I first met Rosalie when she was the Brand Manager for Samantha Wills and it was such a delight to discover that the beautiful human being I'd been stalking on Instagram was as delightful & creative in person as she was on her feed. Rosalie has continued to inspire me with her eye for detail, incredible taste and authenticity; and it is will great pleasure that I get to sit down and interview Rosalie at this moment in her journey to celebrate a recent collaboration of our creative minds (but I'll share more on that soon!)
1 | Name, age and where you call home?
My name is Rosalie, I’m 29 years old and I am so lucky to call Sydney home.
2 | What is your job, side hustle and/ or creative pursuit?
In my 9-5 I am a Brand Marketing Manager for Australian jewellery brand, Kirstin Ash, I’m also a freelance Creative Producer and strategist through my ‘side hustle’ Not Saving Lives Creative. My two roles intersect so well, at Kirstin Ash, alongside the Founder and Creative Director I lead the brand strategy and creative for the business and for Not Saving Lives, I combine this foundation with a layer of photography and motion to produce assets for other like-minded businesses predominantly in the beauty, lifestyle and interiors space.
3 | I read a piece by you – “When the side hustle hurts”, 2019 In Soul - that really moved me. I loved your honesty & self assurance as to the role Not Saving Lives plays in your life. You didn’t stumble into it but found it a valuable pursuit to balance with the full-time job you loved. Are you able to tell us a bit more about how that has evolved and where it’s positioned in your life now three years later?
Of course, so lovely of you to reference that piece. At that time in my life I felt like I was struggling between pursuing a full time role that I loved and was creatively fulfilled in, and the opportunity for what ‘could be’ with my freelance work. Every founder story or creative blog I had read at the time started with how they were looking for more that their current role or industry didn’t provide for them. This made the decision to pursue their hustle - although risky - simpler as they had detached from their full time role creatively. I didn’t have this experience, my work was really fulfilling and I always felt incredibly indecisive in how I should proceed in my career - if you didn’t guess, I’m a Libra.
Now, a little wiser, I’ve found that both my career and my freelance work complement each other, and doing both simultaneously has allowed me to get the best out of myself, and keep pushing myself creatively. My full time work allows me the opportunity to collaborate with a team, to be challenged and pushed outside my creative niche. Whereas my work at Not Saving Lives allows me to apply the theoretical elements of my skill set, flex my creative muscle and develop through new mediums as a creative across multiple businesses with a variety of objectives. This has become a more comfortable space for me to sit in years after I wrote that piece through trial and error and working through that discomfort of how I could achieve balance in a way that suited me, all thanks to that indecisive Libra who hasn’t been able to let go of either.
4 | You are an incredible curator of beauty, fashion and interior style with a celebrated signature style. It allows your work through Not Saving Lives to be both focussed and diverse. What are two favourite projects you’ve worked on?
That is so kind of you to say! I feel incredibly lucky to have worked with some of my favourite and like-minded brands over time, but the projects I’ve loved the most have probably been the ones where I have been challenged creatively, both from an aesthetic perspective but also from an execution perspective. When these two components come together, they have allowed for some of the most challenging, but rewarding work.
5 | What comes easily to you in the creative process and what have you had to hone your skills in?
I think the vision comes quite naturally to me, concept building and creative direction is where I am most comfortable. I’ve definitely had to develop my skills in the execution of that vision and I am constantly learning and developing in this space, being completely self taught. I’ve been dabbling in motion/video work over the last 6 months and that has been my most recent focus, and is now part of the work I love the most but initially found the most challenging from a technical perspective.
6 | Where do you find inspiration to fuel your creative process? Do you have favourite blogs, podcasts, books, movies, places or processes that help you feel inspired?
I definitely feel most inspired when I’m in balance. My never fail place for inspiration is Pinterest - the algorithm is just so effective and I feel like it can read my mind. There is something refreshing about that space and I spend a lot of time scrolling there. I am so inspired by light and movement that sometimes simply getting outside is enough, but other days I might scroll through some of my favourite creators, or plug into something to get out of my own head - some of my favourite listens are After Work Drinks or You’re Wrong About - anything that takes me out of my reality, 9with a healthy dose of pop culture!) that’s where I can reset.
7 | I believe home and your creative studio play a huge part of giving us the space to create. What is your philosophy / aesthetic around your home styling and what are three of your favourite pieces in it. Where did you find them and why do you love them?
It’s a balance of tones and textures! I so agree, what is around you has such an influence on how you feel. I would say my style is more soft minimalism, it’s so important to me that my space has a warmth to it, and I really want to keep things minimal with a few hero styling pieces that I love.
A lot of my favourite pieces in my home have been sourced or found, I get a real rush when I find something in a vintage store, or on market place that I’ve never seen before or wouldn’t have been able to find in in retail at the time - like a treasure hunt. I found my fossil stone coffee table years ago on Gumtree for $100 and I can’t see myself ever parting with that. I have a soft spot for some of the vintage glassware I’ve collected over time and some recent pieces of Izabel Lam cutlery that I just adore - and will never use to physically eat haha.
8 | What is meaningful to you outside of your work and creative pursuit? (Ie. Is there a sport you’re involved with, is family number one priority, is entertaining or reading a big part of your life etc. This is about sharing a little insight into who you are outside of the public eye.)
There is nothing I love more than spending time with my family and friends, my weekends are complete if they include a morning coffee and a slow walk with my husband Dan and our dog Sunny, add in some good food and a sunset and I’m ecstatic.
My husband and I have recently bought a beautiful block of land towards Mudgee in a small country town which we’re just enjoying bringing to life and will eventually become our next project, that’s taking up most of my spare time at the moment but bringing a lot of joy in the process.
9 | If you could give yourself some advice when you were starting Not Saving Lives, what would it be?
I think I’d say, push yourself outside of what is comfortable. Do things that make you uncomfortable, this is where you’ll grow the most. Set aside what you think you should do, what is expected or what perceptions people may have and keep pursuing what lights your creative flame.
10 | Between a full-time job and Not Saving Lives, do you pursue or engage in anything creatively for yourself? What practices or processes do you indulge in that feed your soul, and are just for you?
At the beginning of this year I made it a goal of mine to ensure I set aside creative time for myself, but if I’m honest this has been rare. I’ve found that other projects often become creative over time, I have been working towards finding creativity in the everyday and putting a little more love into this. Something small like cooking dinner, I’ve tried my hand at some new recipes and levelling up some of the - very small - repertoire I have already and I’ve found this can be an outlet in itself.
11 | What are you working on now and what can we expect to see from you in the future? (This is an opportunity to tell me about anything you want me to highlight and share for you)
I hope you’ll continue to see me creating beautiful imagery, hopefully dabbling in some more motion work and there are some exciting things to come with our incredible 150 acres of land that I can’t yet share, but there should be some fun to come.
Where can you find Rosalie?
Website | notsavinglives.com
Instagram | @rosaliemolloy
Pinterest | @rosaliemolloy
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