On a chilly Melbourne morning, photographer, director, and influencer Yasmin Suteja takes her daily walk around The Tan with her housemate and creative collaborator, Sophie Marsh. What begins as a casual conversation about modern dating quickly evolves into discussions about philosophy, film, and poetry. Their dialogue weaves together references they've collected throughout their lives, much like bowerbirds gathering items for their nests.
This dynamic exchange represents how Suteja's creative mind operates. "Conversation is a real generator of ideas for me, because it helps me glue things together," she explains. The pair recently discussed potential energy, a physics theory often illustrated through the example of an elastic band. The more the elastic band is stretched, the more potential energy is generated, and the farther the elastic flies when released.
For over a decade, Suteja has been stretching her own metaphorical elastic band as she built her career across photography, influencing, and directing. Since her move from Sydney to Melbourne in January, that band appears ready to launch into new territory.
Suteja's creative process is deeply rooted in community and collaboration. In 2013, she established Culture Machine, her creative services and talent agency. "I was working with lots of amazing freelancers," she recalls. "Pretty much everyone I employed was a friend of a friend, which is a really cool ecosystem."
However, a few years ago, she sensed her career was ready for transformation. "I had to reframe, and instead of being the mentor all the time, I decided I needed to actually go back to being a student and be in rooms where I was the least qualified in the room," she explains.
This independent spirit and drive for innovation rather than stagnation distinguishes Suteja in a crowded creative field. Her approach mirrors that of CUPRA, which channels the style, passion, and excitement of Barcelona into its new CUPRA Terramar, a performance medium SUV designed to offer ambitious creatives like Suteja the flexibility to seamlessly transition between work, life, and play with style.
"A lot of what I have to do is just so proactive," Suteja notes. "Pretty much every day, I jot down potential clients that I could reach out to. I'm constantly trying to create opportunity out of something, stretch it further, a little bit like that elastic band."
As a photographer and art director, Suteja has worked on brand campaigns for major companies including Bumble, The Iconic, Champion, and many others. After years of collaborating with an ecosystem of freelancers at Culture Machine, she has begun pursuing film and television directing, which she describes as her ultimate goal.
In 2023, her desire for growth landed Suteja a director's attachment on season two of Netflix's "Heartbreak High," where she shadowed director Gracie Otto for two weeks. Days on set began early in the morning and sometimes extended until 11 PM. "You start to realize every single micro-decision you make is a part of the creative process, even though a lot of what a director does is delegate," she reflects. "But at the end of the day, it's your final vision, you get the final say."
Following her experience on "Heartbreak High," Suteja reached out to numerous production companies, eventually landing at Exit Films. She was brought on as a production assistant and given the opportunity to relocate to Melbourne in January of this year to develop her showreel.
Her documentary film "Dying to Succeed" won the 2023 Australian International Documentary Conference's Fresh Cuts initiative and is currently in development.
For someone as busy as Suteja, having reliable transportation is essential. She's constantly moving around Melbourne, building creative connections and forming her new community. "In a week, I reckon I'm doing like, four or five coffee dates," she says. "I end up walking away from these coffee dates with something that sparked me and also a potential new friend and connection."
As the second half of 2025 begins, Suteja says she feels prepared to enter a new era and establish roots in Melbourne. "It's an interesting time because a new chapter is definitely starting," she concludes.
Meanwhile, at Chotto Motto, the popular Collingwood gyoza spot known for its Japanese junk shop aesthetic and signature dumplings, there's exciting news for food enthusiasts. The restaurant's cult-favorite crispy chili oil, which tops their pan-fried chicken and pork gyoza, has received a winter makeover through a collaboration with Melbourne's Starward Whisky.
Co-owner Tomoya Kawasaki explains their chili oil's appeal: "We put in a lot of garlic, shallots, onions and all those kinds of things. Then we use the best quality sesame oil and put a little bit of douchi, which is fermented black [soybeans], for a little twist."
The new whisky-infused version incorporates Starward's flagship Two-Fold whisky, a wheat and single malt whisky matured in red wine barrels, giving it notes of red berries and orchard fruits. "You get a little bit of a slightly sweeter taste and it's a little bit fruity – it's really nice," Kawasaki describes.
Kawasaki recommends three ways to enjoy the whisky chili oil during winter:
First, loaded chili oil hummus with crackers – simply drizzle the whisky-infused chili oil over your favorite hummus. "With the hummus, it's just one spoon of the chili oil on top and then you eat it together," he suggests. "We wanted to create something a bit easier for daily use, not something complicated from Japanese ingredients."
Second, chili oil cheese jaffles – combine melting cheese like mild cheddar or gruyere with a generous spoonful of chili oil between bread slices and use a jaffle press. The slight sweetness and spicy, savory flavors should elevate this classic comfort food.
Third, crispy chili popcorn – perfect for cold winter movie nights. Kawasaki notes the popcorn becomes slightly caramelized due to the whisky's touch of sweetness balancing with the chili oil's deep umami. "It's not like a dessert-sweet kind of vibe, but it's more savory," he explains. Simply toss fresh popcorn with enough chili oil to coat.
The limited-edition Starward x Chotto Motto chili oil is available for $18.50 for a 200-gram jar at Starward's Port Melbourne distillery and online, with availability at Chotto Motto starting July 29.
