Femme of All Trades, Master of the Moodboard

Meet Albane, a Margate-based creative balancing art direction, styling, production, and socials. Between Hawley Square studio time and shoots, she’s fuelled by teamwork and strong visual ideas.

You’re usually behind the camera or posting everyone else’s work – so tell us a bit about you and what you do outside of Hawley Square?
Hi! I’m a full-time freelancer currently based in Margate, I’ve been here for the last 3 years, after moving to London from France in 2017.

My background is in digital marketing, and over the years I’ve worked across a range of companies and brands, whether as an employee, consultant or contractor.
I mainly work within beauty, cosmetics, interior, fashion and hospitality – from drinks brands to restaurants. I like to think of myself as a bit of a jack of all trades; you’ll usually find me juggling ten different projects at once. Day-to-day, my work spans social media management, content creation, art direction, styling and production.
It’s a lot… and honestly, sometimes I even struggle to keep up!

What does a typical week look like for you between freelance work and Hawley life?

“Typical” isn’t really the word for me, but I do try to keep some kind of routine – wake up, coffee, get ready, walk my dog, then start work either from home or from the studios.

At Hawley Square, you’ll usually find me working from the living room so I can say hi to everyone, or tucked away in the little meeting room when I really need to focus.
I dedicate a few hours each week to Hawley Square, then the rest of my schedule tends to shift around depending on incoming jobs, shoots or projects. I’m constantly adapting.

So far, I’ve already worked with three different people from Hawley Square, it’s such a great place to connect and collaborate!

What kind of projects are you most drawn to creatively?

I’m definitely a shoot girl. I LOVE the art direction side of things – the research, the references, building the world around an idea. Once I feel inspired by something, I can’t get it out of my head until it’s made.

I’m most drawn to projects with good collaborative energy. I don’t work particularly well under constant stress, I much prefer being hands-on creatively, shaping the art direction and building a team of creatives around a project.

Lifestyle and editorial shoots are probably my favourites at the moment… although that’s always changing. More than anything, I love connecting with people.

Is there a project, shoot or collaboration you’ve worked on recently that you’re particularly proud of?

I’ve been collaborating a lot recently with Greta In Flowers and The Eden Stories. We’ve been self-producing projects together, having fun with it and honestly, it’s been really refreshing just us and our not-so-silly ideas.

I also worked with Studio Boum to style a table for a Byredo dinner at the Hayward Gallery, assisted Camille Roman at the Turner Contemporary style a few weddings, and Art Directed/Produced content for the NYC launch of The Fall Bride.

But honestly, the projects I’m most proud of are the ones that felt good to make, the ones where we laughed the most along the way.

What’s your favourite thing about being based at Hawley Square Studios?

I love working with Hattie, she’s so kind and fun to be around. I also love bumping into my friends Emma (Bright Island) and Gita (Greta In Flowers), and getting to collaborate with them too. There’s a real sense of support and community here.
The garden is adorable, Glenn does such a great job with it. I can bring my dog with me, the small meeting room becomes a complete sun trap towards the end of the day, and the studios are super well located in such a beautiful building.

What are you listening to / watching / inspired by lately?
I’ve been listening to a lot of Happy Place podcasts when I was training for the Hackney Half, alongside quite a few French podcasts. Especially the one by Alice Moitié, who I think is such a cool photographer and art director.
Travel and time away always inspire me. I was lucky enough to go to Marrakesh recently and completely fell in love with it, the people, the food, the colours, the countryside, the craftsmanship… Everything felt incredibly inspiring. Absolutely stunning – take me back!

Anything exciting coming up you’d like people to know about?
I always seem to have exciting projects on the go. I’ll actually be rebranding and relaunching my solo work very soon, which I’m really excited about.
Keep an eye out, and if you’d like to collaborate, send me a message at @je.suis.albane.

Follow Hawley Square Studios on Instagram here
Follow Albane on Instagram here
albane.works@gmail.com & press@studioworkspaces.co.uk