends about my new career, and I got two bookings straight away!

You seem to work for magazines, but I see there is also a book out, can you tell us about that?

That's right, I work mostly for magazines, but the Teatime book came via my blog. I loved this project, I was able to do all of the styling and visual concept, and even the illustrations.

Teatime can be found here

To create this sort of book we work as a team of three. The stylist, the food stylist and the photographer. We work for a week or so solidly, and it's always amazing to start off with nothing and seel that after 10 days non-stop work you have 50 or 80 pages filled.

Does your blog play a big role in your work, has it brought you new clients for example?

Yes it really helps and in a very unexpected way. the amazing feedback.( thank you to you all!!!). I started the blog in the year Donna Hay magazine printed our Heaven and Earth Christmas Cookie story. Up till then I had never published on line because I didn't know how I wanted to use a website. After the Donna Hay article I decided to use the blog as a portfolio where I should showcase work when a story was in print.

concept + styling : dietlind wolf

photos : walter cimbal : in print : billa issue 4

Is it easy to 'turn off' at home , or do you find yourself aranging things as if you wre on a photoshoot?!

You wouldn't believe how I live, in between my ateliers and my collections of props. The only arranging I am able to do at home is to place my props onto shelves. At least they look reasonable and I can find what I need! If I invite friends over then its like on a shooting. Attention focussed on the moment to make things look just right.

styling : dietlind wolf : photos : julia hoersch

food : hermann rottmann /petra speckmann : assistance: anka rehbock / felicitas grunenberg

in print : freundin issue 8

Do you think that your work is very 'female', is it a job you'd recommend to a young artistic woman?

There is a clear masculine side to the work, but funnily it seems that women slip more easily into the role of stylist which is often in second row.

But then women bring a a deeper understanding of what the client wants. There is an unspoken hidden responsibility, it's a world of "I like", " I don't like", and a lot depends on moods.

It's difficult to recommend a career that is so artistic and is still a journey of development on the inside as on the outside. Success depends on so many things, mostly on support of friends and family who trust in you. Sometimes the team doesn't fit, but you are booked for the result and you have to find a way to be creative even when it's difficult.

If you need the safety and security of a 9 to 5 workday week , with fixed weekly appointments, then this job is not for you, but if you like your freedom more than the above, and you like the body fitness that's comes with racing around putting shoots together then yes, you'd love it!!