Today we’d like to introduce you to Sofia Branco Kraft.
Hi Sofia, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My name is Sofia Branco Kraft, and I am a multidisciplinary artist from Santa Fe, NM, currently living in Los Angeles. I have always been interested in a creative visual practice of sorts since I was young, and being Portuguese, food was also always at the center of every conversation and experience. Over time, I found that my practice revolved heavily around visual and visceral experience around food. Touching, tasting, cooking, plating, sharing, etc. In my early 20s, I lived in Portland and worked with Eva Kosmas Flores, a combination recipe developer, stylist, and photographer, as well as for an open-fire cooking company, Tournant. This community of folks heavily influenced my love for cooking, food, and experience. I began coming to Los Angeles for work as a food stylist as well as a prop stylist and set designer, and once all my work continued to bring me to LA, my partner and I decided to make the big move a couple of years ago.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think most roads make way for bumps and bruises. I think the biggest thing was continuing to maintain confidence in a non-traditional path when it comes to work. I am 31, and I have never worked a traditional 9-5 job or a job with a predictable schedule. There were many times that I thought that it would be easier and more stable to go about work in a different manner, but I stuck to the random jobs, the passion jobs, and the in-between to really figure out where I fit. I do think that I will always be tweaking and adjusting what I do as I learn more and life presents itself, but sticking to my gut really helped me build confidence in my creativity and my work.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I work for myself, and because of that, my work can look very different from week to week. In the food realm, I am hired as a recipe developer, cook, food stylist and installation artist. In the prop world, I am hired for set design and prop styling, which sometimes includes food styling. In LA, I often work on set for photo/video shoots. I am most proud of my creative work with food. I really view food as a medium, and when I can create a visual experience that we can then enjoy with all of the senses, that is when I feel the most satisfied with my work. I think that some of my work comes to me through my personal aesthetic, while some is a lot more straightforward and more uniform.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
As a baby and young one, my mom tells me that I was always very curious. We traveled a lot to visit family, and I was always walking up to people and asking what language they were speaking and making new friends. At home, you could find me crawling on the countertops, asking to stir the soup or chop the vegetables. So yes, I would say overall, a very curious one.
Contact Info:
- Website: sofiabrancokraft.com
- Instagram: @sofiabrancokraft
Image Credits
Williejane Dent
Hannah Faith Lord
