Yasmine Ganley is a half-French, half-Kiwi interdisciplinary artist based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. With roots in contemporary dance, her practice is centred around energy in motion—bridging movement, memory, and feeling across visual projects and nostalgic expressions. Today, her work spans creative direction, brand consultancy, storytelling, and photography, collaborating closely with independent brands, makers, and artists. Through her long-standing digital platform Anyonegirl, Yasmine has published a range of art books and magazines that celebrate intuitive practice and process.

Outside of her creative work, Yasmine is a mother of two—her seven-year-old daughter and five-year-old son. Together, they live in Titirangi, their first home of eleven years, nestled among the trees on Auckland’s west coast. 

On Creative Vision and Storytelling

Your work with Anyone Girl and Anyone Books has cultivated a space that celebrates nuanced storytelling and artistic expression. What drives your passion for creating platforms that amplify diverse voices and intimate narratives?

I was trying to create something that I would like to read and look at myself, and I felt that those around me were under-represented, and that there needed to be platforms and spaces for artist’s work to exist without a commercial agenda. 

You recently published ALTARS by Jenna Saraco — a deeply personal, visual meditation on textiles and memory. What was it about Jenna’s story that drew you in and made you want to help bring it to life?

Jenna has a gentle way of communicating bold ideas, and I was drawn to her journey exploring her roots in Sardinia, and seduced by the fact that she did it via textiles. I love the idea that there is no one way to go about anything, that everyone’s personal journeys are singular, and the way we find ourselves is also a way to connect to the whole of humanity. I felt her story was important to put into the world as a reminder of this. 

Balancing multiple roles—as an editor, art director, writer, amongst others —can be demanding. How do you maintain your creative energy and ensure each project receives your authentic touch?

I have always struggled in defining exactly what it is that I do, but the older I get the more I realise that it is a gift, this mixed up offering that can lend itself to different mediums. It gives me access to many worlds, and makers, and I am so thankful for that, it is what provides my creative energy and compels me to continue.

How do your personal experiences and background inform the themes and stories you choose to explore in your work?

I think my dance background has continued to shape everything I do. I am in constant search to recreate the feeling or mood to satisfy my urge to apply energy, emotion and rhythm to everything.

 

On the Future of Independent Publishing

In a time where so much of our storytelling lives online, why do you think physical books — especially those from independent platforms like Anyone Books — feel more vital than ever?

Books are forever. Old and new. To print something is no small feat and I think the standard of content and storytelling you get in print will always surpass what lives online, where the feeling is fast and disposable. 

 

Motherhood & Creativity

You’ve described motherhood as a “mash” of work, life, and self. How has becoming a mother influenced your creative process and the way you approach storytelling?

Parenting can feel so macro focused and repetitive, but I think there is so much learning in doing something over and over, it grows and becomes a new muscle that can be applied to other areas in life. Becoming a mother has enlarged for me where I put my energy, and how my children see me doing so.

In your reflections on motherhood, you’ve mentioned the importance of demonstrating to your children that pursuing personal passions matters. How do you integrate your creative pursuits into family life, and what impact do you hope this has on your children?

I guess I see the work I do as an extension of myself, rather than something that is external to me, so I have always welcomed a blurry line, and it is the same with home and our children and our creative pursuits, all of it is blended. My children have been dragged to photoshoots, plonked in an office with pens and post-it notes while I have meetings, helped me package up books, I don’t hide that from them, and I hope that by them seeing me makes these commitments to putting things out into the world that they build confidence to do the same in their chosen outlets.

 

Self-Expression & Identity

Your work often explores themes of femininity and personal narratives. How do you define femininity, and in what ways does it influence your creative expression?

Femininity has had some warped moments! I like it best when it’s all beings bringing out the best in one another, keeping clear communication and being kind — just one big juicy act of love and momentum for one another devoid of ranking of any kind. 

How has your personal style evolved over time, and in what ways does it serve as an extension of your identity?

Some days I just wear all navy blue, it’s like some melancholic code to how I am feeling, in need of protection and wanting to disappear. And then other days I feel waves of energy that conclude in wearing combinations of colour and texture, layered and jumbled. Getting dressed is mostly in response to something, I don’t have the ability to dress for how I want to feel, I just end up feeling worse. But above all, I like wearing garments where I know the hands that made them, they are infused with the maker and their world, like a wearable postcard. 

In a digital age where curated perfection is prevalent, how do you maintain authenticity in your online presence and encourage self-acceptance among your audience?

It is such a wild and cruel beast. I have days where I want to dig a hole and hide away, keep all the precious moments to myself. And then others when I am thankful that there are those still willing to share something beautiful, because putting wonderful things into the world is important in shaping our digital language, and how we view the world through each other’s eyes. Social media can be overwhelming, but I think if you take ownership of what and who you follow, and when you have capacity for its undulations, it can be a tool for connection. But yeah, don’t give everything away, and maintain a strong tether to your real world. 

 

You’ve built communities that celebrate individuality and vulnerability. What advice would you offer to those struggling with self-confidence?

Be kind. Let go of any grudges. Move towards what you love because you will thrive there.