DIRECTOR & PHOTOGRAPHER SPOTLIGHT: KRISTYNA ARCHER
Xina Giatas interviews her friend, photographer Kristyna Archer.
How did you first become interested in photography?
My best friend in high school introduced me to her darkroom class and immediately I was mesmerized. It’s the most meditative practice, I suppose, like many other art forms. Imagine standing in the darkness with red glows, listening to your favorite jams, and watching your creation magically appear on paper in the developing tray. I felt very connected. I was one of the last classes to go through the BFA program at Columbia before they removed them. I think I latched onto the craft of film being part science, part art, and the attention to detail it requires. You couldn’t help but be invested all the way in the journey when 50 things needed to go right in order to successfully make 1 photograph. It makes me laugh now even thinking about my first couple years in college, where I was given the time, literally assigned time, to develop and process my film! Just hours of my life checking temperature, finding my own rhythm to agitate the film canister, timing it perfectly to not over or underexpose the film - I had so much time on my hands that was given to me! It was the best!
What was the transition like from photographer to director?
Seeking growth and having a burning sense of curiosity are intrinsic to an artist entrepreneurial path, so you have to be comfortable with the not knowing, the frustrations of growth not being linear or immediate, and be fully prepared mentally to fail many times before finding your way. You are being bold enough to embark on a new journey, so give yourself credit for the leap and be patient and gentle with yourself. Who said change and progress would be comfortable or easy? The most crucial thread through any transition you make in your career is to focus on maintaining a clear vision of who you are and where you want to go. Then seek out and surround yourself with brilliant minds and passionate teams that will support your journey and raise you up. It keeps you humble, and you gotta have mad respect for your colleagues and mentors.
Where and how do you find inspiration or how does your creative process work?
This is where we get cliché, just like stereotypes, there’s always a ring of truth - but you have to stay open. What does that mean?! Well I could get LA woo-woo on you, but regardless of how it’s articulated, it’s not BS. Whatever you feed into your mind is what you become, believe, perceive, and output - whether you are aware of it or not. If you enter a creative conversation with stress, anxiety, a sense of scarcity, there will be no headspace available to intake on the magic of the moment that could translate random comment A to your applicable idea G. Unparalleled and sometimes even breakthrough connections can be made when your head is clear and present. Ghandi had it right when he said “Stillness changes the world.” Basically, I think my inspiration and process boils down to this:
Maintain a healthy state of mind. Mindfulness through meditation, hiking, connecting with nature, stepping away from screens.
Carve out unstructured, agenda-less “me-time.” The goal is literally to have no clear goal for yourself. Daydream. Solely allow your curiosity to explore a path that hopefully touches on that limitless headspace you have as a child, when there were no worries! I know eyeroll right, yes it’s really hard to disconnect from all the baggage, but that is the sacred place I try to get a dose of if I am lucky. When time doesn’t exist because you get consumed with something so engaging - that is my goal.
Finally let your ideas breathe. Creating in a vacuum with a brilliant idea that you think you are also the only person on this earth to have thought up, can suffocate it and is also unrealistic. It has the potential to improve with a trusted source, so be collaborative and bounce it off those you respect.
With these principles, I find it nurtures a rhythm of magic and serendipity for me to further develop ideas, find solutions, and get through creative blocks.
What is a project you are most proud of?
I really loved working with Google on their “Change the Game” project. We cast real girls and women in gaming – whether working in the industry or purely lovers of gaming culture. It was deeply satisfying to empower these real girls and women to feel their ultimate best, shine with confidence and strength, and just completely light up about something they were so passionate about. It brought me a lot of joy and a sense of a larger purpose.
Looking at the call sheet from our last project together, there were a total of 55 people on the listed as the crew. As a director, what are your biggest rewards and challenges?
It adds up quickly I suppose to do it right. I have so much gratitude towards every person that shows up is present and has pride in their work, as it’s truly a team sport. There are many factors for things to actually work out right, and a lot of trust, clear communication, and concise decision-making need to be in place. So when everyone shows up, that is true greatness. An overwhelming sense of gratitude rises up to be amongst such a talented passionate community, that I am lucky to collaborate with. That’s one of the most rewarding parts, being apart of different teams with unique perspectives and skill sets. The challenges revolve around learning how to be flexible, solution-oriented, and to not take anything too seriously. There are often many cooks in the kitchen on the client side, and probably 10 rounds of approvals the creative team has had to go through before the project even gets to you, to then bid the project. You have to understand the business, respect that process, and basically be of service to them while elevating it beyond expectations.
Who is your dream client? (Or project, or location, etc)
The truth is I have been flown to the Maldives for work and have never been more lonely! It was incredible to go to such a remote and sought-after destination, and grateful I got to see it. But as I get older, the ‘where’ doesn’t matter. It’s about the company that’s there with you on that journey playing in the sandbox with you. We get to have so much fun most days and some days can be very stressful, but when you are working with people you enjoy you look around and can’t believe you are getting paid to make a salad dressing fondue machine come to life! Dream clients are collaborative, have vision, trust you, and of course like to take risks. I guess one that has always been top of mind for me is Kenzo – I love their tastes, creativity, and the unique stamp they put on all their work – it’s always clearly Kenzo. I respect the whole and the individuality they have articulated in who they are as a brand.
If you weren’t a director, what do you think you’d be doing?
I keep thinking more and more about this big dream I have of creating a youth center to help offset all the defunding that has happened in art programs in schools, but mine would be different. There would be a huge mindfulness component, teaching meditation and emotional intelligence for kids to grow into that awareness at a ripe age to know what options they have when their emotions take over and they feel out of control. In addition, I’d want the curriculum to teach composting, proper recycling, and the overall environmental impact of their daily life choices and their art process of choice. Mental health was thrown out the window in the Reagan administration and now Trump is defunding art programs and the national park system, so anything I can do to stop the bleeding, ya know.
If not that, then focusing on the fastest, most impactful way to shift our industry in prioritizing sustainability and zero-waste, centering around eco-conscious approaches to advertising and production. We have a lot to reconcile.
How do you spend your free time, if ever you have any?
Oh yes, the ebb n’ flow of 200 decisions on set, writing treatments on the weekends, to then crickets - it’s the game! I started meditating a year ago, which has been transformative to my daily life and creative practice. I carve out free time before I start my day - when it’s a priority you make time for it. Then I try as often as possible to go for a hike in my East LA hangs, do creative writing, read a NYT Mag, see live shows, attend some intriguing community events… The new addition to my free time is the vibrant journey of aunthood, meeting my 1st nephew Fitz. Hanging out with him weekly feels like embarking on a new adventure every moment.
What sets you apart from other directors?
My background studying photography informs a different perspective in approach. You’re taught that everything you leave in the frame has purpose, therefore choose wisely, compose thoughtfully, and stand by your decisions - otherwise you will get eaten alive in critique. To communicate a succinct, complex idea in just 1 still image, it requires a certain type of thought process. You don’t have sound or multiple 24fps to tell a larger story. That teaches you the power of adding depth and layers within visual storytelling and translates to a meticulous attention to detail in blocking, in my set and art direction, in graphic compositions for a quick, punchy read, within each frame of my films. I am also a very colorful person, and my vibrant bold palette can’t help but bleed in my work. That’s also probably why I enjoy short-form content, I am trained to think that way. My in-depth understanding of the technicalities of cameras and lighting lends itself to being a bit obsessed with the cinematography side. Most of my DP’s are surprised that I have such an attune eye when they try to change something and think I won’t notice. ☺ Tonally my work walks that line of irony and humor, while not going so far to call it comedy. I find nuances of joy in the mundane and highlight humanities’ quirks and wonderful idiosyncrasies. I see myself loosening up the fashion industry with my absurdist perspective to break up the serious tone they often fall into. And I bring a strong female perspective rooted in reality, embellished to hyperbolize the everyday.
How else has directing impacted your life?
It’s an incredibly stimulating, challenging, and rewarding journey as an artist and filmmaker to embark on, that truly flipped five-fold from the type of projects I used to do 5 years ago. It has opened up a new world of experiences to learn from, grow from, and explore. New neural pathways have formed, like learning a new language. And the bonus is I have a new found creative community of friends to connect with and discuss ideas.
What advice would you give to young female directors who are just starting out?
Research the greats and what’s relevant I suppose, but be extremely mindful of how much you look outward beyond that. Be precious about how you see the world. You are a unique being with pure individuality in thought, approach, and potential for connecting disparate ideas and merging them into 1 transcendent hybrid. The more you stare on your phone watch what everyone else is doing, the more you take up crucial territory for where ideas can populate that are likely more worth your headspace to invest in and create your unique impact.
Name three of the best things about being a director.
Multi-dimensional thought process- meaning cutting the future edit in your head while you are shooting it in the moment.
Community.
The limitless ways you can tell the same story.
Where do you see your work in ten years?
Yikes, great question, how often do I take a second to do an ol’ 5 year, 10 year?!
What’s guiding me currently is this new found awakening to all my blessings, followed by an immediate “what am I waiting for” yelling from within. I definitely don’t have trouble taking actions on ideas and projects, but as I grow the film ideas I come up with keep getting bigger, more challenging, and definitely not cheap. For example, I just naturally started concepting in ideas that involve heavier VFX post, tasteful VFX mind you, not fire & explosions & dragons headspace of VFX, but unimaginable playful storytelling. And inconveniently, VFX is such a high-ticket item. Yet 2020 I am now looking at things differently. If it’s important to me to get something out into the world, there should be no question. Move forward with the journey, no matter how arduous. And broad strokes goals to take action on as lifestyle and career choices, what kind of impact can I nurture and ripple throughout my community to create positive impact on youth, the environment, and carve a better path for women.
To see more of Kristyna’s work, check out her website and Instagram.