Meet Kali Picard | Speech-Language Pathologist & Artist

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

Hi Kali, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
As a practicing speech therapist and artist, I wanted a way to merge my two skillsets. I’m deeply passionate about helping others and what better way than through the arts. Borderless Color is an inclusive art studio focused on making art accessible to both neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals. We have a sensory room to help students needing to self regulate and we tailor our courses to meet our students where they are at, identify their strengths then build upon them. There isn’t a studio like this in Lafayette, and it’s something needed in the community.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Art is something I’ve always done. In graduate school, I painted weddings to make ends meet and I’ve always used art as supplemental income. Like any artist, some days creating is as natural as breathing, whereas others it’s a struggle. On the harder days, where inspiration seems lost, I focus on technical activities and once I start making art then it gets a bit easier to keep going.

When I’m in a state of flow, I really enjoy painting figures, flowers, and landscapes. I enjoy getting lost in the color. I love seeing the subtle changes in hues to create a subtle shadow or highlight. I love the history of each color I use and knowing what I’m creating is a part of its historical journey. In short, I’m a color nerd and have an obsession with color theory.

The lessons art provides bigger picture, at least for me. Art has taught me to play, to be patient in the process, to enjoy the process, to think critically, and problem solve in the moment. Art has made me more flexible and that there are several paths to the end.

Today, my artistic journey is taking a turn from creating art for me to helping others create for themselves. I want to share what I know with others. I want others to find the joy in color theory and creativity. I want art to be accessible to everyone. As a speech therapist, I have the skillset to make art attainable to most people and it’s a gift I do not take for granted. That is why I started Borderless Color.

Borderless Color has bigger goals than just providing art lessons. We want our students to be leaders in the community through the arts. We want to provide opportunities to show case our students’ art. We want to instill confidence in all our students. We want art to be a joyful and fulfilling experience.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In Lafayette, there are so many wonderful places we could go and explore!

If we wanted to catch up over coffee, Reve Coffee if we didn’t have the kids with us and if we did, Miko’s Playhouse.

To see live music, Downtown Alive and we’d dance outside to local bands!

To grab dinner, if we wanted pizza we’d go to Central Pizza or if we just wanted a cocktail we’d go to Palmyre!

If we were feeling creative and wanted to throw some clay, Painted Bayou would be our place.

If we wanted some fresh air, Moncus Park is where we’d go.

Lafayette has so many treasures. These are just a few.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are two women in particular that I’d like to shout out: Mary and Rebecca.

Mary was my mentor in private practice. She taught me the importance of curiosity, a very underrated tool. The more curious you are about those you work with, the better you can help them. Curiosity helps build rapport, build trust, allows for the development of intrinsic motivation in those you are helping and ultimately sets a path for overall therapeutic success.

Rebecca is my current mentor and clinical coach and she taught me how to be methodical and how to be resilient. She also taught me how to look for subtle nuances between patients. These skills have made me much more effective as a clinician and are a great cross over in teaching.

I am grateful for these two women for helping me grow into a better version of myself.

Website: www.borderlesscolor.com

Instagram: borderless_color

Facebook: Borderless Color

Image Credits
Brittany Boudreaux – photographer of milk bath photo