Meet Sarah Kosar of NihilisticMalibuBarbie in Downtown LA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Kosar.

Sarah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m a budding filmmaker and part-time model from Virginia. As a child, I loved to write and draw – this combination created my desire to be involved in any type of visual storytelling and in turn, made me very interested in film. In late high school, I left the public school system to finish my degree online in order to work at the public access station downtown. By 16, I was co-hosting a radio show every week and (as a certified producer) working on various television projects at the station. Photography greatly interested me, so I continued snapping photos throughout my childhood and into adolescence. I still continued to take photos on my old iPhone in college – it was a way for me to engage with the world in the way, I always had while I put my dreams of filmmaking on hold. In college, I majored in Medieval and Renaissance Studies, which I think gave me a pretty unique perspective on storytelling and visual arts. After that, I worked mostly in the service industry before making the trek out to Los Angeles.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road has been pretty bumpy for me. After moving from Richmond to Northern Virginia (close to D.C.), I found my childhood coming to an end. Relationships with other kids were not as simple as they used to be and in middle school, I was pretty heavily bullied. High school caused me to have a pretty misanthropic view of the world and I slowly found myself disengaging as time went on – which influenced me to work at the access station. College was much better for me. I found myself in a good friends group and learned that I was far more adept in the academic sphere than I’d anticipated (even considered going to grad school in the UK). During the spring semester of my junior year, the college announced its upcoming closure – not after I would graduate the following year but within that very semester. I found myself searching for different colleges to apply to during my spring break whilst continuing my regular coursework, but the experience proved difficult given my very specific major and the elusive nature of academic credits in the US. Three lawsuits against the administration happened over the next couple of months while I prepared for a completely different university, and about 6 weeks into summer break, the college announced it would be open for business. I’m not sure how to really explain how difficult this was, but I certainly won’t forget the experience. After graduating, I worked in Virginia for another year before moving to Los Angeles. In July of 2017, my sister came over for vacation and we drove up to Napa for a wine weekend. Unfortunately, on the freeway, the tread on my back tire blew and we went careening into a ditch at around 70mph. I sustained some pretty serious injuries and had to be taken to the hospital and stitched up.

My life experiences have put me in a much different headspace than I ever would have anticipated, but I know that these things have only made me stronger. At the very least, I have great material for writing and filming!

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about NihilisticMalibuBarbie – what should we know?
Currently, I’m modeling for various photographers and a friend’s wholesale business. I’m also in the midst of writing some scripts while I recover from my accident and look for production work.

I post quite a bit of my modeling and personal photos to my Instagram, which is a pretty funky profile. It’s a little bit out there, but I enjoy creating something a little weird – something people have to think about and process. Part of it is modeling, but I’m looking to fine-tune it into something that people can really try to dissect and consume rather than just clicking the like button. As I said earlier, my life experiences have produced a slightly strange headspace, and as a result, I like to use my sense of humor to sort of distort peoples’ expectations of either me or the art I produce (hence the handle: Nihilistic Malibu Barbie). The severe juxtaposition of a Malibu Barbie doll with the philosophical viewpoint of nihilism can pose some interesting questions but ultimately… reminds me not to take things so seriously.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My parents have always been very supportive of whatever my sisters and I do. They’ve made it clear: if film is my passion, then I should go ahead and do just that. Mom and dad were also very invested in our education and personal experiences, so we’ve been through many different types of homeschooling and were fortunate enough to travel quite a bit growing up. My education and international perspective can only help me in the future!

Contact Info:

• Email: helloskosar@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nihilisticmalibubarbie/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/WynkynDe_Worde

Image Credit:
@nihilisticmalibubarbie, @heartlessphotography (Topaz/Joey)

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