More Than You Really Want to Know
About Jan Nichols:

Hey! I can’t believe you clicked on the “Learn More about Jan” link. But since you did, here’s the abridged story of my life so far.

I started out as a chubby-cheeked mid-western farm girl who dreamed of becoming an opera diva. Determined to write the script of my life, I repeatedly ignored the prevailing wisdom to settle down and be a normal person. After a trying adolescence, the farm girl arrived in New York City. It was definitely “Green Acres” gone Manhattan in search of the Metropolitan Opera. After countless auditions and more hours in a practice room than a first class felon spends in lock-up, I realized that French and German art song were not a reliable source of income. Finally, the starving artist (not that you could tell by looking) took a day job in advertising and discovered that work could be as much fun as hamming it up on stage.

My new profession covered both coasts, twisty demographic trends and franchise clients who, having purchased a program to assure their success, were immediately transformed into entrepreneurs determined to pursue their own destiny. Seventy client-years later (like a dog’s life, multiply by seven) I finally figured out that the best job is the one you create yourself. As the owner of Market Arts, Inc., a creative services firm, my fascination with stories found another outlet. For the past 12 years, I’ve been crafting words and creating images for clients with products to sell, services to promote and relationships to build.

After years of observation, I realized that our clients relied on certain habits of thinking that had become a barrier to innovation. That particular insight motivated me to launch “Conversations with Creative Minds,” a monthly interview program in Ann Arbor, MI. Now, the show is available on the web so the whole wide world can realize the power of creative thinking as a tool for the realization of tangible goals. Putting the lessons of creativity to work in my own life, I’m having the most fun ever, producing original programming for the web and a select group of clients.

But that’s enough about me. If you’ve got a dream, dust it off and take a second look. If you need inspiration, check out the collective wisdom of those who’ve dared to think and act differently at www.conversationswithcreativeminds.com

Oh, and remember to eat lunch, because nobody’s creative on an empty stomach!