Meet Amina Cami

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amina Cami. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Amina, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?

My optimism is inherited. I was raised by a big family of immigrants who were committed to triumphing no matter the circumstances. Their respective stories include enduring a communist regime, having property usurped, and living in a refugee camp—to name just a few challenges. Yet each one of these family members, immediate and extended, steadfastly rebuilt a life under new citizenship. I’m not a proponent of blind optimism, but their experiences have made me a proud believer in resilient optimism. By resilient optimism, I mean the belief that we owe ourselves and our loved ones determination and hope in equal measure.

Of all my family members, my paternal grandfather was the most optimistic and hardworking person I have ever known. He worked tirelessly and his booming laugh could fill any room.

Of course, I’ve struggled with feeling cynical at times—particularly when I was younger—but I found that I wasn’t helpful in that state to anyone, much less myself. Eventually, I realized there’s a fail-safe installed in my brain that constantly, if quietly, combats against giving up. I have many role models among my relatives to primarily thank for that.

Almost every worthwhile thing I’ve done so far in my life, I’ve done for or because of my family. Unlike my parents and grandparents, I was born American, and born with considerable advantages. I want to make the most of the opportunities they’ve given me.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I can’t resist joking that pursuing writing after graduating college was in and of itself an act of optimism. Fortunately, I’ve been able to work as a reporter within the financial journalism space and write in a corporate communications/marketing capacity. I’ve learned a lot about writing effectively in these roles and have had some incredible mentors. (In the corporate sector, I also learned a lot of acronyms.)

Recently, I’ve had creative writing opportunities in the literary world and in film. I’m very excited to have made my debut short film, The Trees Still in Brooklyn, with the amazing Anda Stafa as the lead. Having an Albanian-American actress star was so meaningful and important to me.

If I’m somehow lucky enough to be able to continue pursuing creative efforts, I want to try my best to give all my art a dose of resilient optimism.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

My favorite people have always had a healthy sense of responsibility, protectiveness, and respect.

I’ve found purposeful responsibility, which is a huge part of Albanian culture, can be a wellspring of joy that isn’t attainable through, by contrast, expressive individualism. With a responsibility mindset, other positive qualities, like being kind, are more than just preferable; they’re essential. To have responsibility towards your loved ones and your community is both an expectation and a great honor.

Being protective is another extension of responsibility that means looking out for others. Professionally, the leaders that I’ve looked up to were protective of their team. Personally, I believe you always owe a debt to the people who have had your back. You should always be rooting for each other. Success is best when shared.

Respecting the past has helped me move forward mindfully. I was raised to recognize that elders have wisdom that should be heeded. I’m comforted by the fact that anything anyone has or will go through has already been experienced by others before. There really aren’t any new experiences or emotions in this world, only different iterations, and acknowledging that reality is grounding. I love diving into old books and movies for this reason. Respecting the past also has immediate and practical benefits. When it comes to any craft, there’s so much to be gained by studying the work that came before yours. You can save yourself a lot of time and avoid certain pitfalls by consciously looking back. The communications space, for example, has been inundated with a digital-first approach. Emails and online ads are often lost in a blur. Many people my age and younger in the workforce have been tasked with reinventing the wheel, because we’ve begun to understand that sometimes to efficiently reach audiences, the best approach is through real-life interactions and physical, tangible media.

I’m still finding my way on my own journey, but I think my advice would be that having quality connections is more important than having a lot of connections. For my generation, social media has somewhat skewed our perception of interpersonal relationships and relationship management. I want to continue to have talented, good people in my corner who I share common ground with more than I care about collecting superficial connections with as many people as possible. What matters most to me professionally is not networking indiscriminately, but surrounding myself with inspiring people who have clear vision, work ethic, and integrity.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

My favorite book is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. I’ve read it many times, and each time I find a new aspect that I love. The novel focuses mainly on Irish and German immigrants in early 20th century Williamsburg, but I’ve found parallels in my family’s stories of living in Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst. That’s why the title of my short film is an obvious reference to the book. While I lived in the suburbs growing up, we still spent a lot of time in Brooklyn, and I think Brooklyn immigrants have a special brand of grit.

Betty Smith describes everyday life with poignant detail I can only aspire to mirror. While A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is her most well-known work, she has three other wonderful novels, of which one called Maggie-Now stands out to me.

Currently, I’ve challenged myself to read as much of Ismail Kadare’s work as I can in both English and the original Albanian. I realize that’s a lofty goal, so you could say I’m approaching my attempt with hefty optimism.

Image Credits

Portraits by Anjeza Dyrmishi

With cinematographers Michael LoBello and Paul Sauline