We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Eric Renard a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Eric, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
Creating art for gallery exhibition is a challenging and rewarding experience requiring an incredible amount of resilience. For me, resilience comes from appreciating the joys of being creative, taking pride in individual accomplishments and not dwelling on the rejections.
It’s important to remember that art is subjective, not everybody is going to like it. As Stuart Smalley says “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.”
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a fine art photographer who lately, has focused on high contrast, urban cityscapes which reflect an eerie sense of peace and tranquility. The urban lanscpaoe is the hero in these photographs, with the people in them subject to the power of their surroundings. Wrapped in our daily routine, we obliviously move through neighborhoods painted by light and shadows. In a recent exhibition “Nobody Walks in L.A., I explore the unique architecture of Los Angeles, some of it loved, some of it hated and some of it completely unnoticed.
My work has found its way into art galleries in London, Barcelona, Budapest, Athens, New York, Texas, Oregon, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Connecticut and across California. My photography has received numerous Best of Show awards and has been published in both books and photography magazines, including the cover of Black & White magazine. I am also on the board of directors for several nonprofits including The Artists Gallery, The California Art League and San Fernando Valley Arts and Cultural Central.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I don’t think the qualities to success are specific to my journey or photography. They apply to most anything that you want to accomplish.
Passion – You have to love what you do to reach your goals. It will drive you past the hard times and energize you in the good.
Self-Discipline – this is probably the hardest, it’s so easy to procrastinate. You have to spend your time well, keep learning your craft and improving everyday.
Persistence – The renowned photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson famously said ‘Your first 10,000 photos are your worst’, which means you have to stick with it and practice, practice, practice.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
They provided the basis for success: love, education, values and support. They also provided a push in the direction of my choosing and a pat on the back when needed, what more can you ask for 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: http://ericrenardphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renard_photo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063521980530
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericmrenard/
- Other: https://www.taggallery.net/artists#/eric-renard/
