Meet Vanessa Charlot

We recently connected with Vanessa Charlot and have shared our conversation below.

Vanessa, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
Growing up as the child of immigrants, I knew early on that I did not fit into any box that was constructed for me. Being a Black woman from Miami, I leaned heavily on the fact that my family came from Haiti. An island maligned with poverty and strife but was the first model of freedom and independence in the West. My parents recalled this history to me often. This instilled in me, an unwavering faith in my ability to carve out my own destiny and play an active role in my future.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m a documentary photographer, filmmaker and now a Professor of Creative Multimedia at the University of Mississippi. My work focuses on the intersectionality of race, politics, culture and sexual/gender expression to explore the collective human experience. The purpose of my work is to produce visual representations free of an oppressive gaze. Finding myself creating photographic works and film in the hauntingly beautiful and complicated landscape of the Mississippi Delta I am trying to marry the past with the present in a way that restores the dignity and vitality of those often shot as subjects divorced from context, motives, and histories.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Listening to my inner voice, looking for ways to be continuously inspired and finding the beauty in everything has been the most impactful. In terms of advice, I would say find the one thing you love to do best and master it.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu has been instrumental in me appreciating the ebbs and flows of not just my creative practice but life.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Leica Headshot: Raquel Natalicchio

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