Stylist Spotlight: Jen Paul

Not many stylists can say they earned their stripes working at Studio McGee, but that was one of the first jobs for Jen Paul, who has since gone on to specialise in editorial and commercial styling for interior designers and boutique businesses.

‘I had this awakening in my late 20s when I was like – wait – I can make my life whatever I want it be, and I can do what I want,’ she shared on the Imprint podcast.

After exploring options she settled on interior styling, which helped her engage with her passion for creating beautiful spaces.

She joined The Styling Masterclass while working at Studio McGee, which was still in its early days. ‘Your class helped me connect so many dots,’ she says. ‘My journey was a lot easier after that point because things just made a lot more sense. I had a roadmap.’

During her time at Studio McGee Jen says styling was valued, and a key part of the company’s growth. ‘Studio McGee knew the power of photos early on, and put a lot of time and effort into creating beautiful photos,’ she says. ‘It was nice to be appreciated and valued in that way.’

Now Jen works with interior designers, helping them to style their spaces for their portfolios, which is imagery that they can share on their websites and social media.

When working with a client she focuses on the mood that they’re trying to create. ‘I often go back to something I learned in your class about visual storytelling,’ Jen says. ‘That’s my favourite way to approach a shoot – to figure out the story that we’re trying to share. Because once you’re clear on that everything else falls into place so much easier.’

Being intentional about how she creates spaces is key to her success, and sense of joy with her work. ‘My best decision has been to pay attention to what I love and be in touch with my intuition, and listen to what my insights are telling me.’

Jen’s work has been published in Domino, Real Simple and Netflix’s Dream Home Makeover show.

You can listen to her interview on Imprint here.