Meet James Picard | Artist, Writer, Director & Filmmaker

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

Hi James, how do you think about risk?
Risk, according to the dictionary is “to expose to the chance of injury or loss; hazard.” Immediately it conjures up a fear and fear is what stops people from moving ahead and taking chances in life and in business. It is instilled in us to “play it safe”, but nothing is ever really gained by not taking risks. Taking a risk, or many risks is imperative to growth, confidence and success. The biggest risk in life I feel is not taking any risks at all. Taking risks is of course scary, but it has been essential for myself as a creative artist and as a human being. When you take risks you learn from both your successes and your failures and both are equally important. The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. To quote T.S.Eliot, “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far it is possible to go.”

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.
I have always been creative. Ever since I could hold a pencil I started drawing, creating and observing life around me and tried to interpret it in an artistic way. It has definitely not been an easy road. There are many who have tried to put up roadblocks and stifle my creativity and stop me from following my passion. I always felt like I didn’t belong in a normal 9-5 world where money was the end goal. For me, it was never about the money, it was always about following your creative passion. Money is merely a tool that allows one to continue to live and create, it is never the number one goal. When you follow your passion the rewards in my opinion are greater than monetary. One of the greatest challenges I feel is working with non artistic people who don’t fully understand the creative process. I have had many business relationships that have gone sideways as the end goal is seen in two different perspectives. When you are dealing with a creative mind, money is a by product and the business mind is one that solely thinks of creativity as money making. There has to, I believe, be a give and take but always have the bigger picture of creativity goals in mind. These interactions have left me doing a lot of things by myself, but it’s better in the long run to do more yourself than to hand over your creativity to those have no real understanding of how to keep the true artistic integrity of the artist.

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?
I love Paty’s Diner in Toluca Lake. Breakfast there is a great way to start your day and then head to Santa Monica pier, which is a great place to people watch and a stroll by the ocean, looking at at the vastness of the water and hearing the waves crashing in always puts things in perspective. A stop at Fresh Brothers pizza for a slice on Santa Monica Blvd is always great for a mid afternoon snack and a stroll through Amoeba records to grab some new music CD’s or movies. They’ve recently moved from Sunset Blvd to Hollywood Blvd. but I look forward to strolling through the new store after the pandemic subsides. A stroll down Hollywood Blvd is always great to see the craziness of human beings and a perfect evening dinner would be at one of my all time favourite restaurants … Musso & Franks, also on Hollywood Blvd and the place to go in Hollywood for a great steak since 1919.

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?
I have great admiration and gratitude to all those who have followed the path of creativity. It is not an easy road and it is full of pitfalls and perils along with some of the greatest feelings of euphoria one can experience. Without those willing to risk the path of creativity, to he world would be quite a boring place. To all the filmmakers, artists, musicians, dancers, writers and creative souls that keep creating despite all the adversity they must overcome… thank you.

Website: www.jamespicard.com
Instagram: darkandwounded
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/james.picard.56863
Other: www.thedarkandthewoundedofficial.com Facebook pages: Death sleeps in a cot Make the world a better place Covid isolation horse

Image Credits
Photo credit: 1-4 property of James Picard 5 – Wayne Hoerchel 8-10 Jessica Venturi Timmins