We were lucky to catch up with Mallory Gemlo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mallory , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

What I think sets me apart from other design businesses as well as some artists, is that I reuse and repurpose most of my items. Whether it’s thrifted décor for weddings or items I find on a hike that incorporate into my art, I try my best to give new life to old objects. The event industry, especially the wedding industry can be extremely wasteful with one time use items that some just toss after only ten hours of use. I do my best to buy back items after each event to use over and over again. I try not to buy anything new for the most part and even my décor as well as signage are usually repurposed finds from the thrift store or other events. I am trying to produce sustainable events by using only basic items that I think can be transformed into different decorations for all of my different clients.

The same goals apply for my art as well. I find pieces of wood, dried flowers and even some of the insects I incorporate into my pieces. For example, I have transformed broken clocks into shadow boxes by removing the hardware and replacing them with nature scenes from the pieces I have foraged. This type of repurposing is extremely important to me given the world we live in today and as small as it may be, I feel like a am doing my part in some capacity.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Since I can remember I have been surrounded by creative people who have given me access to so many different mediums. I have tried my hand at various forms of art and I am still trying new things to this day. I started my career in the event industry as an at home cake decorator in college and moved more into design and logistics throughout the years. As an event designer and coordinator under my small business “Coal n Gold” I have been able to bring an array of skills to the event world and I am ever expanding since I have found that no event is the same. From custom centerpieces to signage, I put a personal spin on all of my work and I even still make cakes from time to time. I think what really sets me apart is how customizable the events can be with the packages I offer as well as add options from my A La Carte menu.

As a creative I have also began branching out as an artist, creating and selling pieces at local markets and businesses. I have been marketing my art as “What Knots” where I can explore some of my personal passions. I can’t quite define myself as an artist with a specific medium because I am trying new things all the time. This has given me such a great outlet to make things that really inspire me and keep me going as an artist. Sometimes it can be easy to lose your momentum when you are continuously creating the same things, so I think it is important to make things that you are proud of and there is no reason to put yourself in a box.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part of being a creative is just that, creating. Making things is my passion regardless of what it is I am always excited to see the final product. I enjoy trying new skills and I always seem to learn something along the way. I find that making mistakes can be the most rewarding thing and can produce a final product that turned out even better than the initial plan. Finding a creative way to fix these mistakes and overcoming the challenges of each project is the most rewarding part. I am most content doing something hands on regardless of what it is and I sometimes even surprise myself with the finish product.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I have been told by friends and strangers alike that they want to know what goes on inside my head and how did I ever come up with these ideas. I think non-creatives see things very literally and have trouble looking at something for what it isn’t. They see a wooden box and I think about what can be created inside or what I could do with it if I took it apart. It can be hard to step back and look at something and see other uses than what it was originally intended for. The same goes for my event design, I find that I need to show visuals to my clients so they can picture what I am describing since they have a hard time visualizing the verbal description alone.

Contact Info:

• Website: coalngold.com
• Instagram: @coalngold @_whatknots_

Image Credits
-Floral photo: Mallory Munson -All other photos: Mallory Gemlo (me)