BEHIND THE SCENES

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I’m honored to be considered a trailblazer by VoyageLA Online Magazine, and thought I would share the interview with you so you can find out a little more about how I got to where I am today.

Here’s the interview

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jan McCarthy.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Jan. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I found my artistic voice somewhat by accident. My business was to help female entrepreneurs launch and build their business. I did this through events, workshops, dinner parties, coaching, and retreats. One of the women I met at one of these events had an art studio and during one of our conversations, I mentioned that I had always wanted to paint abstract. She connected me with an artist that taught me a few techniques and that gave me the confidence to start making art.

As my love for painting and creating artistic products began to grow, I started to see a through-line between art, creativity, and business. I began to bring creative projects and artistic thinking into my entrepreneurial groups and found this was a very successful and interesting way to help entrepreneurs move past some of the challenges they faced in running their business. I also realized this had the potential to help anyone, not just entrepreneurs who might be stuck, needed to think outside the box, solve problems, de-stress or expand their creativity.

Eventually, I shifted my focus to making more ART for sale and teaching Creative Art Sessions, Inspired Creativity or Artistic Thinking to individuals or groups as a way to develop skills that would translate into someone becoming a better artist, leader, employee or entrepreneur.

Has it been a smooth road?
There are always obstacles and challenges with anything you do. None of us start out knowing how to do everything so my best advice is don’t try to go it alone. Find a community that can be a support and is willing to share resources and knowledge. Eventbrite, Meet-up, and even specific focused hashtag searches on IG will help link you to the communities that will serve you best. Some of the women I have met through some of these networking groups have become treasured friends and some have helped to build and design my website, written copy, set up templates, and helped me to navigate technical things that have stymied me for years. And through some of these connections, I have been introduced to people that have helped grow my business significantly!

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. People love giving advice! And never stop learning!! Google is one of the best resources and so are places like Skillshare, Creative Live, You Tube tutorials, as well as workshops and webinars from people you follow and respect that have the advice to share. I have gained so much information about Social Media through webinars and online classes.

Be open to new ideas, say yes to whatever interests you and know that you can figure out anything you don’t know. Travel as much as you can to give you a better understanding of the world around you and take time to be creative. That is especially important! Creativity will serve you in every aspect of your business!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Jan McCarthy – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I create art and help others do the same. Art can be anything we call art. I believe in blending the left and right brain to achieve the most comprehensive expression and everything I create from paintings, sketches, books, brushes, towers, sculptures, clothes or other products to workshops and events is inspired by imagination and real-life visuals. I am constantly deciphering and incorporating the abstract part of life in my work with the intent to evoke emotion, bring together community, unleash the imagination, stir thoughtful reflection and give way to images of something meaningful, often hidden in between the layers of mixed media, life, and other materials.

Art, creativity and business go hand in hand so when I put on workshops, classes, retreats and events I often pair the three together because I love helping entrepreneurs, professionals, artists and other creatives move past a structured way of thinking to explore their hidden talents and curiosity through meaningful and fun interactive artistic sessions.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
Podcasts: Liberty Sessions and Journey To There are my favorite podcasts.

I love self-help books and any books that help unlock or inspire creativity and help you discover your true purpose including, “Steal Like An Artist” is a manifesto for creativity in a digital age, “The Alchemist”, about listening to your heart and trusting your intuition and “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” is another great book about fulfilling your dreams and reaching your destiny.

One of my favorite apps is Planoly and I am also learning CANVA and have found it to be really helpful in creating content for my IG

Pricing:

  • • Original Artwork range in price from $25 – $10,000. Please inquire

  • • Books “A Month On The Run”, Courage or Freedom, $14 each

  • • Bookjacket Covers: $45 Washable Paper $120 Cowhide

  • • Custom Workshops and Events priced upon request

Contact Info:

If you would like to read more and see more photos, click on the link here!

Jan McCarthyComment