We were lucky to catch up with Hadley Sui recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Hadley, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?
Reading and stories have always been important to me. I have kept a daily journal since high school, and that practice has been my bedrock for stress relief, creative ideation, and risk-taking. When I look back at my ramblings, I want to read a good story and see growth. I want to recollect my life someday and have no doubt that it was a grand adventure! I believe that no good story comes from a stagnant, risk-free place. As a freelancer, there will always be a need for balance between security and risk, but my biggest payoffs have all been due to heightened risk. Conquering one risk builds momentum to tackle the next, and so on… In a nutshell, keep a journal or start a daily writing practice! Track your wins and what led to them.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a commercial food stylist and cookbook author. My book, “Oishisou!! The Ultimate Anime Dessert Cookbook” was published in 2022, inspired by my pastry background and time spent living with host families in Japan (and of course my love for slice-of-life anime). As a freelance food stylist, I work on photography and video sets. I source, cook, prepare, and style food so that it’s ready for the camera. I love that I get to work with a variety of diverse CPG and food media brands, all with their unique challenges. Two jobs are rarely alike. Some past clients include Pillsbury, McCain, and Coleman. Recently my role has led me to work with a competitive eater, an international chocolate brand, and a dog food brand. One of my favorite projects to date has been a maze I made out of cereal for the brand KITH Treats, when they were promoting a Greek mythology capsule collection. Another favorite project was styling hair out of cotton candy for a model to wear in a fragrance shoot. I think it’s so incredibly cool that I get to play with my food for a living!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. Developing versatility. If you’re a freelancer, there will be seasons of plenty and seasons of drought. To alleviate this, at times I’ve taken on recipe development and prop styling projects, and have also fallen back on my social media strategy experience, curating accounts for clients. While there is value to specializing your skills, there is also value to developing skills in adjacent areas that might offer room for growth during times when your own lane does not.
2. Knowing your audience. Speaking to my previous suggestion, it’s golden if you can do a lot of things, but I recommend only sharing the most relevant ones when you’re pitching a client. Someone looking for a food stylist will likely not care if you used to run ads on Meta or sell cakes. When a client is looking at your portfolio, if they don’t see exactly what they’re looking for, they may move on to someone else. Have examples of everything under the sun that you can share when the time is right.
3. Documenting the process. Keeping a blog throughout pastry school and my early days working in New York kitchens led to my first cookbook deal. Be ready with ideas and material when opportunity strikes.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
My mom encouraged all kinds of arts and craft projects. This instilled in me a lifelong inclination to make time for creativity. One year, she even let my brother and I paint our entire kitchen window (it was a big one) with a Halloween-themed mural in acrylic paint. It took a while to scrape it off once the season changed, but it was incredible to undertake such a massive art project as a child. I often still find myself seeking out artistic side quests as an adult, like acting classes and watercolor paint parties. I think it’s important to make time and space for little creative projects unrelated to work, regardless of whether or not you work in an artistic field.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hadleysui.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hadleysui/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hadley-sui-71021b75/
Image Credits
Wini Lao – cotton candy photos
Please also credit Summayya Wagenseil, the model in the cotton candy shots
Jackson Sui – bookstore and cake photos
Sarah Pleitez – donuts on set photo
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
