We recently connected with Amin and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amin, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I began my creative career seven years ago, right after earning my master’s degree in nanotechnology. Engineering was never my true passion, and when I graduated, I didn’t want to simply follow the path that society and my family had planned for me. Instead, I decided to take a chance on myself and pursue my dream of becoming a content creator.

If I could go back and change everything, I might wish I had started 15 years ago. But in reality, I believe things happened at the right time. Sometimes, I wonder how things would have turned out if I had started earlier. Maybe I wouldn’t be where I am today, or perhaps I would have taken a different creative path. But one thing is certain is experience comes with time.

It’s true that I missed out on many years of learning and evolving in this field, but I don’t regret when I started. What matters most is that today and every day after.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Amin. I have a bachelor’s degree in Material Science and a master’s degree in Nanotechnology. But during the last year of my master’s, I realised that engineering is not my true passion. I also came to understand that I was following a path chosen for me by my parents after high school.

So, I decided to take a chance. Leaving engineering felt like coming back to life. I borrowed $500, bought a simple camera, and started learning video editing with Adobe Premiere. I traveled, created content for Instagram, and slowly, people became interested in my work.

After sharing one of my videos on Instagram, I received my first job offer from a travel company. That opportunity allowed me to buy a better camera and improve my work.
Then, after 3 years, the COVID-19 pandemic happened. Even though the world slowed down, I didn’t stop. I used that time to learn and grow even more. After the pandemic, I created a unique video that no one in my country had done before. When I shared it, it received a huge response, and I got many job offers. That moment officially marked the start of my career as a freelance videographer in Iran. As I gained more experience, I started working with bigger brands and companies.

In 2022, everything changed again. A major protest happened in my country (the Mahsa Amini protests), and social media work was severely restricted. Just like during the pandemic, I found myself with time to reflect and learn. But this time, I was deeply affected by what was happening around me. I turned my sadness into art and made my first short film about Women, Life, Freedom.
Because of many different problems in my country, I decided to emigrate. Leaving everything I had built was incredibly hard, but I knew I couldn’t stay any longer.
In 2023, I left my country and moved to the U.S. The best way for me to get there was through education, so I applied for a Ph.D. program in mechanical engineering. I studied for three semesters, but my passion for filmmaking never faded. While doing my Ph.D., I applied to two universities for film studies, and both accepted me, and I chose to study Media Arts at the school of visual art and design at the University of South Carolina.
Now, I have the chance to learn, experience, and create more. Emigration hasn’t been easy; I’ve faced sadness and many difficulties. But I’ve chosen to express these emotions through my art. Today, I focus on creating content about the emigration experience, and in the future, I plan to showcase my work in an exhibition.
So far, I have made a short experimental film with a 16mm camera, a short film using AI, digital short films, and short documentaries.
I’m still working on new projects. My goal is to tell stories that capture the emotions of emigration, the loss, the struggles, and the hope. I want to show people what it truly feels like to leave everything behind and start over.
Also, one month ago, my short film, A Sky Between Us, has been awarded the 2nd Place Graduate Award at the 70th Annual Juried Student Exhibition at the School of Visual Art and Design at University of South Carolina.

During my time making advertisement videos for brands, I focused on understanding what people like and what exactly the client wants. It’s an important part of this profession, connecting with the audience in a way that resonates with both the brand and the viewer. I learned that creating something people enjoy is key. But now, I’ve shifted my approach. Using true emotions and real stories in my work to make other mediums, I aim to create deeper connections with people through my works.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is to improve myself every day, and for doing that, I don’t compare myself to others; I compare myself to who I was yesterday.
I always try to learn new things, explore new experiences, and grow both personally and professionally. Creativity is a journey, and I believe there is always something new to discover. I want my work to evolve, to challenge me, and to connect with people in a meaningful way. As long as I keep learning and pushing myself, I know I’m on the right path.

How did you build your audience on social media?

When I first started promoting myself, I focused on traveling and showing places in a unique way. At that time, it was something new, and people loved seeing things they had never experienced before. Drone footage, new angles, and slow-motion shots were especially exciting for them. So, I began showcasing different places in Iran and sharing them on Instagram. Over a short time, I gained 4,000 followers, which was enough to start getting work with businesses.
If you want to grow on social media, follow the trends, but don’t just copy them; add your own perspective. Show something new, something that people don’t usually see with their own eyes. Watch a lot of content, learn from it, create as much as you can, and don’t be afraid to share your work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aminnakhi.myportfolio.com/
• Instagram: amin.nakhi
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aminnakhi/

Image Credits

My personal photo: By Reza Vaezi