Tahnee Carroll was destined to work in interiors and design, she just had to work out exactly how. โAs a kid, my room was never in the same layout for more than a month, I changed everything all the time! Whether I knew it or not, the creative within had found a direction.โ
Beginning her career in interior design for a luxury firm in Sydney, it wasnโt until two years had gone by that she realised it wasnโt the direction she wanted to go in. โInterior design wasnโt quite perfect for me career wise, it didnโt stimulate my creative side enough to warrant staying, but I loved interiors. I just needed to find another outlet and found photographic styling to be the perfect role for me.โ
Approachingย Real Livingย magazine for a weekโs work experience, Tahnee instantly fell in love with the fast-paced, creativity-fueled world of photographic styling. Following thatย work experience, she was offered a role as a styling assistant and worked alongside some of Australiaโs best, including Glen Proebstel and Sarah Ellison.
Assisting at Real Living for two years, she did everything from searching far and wide for that one perfect prop, unpacking products, painting and building sets and moving furniture and accessories. โYou wonโt need a gym membership, let me tell you that!โ
Yet while she loved her job, a six-month trip overseas gave Tahnee the inspiration and confidence to step out on her own: โI decided it was time to give assisting the flick and show the industry what I could do! I created a number of moodboards of shoot ideas and put them to the editor of Real Living, Deb Bibby, who then gave me my first job styling the Weekday Meals food segment. Safe to say it was a hit and Iโve been styling the food and entertaining stories ever since.”
Since that first job being published in Real Livingโs March 2014 issue, Tahnee has progressed in leaps and bounds, styling a whopping 17 pages in this monthโs issue of Real Living and being a contestant in Inside Out magazine and The Homeโs Search for a Stylist contest (you can vote for Tahneeโs entry here). The competition has seen wannabe stylists pitted against each other toย create a mock Inside Out cover (between you and me, Tahneeโs is my fave!) with the winner getting the chance to style a real Inside Out cover and become a senior stylist at The Home.
โWe were given a small number of products from The Home to select from and use in our cover shot,โ explains Tahnee. โThen we all had to design and build sets which we believed would stand out to the Inside Out readers in order to get them to vote for us. On shoot day, it was all very secretive, closed studios, tight-lipped editors and hovering stylists. The contestants werenโt allowed to see each otherโs sets and everyone was watching you as you tried to create the winning cover. I had so much fun, but it’s so nerve-racking waiting for the results!โ (You can vote until 23 July).
While Tahneeโs assisting days are now behind her, she is very grateful for what that time gave her, recommending the experience to all budding stylists. โAs an assistant, be prepared to go the extra mile,โ says Tahnee. โIf the stylist wants blue hydrangeas that are out of season and the only florist in Sydney that has them is an hour and a half away, well then you’d better start driving if you want to beat the traffic!โ
Tahnee is proof that if you do the hard work and soak up all the knowledge and skill around you, you can make it as a stylist. Just donโt be afraid to take a chance: โBe outrageous,โ says Tahnee. โSometimes you hit, sometimes you miss, but thatโs all part of the learning process and developing your skills.โ
Love Tahnee’s work? Follow her on Tumblrย and Facebook.
So, you want to be a stylist too? You should read this! Or read all our styling-related posts.
