Meg Nichols – m.ink
In your words… Tell us about your organization, business, initiative.
m.ink is a source for hand lettered designs and small batch products. I make everything from greeting cards, pins, decals, pouches, totes, to art prints and banners. My mission is to celebrate inclusiveness, color, joy, nostalgia and the spirit of DIY. My products strive to satisfy a need through making personalized options accessible and to deliver a variety of products for those who feel underrepresented in traditional retailers.
Tell us a bit about you and why you do what you do? Share your passions for your business, initiative, organization.
The inspiration for m.ink came from my own life experiences in greeting card shopping . . . What Valentine’s Day card do you give someone before you’re openly “in love”, or what if your partner is a different race than you and you don’t “see” yourselves represented in the card aisle? I started using my own design skills and printmaking knowledge to make my own cards. I make many more things than greeting cards now and have really fallen in love with lettering and type design, so the products and services I offer now represent that.
What role do you think your business plays in supporting a more creative community? OR your community in general. (Bonus! Why do you think a more creative community is important?)
I thrive on collaborations and working to create something totally unique for clients. My lettering, design and small batch handmade production services can help fellow creatives complete projects of all sizes. For me, I think a creative community is integral to the greater community having a more profound voice.
What was the last book you read that made an impact on you?
The last book I felt compelled to purchased and read is “Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered” by Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff of the “My Favorite Murder” Podcast. Regardless of their Podcast success, as humans they have showed me that if you stay true to yourself and put yourself out there, the right people will find you. You have to do the work. Growing a successful business ain’t so bad either.
What’s the one thing people would be surprised to learn about you our your business?
Even as a visual artist, most of my inspiration comes from music. From 60s rock to 80s punk to Freddie Mercury, I can’t live without it!