Aboard Elsamuse’s Enchanting Family Houseboat

I’d say I’m a passionate jack-of-all-trades who works mostly on instinct. My hands are in the soil and my head in miniature sets. I deeply believe in the power of the handmade, the real, the slow. I think what I’m always searching for is poetry in the small details. I’ve already lived several lives, and as I told you, I hope there are many more to come. And alongside all that, I’m a mother—soon to be of two little girls. For those who are into astrology, I’m a Libra with a Libra rising, and I think that combo suits me pretty well! (Laughs.)

I did a preparatory course for HEC and then went to business school, where I specialized in marketing. I started my career in the world of cosmetics. I was a product manager in marketing and development. I learned the rigour of formulations, the power of storytelling, the importance of every little detail when it comes to skin. Alongside that corporate job, I started a blog—it was a space of freedom where I could explore my creativity, try out photography, video, and also a kind of handmade animation that ended up changing everything for me: stop motion. That blog gradually led me into advertising. After six years in the corporate world, I decided to go all in. I negotiated a mutual departure, and now it’s been ten years that I’ve been creating and producing campaigns for luxury houses, mostly in perfume, skincare, and beauty.

I realise that what I truly love is telling stories through images. And to do that, I chose a very specific medium: stop motion. It’s volume animation, frame by frame, very demanding, very artisanal, where everything is handmade. Every set and puppet is sculpted, every movement animated down to the millimetre, frame by frame. It’s a technique that celebrates slowness, the human touch, imperfection, materiality, craftsmanship, transmission... In a world saturated with digital content, I wanted to take the opposite path and bring the real gesture back into the image. I re-read the interview I did—I can’t remember if it was in 2018 or 2019—for The Socialite Family. And it’s funny because back then, I was just about to start a series of stop motion training courses. You see, until that point, I was mostly self-taught. I had learned model-making, so building mini sets. Then I learned to animate, then to make puppets too. I wanted to learn it all, go deep into each skill and understand everything. Today, that mastery of all areas of stop motion, of all the roles, lets me design entire films and especially lead teams of specialists. I say “specialists” because I know the jobs, but in reality, these are truly lifelong crafts. So someone who wants to specialise in stop motion can’t do everything. But now I can direct teams—animators, set designers, costumers, sculptors—because I know what I’m talking about. I can bring them into my world to help bring my ideas and films to life, with a real understanding of their expertise. So my job is to imagine commercials, design them, write them, respond to brand briefs with stories. It’s a blend of creative, art director, and copywriter like you’d find in an agency. Then I direct the films myself—I don’t outsource that part. It’s really an all-in-one studio, from brief to final delivery.

My little character Zaza is really starting to find her place on Insta. I launched her almost two years ago. She’s a little puppet, 29 centimetres tall. When I gave birth to Rose, I went through a period where I no longer wanted to share as much on social media. I felt the need to step back from that personal exposure, which no longer made much sense to me. It had become a chore. So I invented Zaza, and found in her a more creative and original way to express myself. Zaza is a personal project. She’s not an ad or a commissioned piece like most of my other stop motion work. It was the first time I’d done something for myself. Zaza allows me to have fun, but also to promote my stop motion work. I’d love for her to become a kind of ambassador for artisanal crafts, because she embodies all that. She’s handmade by dozens of different craftspeople. And on top of that, her small size makes her perfect for highlighting the details—embroidery, little handmade things. My dream is for her to become a kind of influencer. There aren’t really any influencers for artisanal crafts—someone who could take us into the workshops, into the behind-the-scenes of making things. But all of that takes time. I need to build it up, reach out to people, because it’s not an idea that will just occur to brands or the public on its own. It’s up to me to make it happen, but that’s really where I’d like to take her in the coming months. At first, it was also a fun and offbeat way to promote stop motion and showcase my work differently, through a little character—a kind of portfolio outside of campaigns. It’s a lot of work though. When you put all these little faces into a production, it takes time. What you see are just the results—but these aren't instant like phone content. Everything has to be planned in advance. But it’s the continuation of my approach: putting the extraordinary into the everyday. I think that sums up what I do. It’s more than just a theme—it’s my mission.

Yes, alongside my work, I co-founded Apoticari a year ago with my sisters-in-law. It’s a brand truly rooted in the heart of France, in Auvergne, where my in-laws live. It’s also the place where I reconnected with nature during lockdown. And you see, the same values we hold in stop motion—craftsmanship, meaningfulness, materials, know-how—we find again in Apoticari: that relationship to the hand, to taking your time. It’s a brand that celebrates ancient know-how, where the plants are hand-grown, the formulas are short, thought of as modern remedies rooted in herbalism. With one mission: artisanal beauty. These are treatments that sit at the crossroads of herbalism and cosmetics, firmly anchored in traditional knowledge. Auvergne is rich in medicinal herbs, thanks to a varied climate—a mix between Mediterranean and Atlantic—and volcanic soil rich in minerals, which leads to many endemic plants you can literally pick along the paths. There’s a deep herbalist tradition there, dating back to the Middle Ages, with women who were very knowledgeable about medicinal plants, known as “simples,” healers, and wisdom passed down through generations. And that’s really what we wanted to bring back to life through the brand. To be rooted in a place, inspired by ancestral know-how, working with producers who are also passionate about their region. The whole process is artisanal—and therefore slow. Ultimately, the creation of this brand feels like a natural extension of my path, which began with product development and skincare marketing. And I get to do it with people I love, which is amazing. Then I started adding stop motion to it with Madame Verveine, Apoticari’s muse—a very lifelike verbena puppet with the personality of an old, wise lady who shares the virtues of nature. It’s the first stop motion project for the brand, and I think it’s just the beginning.

Everything is made in Auvergne! We work with growers, foragers who still pick by hand, and distillers who extract fresh plants on site, right next to the spring. It’s all done on small plots, in a very artisanal way. For the soaps, we use a cold process that doesn’t heat the ingredients, so the oils retain all their properties, and we keep the glycerin, which is usually removed in industrial production. The result is very rich, nourishing soap. The creams are made in small, family-run labs in the Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes region—and that’s something that will continue to evolve. We’ve got lots of new products coming soon.

The hydrosol! It’s literally just fresh plants distilled with steam—nothing else. It’s a water charged with all the aromatic virtues of the plant, and you can use it after cleansing, as a spray, and for some, even drink it! Chamomile hydrosol, for example, you can apply it on your skin for redness, to soothe—but you can also drink it. Verbena is digestive. Sage is an ally for female hormonal balance.

This year, I worked with Guerlain on a Christmas ad and on a beautiful project coming out in January—for a fragrance campaign this time. I think it’s my most beautiful project yet, with puppets and a miniature set. I’m also working for Renault, with Zaza.

We’re going to sail north, heading toward Rogny-les-Sept-Ecluses. Then, well, that’s the whole point of a péniche—we’ll cruise without a fixed destination, taking it easy. We don’t set any constraints or schedules. We bring our bikes onboard—we have two little Bromptons that fold up and a mini trailer to pull Rose. We’ll stop in villages, cycle around, explore. And if we feel good somewhere, maybe we’ll stay a night, maybe two.

In September, I’m starting a training program in herbalism. I’ve enrolled at the École des Plantes de Paris. It’s a three-year program—I’m starting the first cycle to really understand, learn, and deepen my knowledge of plants. First, because I’m passionate about it. And also to be more legitimate when it comes to the brand (Apoticari, editor’s note), and to gain more knowledge to keep creating better, more refined formulas. And to be credible, too. But you see, it’s just like stop motion—there comes a point where you have to train properly, and I like that. That’s just how I am—I love going all in. I had already started a course on plants and perinatal care before I got pregnant. Plants really helped me in the preconception stage, and also throughout my pregnancy, helping with the little discomforts. Because when you’re pregnant, a lot of medications are off-limits, so plants become really useful. And even during labour—raspberry leaf, for example.

What I love about The Socialite Family is this feeling of exploration, like being invited into people’s homes. It’s a kind of gentle voyeurism—you get to see their day-to-day, their families, without it being intrusive. It gives you a glimpse into real, lived-in spaces. And I find the interviews are always really well done. They often feature people you wouldn’t come across anywhere else—people who wouldn’t necessarily agree to be interviewed otherwise. And that’s great—you discover beautiful paths, inspiring people.