We were lucky to catch up with Jim Infantino recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jim, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

My father worked at an advertising agency, but was a really good illustrator. He didn’t want to take the risk of pursuing a creative life and I could tell it bothered him. He got to do lots of cool creative things for a variety of campaigns, but he still had the pull of something more artistic. I felt I should try and make a go at a creative life from watching his struggle with that. My grandfather had the same problem. He was a saxophonist and violinist but gave it up when he had kids. My uncle drew comic books for a living. My mom was a brilliant artist, both musically, and as an illustrator but did neither professionally. I figured that life is short, and it was worth the risk.

Jim, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Regarding my web design company: I started building websites when the web was new. It was before WordPress or Squarespace, and my clients needed updates all the time. I looked around and found there might be a way to let them do their own edits and started coding my own web platform for them. That platform Slab, has grown over the years and now I build most of my clients’ projects on it. It’s easier to use than those other platforms and doesn’t rely on templates, so I can design them to fit their branding from scratch. It’s become a great tool, and my goal is to release it as an open-source platform in the upcoming year.

Regarding my music: I started writing songs when I was 12. The feel of a guitar calmed me, and I played constantly. When I left college, I moved to Boston where there was an exciting singer-songwriter scene. I played on the streets and in the subways until I started getting gigs. In 1996, I started a band called Jim’s Big Ego. We recorded 7 albums, and some EPs. We still play. I’ve been on NPR’s All Things Considered a handful of times, featured on Doctor Demento’s radio show, toured the USA and the UK, and play a semi-weekly online show called Solo In Isolation since the start of the pandemic.

Regarding my writing: After I had kids, ideas for songs stopped coming as often. It may have been the lack of sleep or broader perspective, but one day, on a bus back from a gig in NYC, I had an idea for a novel that seemed to fall into my head from above. I didn’t know it was a novel at the time, and tried to fit it into a song or series of songs, but it didn’t work. When I knew it would be a book, I told everyone about my idea for a book until I bored all my friends. It was only when I was almost hit by a car while crossing the street that I realized that the story would die inside my head unless I wrote it down. That day, I started writing it. I’ve finished 2 novels in that series and am working on a third. It’s a post-apocalyptic cyber-hippie travelogue that takes place at the end of this century called The Wakeful Wanderer’s Guide series.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

In my music and writing, I want to create stories that generate compassion, open the heart and sometimes elicit laughter and surprise.

In my business, I want to help my clients succeed and create an environment that feels friendly and accessible so they can keep updating the record of their work.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

It takes courage to create things. It’s easy to be afraid that people will think you are ridiculous or bad it your craft, or too out in the open about who you are. I wanted to write code, so I taught myself to write code and started doing it. I wanted to write songs, so I picked up a guitar and started doing it. I wanted to write a novel, so I pulled out my laptop (it was on my phone first) and started writing. I didn’t worry that other people might hate it. With fear, nothing gets done.

When you encounter a creative person, spend a little of your attention appreciating the courage they must have to start doing what they love. It’s no small hurtle.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jiminfantino.com/links/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jiminfantino/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/jinfantino
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jiminfantino?trk=people-guest_people_search-card
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jiminfantino
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/jimsbigego
• Other: https://slabmedia.com https://bigego.com https://wakefulwanderer.com

Image Credits
Headshot by Liz Linder Club Passim video feed by Matt Smith and Abby Altman Book covers by me Websites by me