Float Festival Manchester
"I think it's becoming much more normal to consciously take care and look after yourself and your mind"
Rosie Butcher
On 22nd September Manchester's first wellness festival is taking place. Float Festival with the motto "IN A WORLD OF SINK OR SWIM, LET US BE YOUR FLOAT". It is something that I am super proud to say I am an ambassador for.
With a great line up of events through out the day. (see below) I know that everyone who attends will find something they can take away with them.
Tickets can be purchased here:
Float Festival - Morning Session Ticket
Float Festival - Afternoon Session Ticket
The interview
"A Photographer telling stories of creativity, passions, friendships, life and style through imagery and badly spelt words.”
Working with brands, influencers, fashion houses, and magazines to create a myriad of creative content, from lookbooks to social media imagery, to e-commerce assets, Rosie Butcher captures the beauty of everyday life, while observing the changes and shifts in our perceptions towards beauty, fashion, and wellness, documenting her stories and tales on her aptly named blog - ‘thoughts on that’.
Working in a profession that puts the visual and aesthetic on a pedestal, Rosie is well aware of the benefits that come from taking a step back from social media, where the quest for perfection can cause immeasurable damage for those creating and consuming content. Rosie’s creativity and level-headedness makes her the perfect Float Ambassador, and we caught up with her to find out what wellness means to her, what brings her joy, and whether there is a social responsibility to promote wellness.
What is your company, what do you do and what makes it special?
I am a freelance photographer, so I take photos. It has been my passion since I was 14 and I still love it as much, if not more, so everything I shoot I always go above and beyond out of the love for it.
Why did you want to be a part of Float?
I am very pro mindfulness and taking care of yourself, this seemed like the perfect event to mix my passion with wellness and meet other people/ creatives on the same wavelength in other industries.
How do you think the wellness industry is evolving?
I think it's becoming much more normal to consciously take care and look after yourself and your mind, just like it is normal to take care of say... your hair, skin or nails. Every other advert is a new cream to try or shampoo, we’ve not got to the point where we see adverts for helping your mind but hopefully that’s not too far in the future and we will see that it is just as important!
What do you think people will take away from attending Float?
Hopefully they will come away feeling inspired, I always love going to events and meeting new people. Even if I only meet meet one person who inspires me to try something new, meet someone I feel connected with, or if I’m given some advice, I’m always so glad I went and come away feeling so positive... which is wellness in itself. Taking time to do something for you.
How does your work help people to feel good?
I see a lot of people with little self confidence in front of my camera. Whether it be models, “real” people, families, or bloggers; everyone has insecurities. I love to chat away during the shoot to build up confidence and take pictures which make people say “wow, I actually like how I look in this” and I remind them that, actually that is what everyone else sees so they should see it too!
I’d also love to add in another question here. How does my work help me? When I am on a shoot its normally quite full on, I dont have have time to look on my phone, so it gives me a break from comparison, getting bogged down trying to reply to emails and texts at the same time or anything else that is going on in my life. My mind is solely on the picture I am about to take and that is it. There are normally some great tunes playing and everyone coming together as a team and having a laugh on the shoot. The feeling of getting an amazing shot or coming home from a shoot feeling so happy with what we created in the day..there is nothing like it !
What comes to mind when you hear the word wellness?
Yoga, taking time out for yourself and laughter.
Do you think brands, businesses and influencers have a role to play in promoting wellness?
Yes! I think more and more businesses are recognising their responsibility to make sure their employees are happy. I think flexi working is on the rise and it is a great thing. Brands and influencers are being more honest and open about mental health and I personally think it brilliant for their followers to realise that not everything is fine and dandy, there is a rise of promoting the “perfect" life in tiny squares, which leads followers to think that a person’s life is picture perfect. Now that people are being more honest about the behind the scenes of those pictures it helps their followers to connect with them on a deeper level and realise that it is normal to need to take time out, or not to have a “perfect” life. Everyone is also sharing their tips of how they’re working on their own mental health which is brilliant for the online community.
Brands have stopped editing so much but more of them need to be following this example. Brands like ASOS are leaving in stretch marks, using diverse models and even creating a disabled friendly clothing line and using visibly disabled models, WHY HAS THIS NOT BEEN DONE SOONER?
What does happy look like to you?
Anywhere on a beach or by the sea. That is my happy place. I love to be reminded how big the world is.
What does success look like to you?
As long as i’m happy in what I am doing, that to me is success.
What pearls of wellness wisdom can you share with us?
Always take the time to step back and look at what you have achieved and give yourself praise, even for the small things.
I love to keep a gratitude diary that I fill in every evening.
