Meet Bali Moore | Art Photographer & Creator

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

Hi Bali, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Honestly, I had no thought process whatsoever when I started. In fact, there was never a point in my life that I said, ‘I want to be a photographer’.
When I was a teenager, I grabbed our family camera and started clicking out of instinct,
from very emotional and ancient places.
In hindsight, I can tell that this was my way of being seen.
So for me, this was no ‘business’ in the beginning.

As a person who once used to speak as little as possible,
it had seemed that I found a way to tell my story without having to use words.
And some would say that one is worth a thousand (-,

For as long as I can remember,
I was charmed by the amazing ability to freeze a split second that goes by ~
to eternalize it and make it immortal, the way I saw it in that moment.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
It’s hard for me to think about what sets my art apart from others, because the way I see it, I am the only person who could ever have MY vision, so my art can only ever be ‘mine’.

I tend to notice the little details and like looking at supposedly ordinary things and find specialness and beauty in them (Spoiler : if you search you shall find).
I prefer to document everyday moments without interfering or directing situations, like a fly on the wall.
Like the observer that I am.

I am fascinated by the human heart and mind,
and enjoy exploring feelings and behaviors worldwide.
In my journeys I tend to dive deep into the depths of the soul ~
examine, learn, discover, and get closer and closer to it.

I believe in high awareness,
open heartedness,
gratitude,
compassion,
and most of all – in love ❤❤❤

Time and time again I’m amazed by how on the one hand,
each and every one of us is an entire world ~ special, unique and whole.
While on the other hand, we’re all made of the same stencil, same human material,
wanting and needing the same things.

Want to be seen.
Want to be understood.
Want to be loved.
• • • • •

Being an artist can be quite difficult at times,
as we’re all familiar with “the starving artist” phenomenon.
For me personally, it was super hard to pursue a photography career,
as I was raised to think that photography (let alone art photography) “is not a profession”.
I was taught to believe that it is “not serious” and that it was meant to be a hobby.
Although I don’t believe it’s true, I still carry this conflict with me to this day.
Some days I overcome this conflict, other days less so, and in some, the conflict overcomes me. But that’s ok.

I have learned throughout my journey that all you have to do when a day comes with the desire to just give up, is to simply let it pass. And it does indeed, pass.

I think the same goes for all other aspects of life.
It is an art in and of itself – learning how to take deep and long breaths and to just let certain things pass.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Wow,​ ​there are so many wonderful places to check out in Tel Aviv !!

I would have to start with Yaffo (Jaffa), my love, my home for the past 15 years.
One of the things I love most about Yaffo is the coexistence.
While I think it should be normal and natural to coexist, unfortunately it isn’t always the case in Israel, so I feel fortunate to live in a place like this.

Recommended places in Yaffo :
The small beach by the clock tower is my personal favorite. It’s quite small and intimate and I love its vibes.
Givat Aliya beach is also wonderful.
If you find yourself hungry after a beach day, you might want to check out Abu Hassan’s delicious hummus (Ali Karawan) on Dolfin Street (Just a heads up that they normally close at 3pm).
The old city up on the hill has a beautiful panoramic view and it’s a nice spot for a picnic and / or a bottle of wine.
Don’t miss out on the flea market, which is filled with shops, galleries, restaurants and bars and is great both day and night time.

Beautiful and artsy neighborhoods to stroll at are Noga (at the very north of Yaffo) and Neve Tzedek (around Shabazi Street), and they are very close to one another.
Rothschild Boulevard is also very recommended for a walk and is filled with cafes, restaurants and nice spots to hang out.

DRINKS

Really hard to choose, there are way too many great places.
I’ll go with two of my regulars.

My first would be Teder.fm – It looks like a cool beer garden (with a pizzeria), but it’s actually an online radio station, with a bustling scene of live music, DJ sets and art events. Alcohol prices are reasonable, pizza is delicious (hard to resist the smell anyways) and the vibe is just fabulous.

Second recommendation would be the iconic Minzar bar, right by the Carmel market. There are no surprises there : you always know what to expect – and it’s good expectations. It’s a simple place that’s not pretentious, cool street vibes, super delicious food, and very reasonable prices.

FOOD

Again, Sooooo many fantastic restaurants that it is really too hard to name just a few.
I would go with the first three names that come to mind :

Cicchetti, on Yehuda HaLevi Street : Delicious Italian menu. It’s somewhere in between a restaurant and a bar (not open during the day). I prefer the outdoor vibe.

Par Derriere, on Bat Ami Street : A restaurant with a French bistro menu and a garden wine bar. I highly recommend sitting in the garden in the back, it’s absolutely beautiful ! Sunday to Thursday it opens at 5pm, and on Friday and Saturday they open at 11am and serve brunch as well.

Manta Ray, on Nahum Goldmann Street : Yummy oceanfront restaurant with middle eastern seafood. Make sure to reserve in advance so you can sit on the balcony with the stunning sunset beach view !!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout goes to Berlin. While Tel Aviv probably still is my favorite city to live in,
its ridiculously high cost of living can sometimes make it too hard to find the time to JUST create.
I lived in Berlin for about a year and a half,
and in retrospect I can say that this was definitely a formative period in my life.
Berlin’s art scene was a thriving one, art was simply everywhere.

The people of Berlin reminded me of how wonderful it is to create just for the sake of creating.
You could find art in the most unexpected places, as if it was constantly in the air, no matter where you go.

I started taking photos in my early teens,
yet I only came out of the photography closet while I was living in Berlin, when I was in my early 30s.
Up to this point of my life, the only people who actually got to see my photography were close friends and family.
In Berlin, I finally found the time and courage to share my art with the world and to put it, and myself, out there.

In fact, what allowed me to live in Berlin to begin with
was the artist-photographer-visa granted to me with much faith and good will.
So thank you Berlin, for being so Artwarming (-,

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bali.Miss.Moore

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMQWrB56oKlco8ZpbcZLpHw