Even at that early age, Jim knew that he didn’t fit into most social groups and felt there had to be more to life than what was on the surface. Growing up in a small town, his adolescence and early adult life was somewhat uneventful and yet never typical. Underlying it all was a feeling that there had to be “something more”. That feeling, along with a good dose of curiosity, led him to try many different things in his search to satisfy that craving and to find meaning and purpose to his life. After high school, he worked manual labor and semi-skilled jobs for six years... each of them giving a different perspective, but none provided the answers he was seeking. He worked at those types of jobs until he was coaxed by a girlfriend to attend college where he earned a degree in Business/Computer Science. Jim worked as a computer programmer for a brief time, but realized that the corporate world was very alien to him.
It was in college that he met, dated and eventually married a girl that he had previously, ‘almost-met’ several many times over a number of years. They divorced ten years later; they had no children, but great lessons were learned.
Jim always wrote notes to himself when he heard or experienced something that struck a chord, just to remind him of the experience. Most of what he had written came from his own life experiences. He tried skydiving and took up SCUBA diving because he wanted to know what it felt like. He became a private pilot to get past my fear of heights and started my own business because he found that the corporate world wasn't where he belonged. He's worked a wide variety of jobs, from feeding a machine that put grooves in plywood to create wall paneling, to photographer, ski instructor, computer programmer, crane operator, general contractor, welder, wood worker and sculptor. He's built homes, made furniture, created leaded glass windows...always trying to combine form with function – all in an attempt to satisfy a desire for that “something” missing in his life. He finally found that outlet for my creative energies through writing. He currently split my time between Wisconsin and Florida. He has a small place in a rural area north of Green Bay, WI and has purchased property in an airpark in northern Florida, where he plans to build a hangar and small home. Both places are great for inspiring him to write.
www.tarainsight.com
www.jasondmckean.com
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