We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alexandra Nakelski a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Alexandra thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The better answer to this question is that all of my work has been part of an ongoing project and that is to meaningfully represent Generation X and advocate for our social identity in artistic and political spheres and to be included in these conversations that often Millennials and Boomers leave us out of. The word Zeitgeist means the Spirit of the Age and we are dedicated to looking at works of art predominantly cinema and pop culture as anthropological artifacts and analyze how they represent the collective consciousness of the era. Through my festival and podcast and writings, I want the world to remember that we are the last to grow up without internet and technology inundating our daily lives. We were in the moment. How do we maintain our humanity? My next season is Multiverse and Alternate Timelines where we will examine cinema as a form of multiverse, invite quantum physicists and filmmakers to discuss this perhaps new evolution of our species.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

When I say we do not follow the rules, we really do not. I would not recommend to follow in my footsteps if it is a ton of money you want to make. But if you have a vision or a life’s purpose perhaps I could be of inspiration. I am a huge advocate of synchronicity. After many years of living in LA “trying to fit in”, I found that when you do “follow your bliss” as Joseph Campbell has written, those people you need to get you going fall into your path. But you do have to put yourself out there. Unfortunately, after COVID, a sense of anti social remote work has been welcomed which can be great and a curse as well. Especially in the entertainment worlds, we are social creatures. Embrace meeting and talking to new people. Put the phone away and just talk. You would be surprised at how doing this the people and opportunities you need come about. I travel incessantly and there is no “end game” I find like minded people and we collaborate. And you are never done. You can never know everything and you are never done learning. Humility goes a long way. it sounds cliche, but seriously, be yourself.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I am almost 50 and people think I am 30. Creativity is just that…creation. And once you finish one thing you are off to another. That is the fountain of youth. You will never be perfect and you will never reach that pinnacle of wisdom you think you will at a certain age. Once you think you overcome an obstacle..one perfectly tailored for your age group comes along. A sense of humor is essential and having FUN! I used to think if I did this people would not take me seriously. But now I found I really do not care. The fun can be productive. and meeting others like me as much of a misfit we may be…is so rewarding. I love meeting and connecting with people in real life. Sure who wouldn’t like more money, but being true to yourself keeps the vitality many try to seek. out and you can’t put a price tag on that.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I just moved back from Europe before COVID, then I got my MFA remotely during COVID and more isolated than ever. I sank into a deep depression. So I decided to move my entire life to Puerto Rico with my best friend of 30 years. It was a disaster. I lost all of my savings, my best friend had changed tremendously and betrayed me, and they confiscated my car when I tried to move back to Florida. Then I got a job teaching film in Maine that was awful too and my beloved cat passed away that same week. I thought I would crawl in a ball and die. I was just too physically exhausted to go on. But I sought out those who inspired me and loved ones and found that diving deep back into my work brought solace. And then a huge opportunity came my way and I am currently rising from the ashes of last year. Resilience is a sacred human attribute, we all have it. We just have to tap into that strength and have a good relationship with our solitude to process those moments when we have nothing else to fall back on, I drank an energy drink and moved on….!

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