Navigating the new normal in times of isolation has been an adjustment to say the least. It was an abrupt halting of work that spurred on model and photographer Josie Musgrave’s latest project for RUSSH. Be sure to see our catch up below with Josie, Jess Gomes and many more model muses on their creative inspirations, cherished rituals, and life in times of solitude and social distancing.

Introducing Part I of our model home shoot series.

Josie Musgrave

How do you stay creative in isolation?
I've been drawing a lot and doing these facetime shoots. I've had so much fun reconnecting with old friends and making new ones through facetime. It's 100% collaborative and just a fun new way of getting creative with other people.

What brings you the most pleasure in times like these?
I'm normally very independent and not very good at keeping up with phone calls home and all that so it's been nice having some time to slow down and talk to people more, even though it's only over the phone. I'm also slowly getting better at cooking and coming up with new things to make so that makes me and my tummy happy.

What inspired your latest shoot series?
I was just texting with my group of friends and sad because they just had to fly home before the borders shut down. We were planning some shoots before they had to leave and I just thought, you know what why can’t we still do them, but over facetime? It's kind of the same as a normal photo shoot except the model has to position the camera as well. I didn't think it would end up being such a huge thing!

What do you appreciate and miss the most right now?
I miss being able to go to a workout class and walk to the beach, or grab a cup of coffee with my friends. I also miss being able to have photoshoots the normal way and being able to meet new people in a social setting. I’m definitely going to appreciate the little everyday things I do a lot more when this is all over.

How do you stay healthy (mentally and / or physically)?
I'm trying to stay positive and find all the little silver linings. Being mentally healthy is really important to me right now. I also need fresh air to stay sane so I’ll go on long walks wherever I can. Unfortunately, I recently had surgery so working out has been hard, but hopefully soon I can start doing online yoga and Pilates classes again.

What are you reading / watching / listening to?
I love learning so I've been watching a lot of videos about photo editing and trying to get better. I've also been having fun watching all of the Marvel movies in chronological order.

What are your most cherished rituals?
Every morning I wake up early, migrate over to my couch, make a cup of coffee, and start my work. I love getting an early start to my day and having everything finished before most people I know are even awake. I then have all the time in the world to talk on the phone, go on a hike, go to the grocery store, anything. I can't live without my peaceful mornings.

Jess Gomes

My isolation looks like…
A rainbow paddle pop.

What are you reading / watching / listening to? 
Reading…Flea, Acid for the Children, Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, M Train Patti Smith, The year of magical thinking by Joan Didion.

Watched…Honey Boy, Miss Americana, Hampstead, Crash, Little Fires Everywhere, Momento by Christopher Nolan, The Notebook.

Listening to… Fleetwood Mac, Fiona Apple, Tapestry by Carol King, Sam Cooke, Shuggie Otis, Joni Mitchell, Paul McCartney Ram, Oasis, Liam Gallagher acoustic, Neil Young, The Dixie Chicks, John Lennon, Peggy Gou, Nick Cave, Elton John, Karen Elson Double Roses, Taylor Swift, Ryan Adams, Etta James. I actually really love Johnny Depp’s new Isolation song with Jeff Beck.

What are your most cherished rituals?
For sure using my Equal Beauty Products, in particular the face masks and cleanser. It really is a lovely feeling making your own products and using them on your own face. I’ve also been writing a lot more of my feelings and thoughts at night. That’s been really helpful in dealing with current situations.

What are you making?
Pretty pictures with you!

How do you stay healthy (mentally and / or physically)?
Eating as healthy as I can. Trying not to snack too much. I’ve been dancing around and moving my body in the mornings. Music lifts my spirits. So, I’ll put on some good hits and dance around. Walking and also talking to my family. Getting fresh air and I’ve been working on my business which has kept me sane. I’ve also been off social media and also watching the news which I think really helps your mental health. There is so much fear so I'm just trying to create some sort of sanctuary in my universe. I’m using this time to really disconnect and take it as a detox.

What do you do when you need to move your body?
Dance around, walking, running on the treadmill. Stretching a lot.

What do you appreciate the most right now?
My mental health, my family & friends. Planet Earth! My old life.

I miss...
Going to shows and seeing live music with big crowds. Hugging and kissing!

Kurt Monahan

My isolation looks like …
My isolation looks like salt water, as I live in a small beachside village. I’m very lucky I can fish and surf.

What are you reading / watching / listening to?
Listening to - everything from Icehouse (album Primative Man) to underground hip hop.
Watching – surf videos.

What are your most cherished rituals?
Sleeping and going into the ocean.

What are you making?
Cooking spicy chili fish while making improvements to my spear gun with a grinder.

How do you stay healthy (mentally and / or physically)?
Surfing and training with Ricardo. Eating fresh fish, avocados and eggs.

What do you appreciate the most right now?
My family, my dogs and where I live.

I miss ...
Social contact.

Cameron Stephens

My isolation looks like …
A lot of cleaning, sleeping, watching copious amounts of YouTube and Netflix, cooking, walking, running, jogging, listening to great music, dancing and relaxing  

What are you reading / watching / listening to?
At the moment I’m reading the Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald because it’s one of my favourite movies, I recently also go into watching Unorthodox and I can’t recommend it enough. I’ve been listening to a lot of old house music as well as Tame Impala and Dua Lipa’s new album. It’s really great in this time of isolation to listen to good music.

What are your most cherished rituals?
My most cherished rituals would be going to the beach, seeing my family and friends also just taking time out for myself to relax and unwind

What are you making?
My mum and I have been making a lot of baked goods, my family is South African so we’ve been experimenting and making desserts on the weekends.

How do you stay healthy (mentally and / or physically)?
I really value being able to get out and go on a nice long walk every day, I feel like it really helps me to stay fit and healthy mentally and physically because I’m able to clear my mind, listen to good music and get the heart pumping. Lately at home I’ve been trying yoga and Pilates to also chill out and move my body in other ways I’m not use to.

What do you do when you need to move your body? 
I get out of the house and go on a walk / run around my area, I try and do an hour or two a day. I’m also trying to do some endurance training in between by running and jogging.

What do you appreciate the most right now?
Right now, I appreciate being home in Australia with a roof over my head and being with family, I think if I was anywhere else I would be finding these times a little hard. Also, all of the little things in life that we seem to take for granted very easily, I feel like we are all learning to recoup and focus on what’s important right now with everything going on. It’s also really nice to see people outside enjoying nature.

I miss ...
My freedom.
Seeing my friends and family.
The beach.
Travelling.
&
Work.

Doug Fallen

My isolation looks like …
Just chilling out and spending some much-needed time to myself.

What are you reading / watching / listening to?
I just finished the first part of Money Heist on Netflix, which is really good, and I’m reading a science-y book called the Neutrino Hunters by Ray Jayawardhana - super interesting!

What are your most cherished rituals?
That’s a good question... probably in the evenings before bed, when I get time to just sit and think about everything.

What are you making?
I’m currently trying DESPERATELY to learn to paint a semi-decent cherry. It’s been four or five attempts and I just can’t get it down (good time to practice though).

How do you stay healthy (mentally and / or physically)?
Going on a short walk just before sunset is a great way to stay healthy in both ways :).

What do you do when you need to move your body?
I’ve been trying to do 100 push-ups every day, which is keeping my arms so tired they don’t want to move around much. Prevention is the best cure!

What do you appreciate the most right now?
I honestly love how much time alone I’ve been getting - it’s a great way to just chill out and reflect on things.

I miss ...
I miss seeing all my friends, of course, especially those I can’t contact over Instagram. I also miss going up to Sydney and working!

Zoe Barnard

My isolation looks like …
Sundrenched couch hangs, reading, knitting, long walks in the evening and late-night grocery store runs.

What are you reading / watching / listening to?
Currently I’m reading Where the Crawdads Sing but I’ve got a whole list of books to get through! I’ve been re-watching Twin Peaks, Avatar the Last Airbender and Louis Theroux documentaries. I’ve been listening to Lauv, Ziggy Alberts and Maggie Rodgers :).

What are your most cherished rituals?
I love waking up and starting my day with a homemade matcha latte, curled up in my favourite part of the couch under a blanket with a book. My evenings are very similar with my knitting and a mug of chamomile tea. I’m also very grateful to be able to take my time with skincare at the moment!

What are you making?
I’m knitting a mohair jumper and a woollen beanie.

How do you stay healthy (mentally and / or physically)?
I think it’s really important for mental health to treasure your rituals - especially in the mornings and evenings, and embrace this time to work on and look after ourselves at our own pace. For me that means waking up around the same time every day, making my bed, opening my windows and starting the day fresh, it also means setting aside time in the day to FaceTime my family / friends and personal time to reflect and journal.

For my physical health I love long walks (embracing Sydney’s hills) but also use my skipping rope and resistance band for at home workouts.

What do you do when you need to move your body?
Wash my face, tie my hair up and get my butt out the door for a walk.

What do you appreciate the most right now?
I appreciate all the time we have to look after ourselves and each other. I think it’s so important to take a step back and a deep breath every now and then and I feel like the entire planet has a chance to do that right now. I also have a huge appreciation for anyone that hasn’t stopped during this time (like healthcare workers, cashiers, delivery people etc.) and are doing so much to keep the entire world from falling apart.

I miss …
Sitting in cafes and going out for dinner. I miss picnics and the beach. I miss travelling and I miss working and I really miss New York and my apartment but I’m going to be so appreciative of these things when it is safe to enjoy them and I’m never going to take them for granted again.

Zarik Khan

My isolation looks like...
My isolation mainly looks like a lot of gaming, exercise and some creative expressions which include painting and drawing.

What are you reading / watching / listening to?
I am currently watching a lot of Netflix haha. Binge watching the Lucifer series all over again. I have also been listening to a lot of EDM whenever I have gotten the chance to.

What are your most cherished rituals?
Every morning starts off with a cup of coffee. No matter what time I manage to pull myself out of bed in the morning, coffee is a must!

What are you making?
In order to crave my sweet tooth I have been baking cookies and brownies during self-isolation.

How do you stay healthy (mentally and / or physically)?
Daily exercise has definitely kept me level headed and at the same time work on myself physically. Another thing is actually playing video games, although sometimes I do rage here and there haha.

What do you do when you need to move your body?
I like to do some stretches in the morning, it is like a wakeup call for my body to get ready for another day of isolation.

What do you appreciate the most right now?
In a weird way, I appreciate this whole self-isolation situation. I'm trying to make light out of this situation and make every day count!

I miss ...
Going out, eating and hanging out with my friends as well as my girlfriend.

Mary-Christina Pagliaro (MC)

My Isolation looks like…
A full house – 2 sisters, my brother, mum, dad and a big silly dog. I moved back home to Brisbane whilst the borders have been closed so it’s been fun catching up.

What are you reading, watching, listening to?
I’ve just begun today to tackle my mum’s Jane Austen collection and I’m on chapter 17 of Pride and Prejudice!

What are your most cherished rituals?
Making each of my meals; I have so much time on my hands now and so being able to kill that time by trying new recipes is like meditation for me. Makes my isolation days go quicker and easier!

What are you making?
I eat gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free, so it’s part of the challenge to explore new ingredients and tastes to create new recipes with these restrictions that still taste amazing!

How do you stay healthy (mentally and / or physically)?
I think regular exercise is so important right now when there’s not much else to do, not only to expel extra energy to keep calm, but also to apply some structure to such a disorderly routine. Mental health is just as important as physical health and getting your body moving will help both! I also focus on making every interaction with my family a positive one, which keeps me and everyone else in the house happy :).

What do you do when you need to move your body?
I’ve adapted to YouTube videos for my endorphin hit, I watch 45minute guided exercise videos each day and follow those. I try to find videos where the instructor is energetic and encouraging to keep me excited and motivated.

What do you appreciate the most right now?
I am so grateful to be isolated with such a big fun family. It means that I essentially have friends to hang out with and make me smile every day.

I miss…
The busyness of work and seeing my friends everyday - but being such a homebody, I do enjoy the alone time to catch up with myself and check on where I’m at also… so for now FaceTime will suffice!

Francis Kamara

What are you reading / watching / listening to?
Reading 12 rules for life by Jordan Peterson.
Watching a lot of Netflix. Currently watching The Last Dance.
Listening to a lot of chilled songs from artist like 6Lack, Burna Boy and Jacquees.

What are your most cherished rituals?
Meditation every morning and night as well as exercise every morning.

What are you making?
Not making anything in particular just working on my acting skills as much as possible.

How do you stay healthy (mentally and / or physically)?
Regular exercise and meditation.

What do you do when you need to move your body?
Go for a walk, run or stationary exercise inside.

What do you appreciate the most right now?
Life.

I miss ...
Working and being outside.

Special thanks to IMG models