Olivia Lonsdale on the joys of going smaller

Born and raised in Amsterdam, Olivia Lonsdale grew up surrounded by a strong sensitivity to the arts and beauty, ultimately shaping an appreciation for truthful and meaningful expressions across architecture, music, dance, painting, design, journalism, and fashion too.

Her roots connect her to Northumberland in the UK – she finds herself at home in the picturesque greenery of the countryside, a background where iconic designs such as raincoats and mud boots are simply hard to live without.

Thanks to her mother’s lineage, Lonsdale grew up aware of the value of homemade clothing: familiar with sewing machines, quality cloth, and the value of a pattern that works and should be replicated rather than reimagined elsewhere.  

‘My grandmother would buy a garment in one of her favourite shops, and she would trace the pattern and make a new one for my mum, scaling it down in size, replicating it in different materials. And my mum did the same. We didn’t buy that much, just a few pieces a year that you really needed.’ 

These are all circumstantial facts, yet their impact on her perspective is clear: her appreciation for meaningful things extends in all directions. It’s in how she navigates her city, Amsterdam, through lifelong meaningful connections.

Among her favourite places, she names Café De Pels, where she met us for a chat and where past and present intersect with the same ease as they inhabit her films; Carmen, a shop, guesthouse and creative space run by close friends; the Dutch National Opera and Ballet, a special landmark ever since she went with her grandmother when she was just four years old. 

It’s in the way she presents herself through clothes – she jokes about being into earth-toned jumpers and jeans ever since she was a child, and recalls the expressive exploration that comes naturally in teenage years with the feeling of not being her true self. ‘I’ve tried garments that I see everybody else wearing, but I didn’t want to wear them.

I always go back to what I always wanted, realising that those other things aren’t me. What was for me is what was there all along.’ It’s also in how she works: she prefers old impractical cameras that are limiting and costly, aware that those limitations bring out a precision she lacks when everything is available.  

In practical terms, this translates into a trained eye for good quality, an incisive ability to discern perennials from fads, and the humility to accept teamwork as key to a good result. 

When describing what she likes and looks for, she points to what has been proven to work for decades. Not only because it’s known to be good: she imagines the conversations and steps that took place, over years, to perfect a product. ‘I remember being on set the first day, and I saw everybody being so busy – all of these people working together and striving for the same end result, the film.’  

Creative dialogue was precisely what fascinated her as she began her career. In acting, she found a medium to create with others: a dialogue with a director that was much more enriching than creation alone. Directing was a natural step to continue developing her work through collaboration. On her sets, she hopes to create a healthy and collaborative environment that is inspiring and fun for everyone; something like the atmosphere that made her fall in love with filmmaking in the first place.  

‘For me, collaboration is the most important. You can have a great idea, but then you share it with one or two people, and they hop on your idea, and they get even more ideas because of your idea, and their ideas are great. What I really love is sharing my vision, but then letting others share their vision — seeing and understanding and supporting through ideas.’  

What anchors her in the now is a playful understanding of the moment. Aware of the overstimulation social media provides, where reality and fiction intertwine and blur, she strives to tell stories with an intimate honesty. ‘That’s why I like shooting on film, because it's smaller. I like going thrift shopping because it's smaller.

I feel people are realising the world is moving too fast. We need to slow down.’ Her sharp point of view is simply a practical way of removing the noise and keeping the focus where it matters most to her. Glimpses of truth and emotion that, just as good design, stand the test of time.