Meet Tali Nesbitt: Film Student

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tali Nesbitt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tali, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
At a very young age, I fell in love with creating things. I would always play around with my mom’s camera and film random clips of my friends, family, strangers, and basically anything that caught my eye. I was essentially always documenting life around me. After long days of filming anything and everything, I would then edit all of my footage, combining it with different music, overlays, colors, and fonts until I made something that I felt could evoke some type of feeling in a viewer. This whole creative process was so natural to me; I was in a constant state of flow and in a constant of awe at the immense power creativity held. As I got older, I realized that what I did as a kid was not very different from what filmmakers do – they just create on a grander scale. Filmmakers capture elements of the human experience and make things that people are impacted by, can relate to, or can learn things from. From all of this, I reached the understanding that I too want to be a filmmaker and want to make that my life’s work, in whatever capacity I can – big or small.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a film major at the University of Miami. Since I was a kid, I have loved creating things, especially with a camera. I used to make little creations that could maybe qualify as short films and music videos, but in a very unofficial manner and with no concrete knowledge on how to do any of it. But, the artistic vision was there, the desire to learn was there, and the excitement/love for the art form itself was there. Now, I am learning in school essentially how to do the same thing that I did as a kid, just with some more resources and a greater understanding of filmmaking under my belt. Since I am at the beginning of my journey as a filmmaker, I know there are more challenges ahead than challenges already experienced. I anticipate difficulties regarding rejection of my art, a personal lack of belief in my art, and a lack of understanding as to how to fully bring my creative visions to life. From what I have experienced thus far, I have learned that if the love for what I do is greater than the fear of it not working out, I will always try my best to persevere through the challenges that will inevitably arise.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
One of my favorite things to do is to visit coffee shops. I always take my friends who aren’t from this area to The Cafe at Books & Books in Coral Gables, which has the best lattes and such a friendly, inviting atmosphere. Another one of my favorite cafes is Crema Gourmet Espresso Bar on Miracle Mile, which has incredible pastries and cappuccinos. I equally love spending time outside, so the beach is always a fun place to visit, especially during sunset.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people in my life who deserve a ton of recognition for helping me get to where I am today, but I would like to give a specific shoutout to my incredible family, who always held the space open for me to explore my creative inclinations. My artistic endeavors were always supported and encouraged as a child, and for that, I am extremely grateful. Equally worthy of a shoutout are my artistic friends who have pursued creative projects with me over the years. Those little projects that we took part in together, just out of pure curiosity and love for creating things, taught me so much about why I love to do what I do. Creative collaboration is very powerful, and at a young age, I got to experience it with people I loved and admired.

Instagram: @talinesbitt

Image Credits
Elle Holzhauer