Meet Gar LaSalle | Physician, Writer, Sculptor, Filmmaker

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

Hi Gar, the decisions we make often shape our story in profound ways. What was one of the most difficult decisions you’ve had to make?
in 1975, after completing my first licensed year as a physician in training, I came to a crossroad…I had been offered a highly competitive four year residency in Otolaryngology-Reconstructive Surgery at Stanford but also had been accepted to the MFA programs in Film at USC and at California Institute of the Arts.

I chose to attend the MFA program at CalArts. under the mentorship of Alexander MacKendrick and Jules Engel where I made three animated films and a feature length documentary about life as an Emergency Physician. After CalArts I completed my post-graduate medical training in emergency medicine at UCLA.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a passionate, driven man, someone with ADHD who is disciplined enough to overcome distraction and stubborn and persistent enough to complete projects. If you wish to learn about some of what I do and have done, please go to my website (www.garlasalle.com) which I developed to establish “Brand” while promoting my novels. In it you will find many blogs, reviews, and articles, much of my film work, sculpture and descriptions of what I accomplished in my professional career as a physician and physician leader.

I have been told that my corpus callosum has no fence. In my left-brained professional career I know I was a compassionate, competent emergency physician and physician leader. I am proud that the company that I co-founded, TeamHealth, named its annual leadership award for me after I retired as its National Chief Medical Officer.

Right now, as I dwell primarily in my right brain, I am pleased to be working on another monumental sculpture and writing my fourth and fifth novels. We continue in pre-production efforts for “The Fairness” a TV series based on my novels “The Widow Walk Saga”. It is a good place to be.

Lessons learned…
1. Begin as a madman-ragpicker and have the flexibility to go back there after you become the architect
2. Set your expectations at the outset and allow for learning from, and forgiving mistakes
3. Give yourself permission to play
4. Read and reread (out loud) your written work. Share with honest, trustworthy people.
5. “Walk around” your sculpture or writing and be certain you make it work from every angle
6. Shine the light and allow the shadows into and onto your work
7.. Never-ever give up. Never. Never.

My brand…in my work and play, I am first and foremost an idealistic humanist who believes in earnest, honest, compassionate evidence-based decision-making and enduring effort. I am as sad for the hardened cynics as I am for the flabby naive.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in Seattle and my studio is on Maury Island. If I had to recommend a restaurant it would be any of those by. chef Tom Douglas, or the Metropolitan Grille (for carnivores).

However, I would rather entertain by bringing my friend to my house on Maury Island where we would make focaccia, wood-fired pizza, garden greens and tomatoes, and sample the charcuterie we have created, or the various game meats preparations (Elk, Caribou, Moose, Bison and Nilgai). Then we would walk the beaches or ride bikes all over this unique, quiet, island gem and in the evening tell stories over crisp white wine (from my vineyard) or the exquisite multiple award-winning wines created by Islanders Chris Camarda (Andrew Will.) and Robin Pollard (Pollard).

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Creative Mentors…Jules Engel (Painter/Animator), Alexander MacKendrick (Director/Screenwriter), Richard Selzer M.D., (Surgeon/Author), Ben Kean M.D. (Physician/Raconteur)

Life Supporters: – my family in all generations who supported my atypical decisions

Education Influence: Reed College (for promoting rigorous critical thinking) and CalArts (for promoting the notion of creative play and risk taking)

Website: https://www.garlasalle.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gar-lasalle-84832131/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gar.lasalle/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@garlasalle

Image Credits
image 2 (The Pettibone Venus) – Davis Freeman photographer