Meet Kimberly Powell | Video Director and Curator

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

Hi Kimberly, what role has risk played in your life or career?
being adverse to risk will constantly be a battle for entrepenuers, self-employed freelancers, or creatives. I can trace my journey by a series of risks. I can also say the steps to be where I desire ultimately, is a series of even bigger risks. entreprenuership in business, or self employment for freelancers is esentially a process of paving your own path. as much knowledge as you can develop through others, courses, mentors, etc., you will always learn the most by doing, taking risk, and stepping out by betting on yourself.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a video artist personally, but I shift into more of a directoral role with clients. I went to university thinking I was going to be a journalist, only to stumble on video, and fall in love. I guess I see myself as a writer with a camera as my tool. I often reminisce on my art school days, as I got such a thrill from the ability to learn more about fine art and the new media field of video and photo. I have learned many lessons along the way, one of the most dominant being that our creative paths are never linear. I remember a moment where I was going to walk away from video to pursue law, only to be reminded that “I need to focus on what is presently in my hands,” and that was video. I am a die hard video artist, to the point where one of the worst questions you can ask me is if I’m a filmmaker. as much as I do love films, I am often asked when I say I do video “oh, so you work on films?” no, I shoot video. the field of video art is vast, and has a rich history. video camcorders actually derived from audio players after the industry of film existed, and was birthed from a desire to make cameras more accesible, and document the everyday. so in many ways, I am the antithesis of a filmmaker, I do not typically work with actors, scripts, nor does my concept of a story or narrative begin from my a perspective or story beyond me. my work and my projects are often interpersonal, and conceptual. that is something I truly want to communicate throughout the trajectory of my career.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, my favourite spot in town in Gilly Brew Bar, so I would start there. In fact, I post them so much whenever family and friends come into town, that’s the first place they ask me to take them. I’ve fallen a bit in love with Downtown Decatur, so I’d probably take them to one of my favourite restaurants there right now which is The White Bull. Of course, it’s customary to take folks to Ponce City Market, and have them walk the Beltline. I’d also say one of the hidden gems of Georgia is that even though it may seem like it’s not diverse, everywhere exists in pockets. I even recently discovered there’s a Turkish community here! Having spent six months abroad in Istanbul, that instantly brought me joy. So I’d say either hitting up Buford for some Korean BBQ, or exploring further our in Alpharetta.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
@gillybrewbar Gilly Brew Bar – it’s my go-to work café and brew bar. the owners are friends of mine, and I am thrilled for everything coming their way!

Website: https://www.powitskim.com/

Instagram: @powitskim

Linkedin: Kim E. Powell

Twitter: @powitskim

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=KqdV_3DZlUad3Oc_EUbXOw

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvTTVdr5OcRWWkdWJ1zy2fQ/featured

Image Credits
Kayla L. Smith @kayla.l.smith {photo 1 & 5] Lachelle Robotham @lachelle.robotham [photo 2 – sky sitting photo] Me [photo 3 – Portrait of client in conversation] Mikael Coleman @rawmixter [photo 4 – still from video of singing with plant and black backdrop]