We caught up with the brilliant and insightful James Ozmun a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi James, thanks for joining us today. Before we talk about all of your success, let’s start with a story of failure. Can you open up about a time when you’ve failed?

On the morning of December 27, 2010, the final act of support from my family came in the form of (them) purchasing me a hotel room for 7 days. The last words spoken to me were from my Aunt. She is the woman who raised me as one of her biological children. And yet, she is the person who drove me around the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee until we found a motel that was in her budget. The very last words she spoke to me were, “call us once or twice a year and let us know you’re still alive. To answer the question, I somehow failed at maintaining a bond with my family.

James, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Everything about me sets me apart from others. Let’s just refer to my family for an example. Throughout my entire life, I have never been like any person in my family. I knew at a young age that I was different because I was always learning on a different scale than all the other kids at home or at school. Being raised in a house of six kids, I was the oldest and therefore I never had a childhood because I always had the responsibilities of an adult. But that never really crossed my mind during those years. The importance of caring for five siblings was my focus. I wanted them to be safe and happy. Unfortunately, the home I was raised in was never a healthy atmosphere. Give yourself 30 seconds to guess a type of abuse and it happened to me in that household. As I now live as a survivor at 53 years old, I want to share my stories with the landscapes of society for many reasons. But I must begin with my story of survival. At the start of my first year of junior high school, I discovered I can write a story. Two years later I discovered disposable cameras and that interest blossomed into my becoming a novice photographer. I consider myself a simple man who is living a simple life. Until 2 years ago, I never took my dreams seriously. My proudest accomplishment in life is buying my home. As for my artistic dreams, at this point in my life, I’m just going for it!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Being able to create art in any form. For me, writing, photography and digital art have been my creative outlets. AND let’s not forget about casual conversation and how it can always lead to creativity as well as possibilities for inspiring positive changes.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice

I intend on developing an NFT presence online. I think NFT’s are a genius way for artists to express their creativity and present it on a global scale.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: @therealnovice21
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JamesOzmun
• Other: deviantart.com/consonanceNanoitment james71ozmun.blogspot.com

Image Credits

Photo credits; James W. Ozmun