A creative director and strategist working at the intersection of AI capability and creative practice.
Stella (Qinqin) Yang is a creative director and strategist working at the intersection of AI capability and creative practice. Her work focuses on translating emerging things into usable workflows, working systems, and creative direction that can operate under real constraints.
While much AI-driven creative work concentrates on amplifying what teams can produce, her work focuses on designing workflows and systems that expand what creative teams perceive and explore before they start making, widening the territory of what's even considered possible.
She is the founder of Actual Fiction, a practice exploring new infrastructures for imagination and future-making. Its core project, Actual Future OS, is an AI-native creative system she is developing as a living environment for working with uncertainty: supporting signal sensing, pattern exploration, and early-stage direction finding that can be carried into real projects.
Her work moves between research, strategy, and speculative design, using storytelling and designed artifacts to explore cultural shifts and future living. Her background includes creative planning at OUTPUT, work with the mobile innovation team at J.P. Morgan Chase, and participation in the Creative Science Track at NEW INC under the New Museum.
She has led creative work for Tencent, Burberry, the Palace Museum, and global product launches for Transsion Infinix. She has also collaborated with organizations including Boston Scientific, Uniqlo, and LVMH on next generation products, experiences, and future strategies.
Her work has been recognized by Fast Company Innovation by Design, Core77, Lumen Prize, Falling Walls Science Summit, and WIRED Japan Creative Hack. She also holds several patents for innovative design concepts.
She holds a BS in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Art History from UCLA and an MFA in Design and Technology from Parsons School of Design.
Based in Los Angeles. Previously Tokyo, Shanghai, New York, San Francisco, and Paris.
Her ongoing thinking and exploration can be found on Substack. A User Guide to Working With Me describes how and when she works best. For conversations, collaborations, or ideas, she can be reached on LinkedIn or at stellayang908@gmail.com.