I’m proud of my Irish-American heritage—leavened by a dose of French blood. From the Irish side I get the scrappy, poetic, and storytelling instincts that make me who I am. Maybe it’s the French part that gives me my interest in art and design.
Raised in a big, extended family in Indianapolis, we grew up close to cousins and aunts and uncles and sampled life in different neighborhoods and settings — from a Victorian street-car town on the East side, to a few acres near a creek where we swam and played. Our neighborhood was filled with kids and my childhood was idyllic: bike rides to the drugstore soda fountain for cherry cokes, cub scouts and paper routes.
My family is still close today, and new generations are extending it well into the future. I keep most of the friends I’ve made along the way, and many of my closest ones are people I’ve known for 20, 30, even 40 years or more. I seek out new friends wherever I go, and typically they’re quirky and interesting in various ways.
michael j nolan 