Meet Garrett Miller

Today we’d like to introduce you to Garrett Miller.

Garrett, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Creativity is the greatest gift of all to me, yet comes with a steep price tag. I went from a successful VP of Sales for a Fortune 1000 company for several years to a struggling artist trying to make rent and back. My life’s journey begs for me to be creative – writing, singing, acting, photography, design, making candles, essential oils, interior design – but in doing so, finding a way to also meet the worldly demand of eating and paying rent in the same month.

Shockingly, just because I’ve always been successful in all the things I’ve done, typically measured by how much money and “things” I bought, being creatively successful can mean money comes to me, but often times my lesson I continue to learn is that I am creative to build my spirit, feed my soul – and if people want to be part of the journey with me and buy a widget, all the more power to them, but my expectations now are solely on my projects and how they’ll impact my life.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My corporate gig – was great – for many years – until it was not. Then it was the most life-sucking, horrible, day to day experience I could get through. Towards the end of it, I also decided to get sober and rip all of the bandaids off at the same time. It allowed me to clearly make a choice to retain my integrity, dignity, and self-worth (what little was left) and find myself leaving an industry which no longer served my future self.

I “gave it all up” to become a rock star – figuring creating a well-crafted album of work would magically be the ticket to the Grammy’s. It wasn’t. Along the way, I met and became friends with brilliantly talented people who were struggling along the way to sell a song, get their next acting gig, and maybe even get paid along the way. Did I have fun doing it? Absolutely. Besides my puppies, the thing which gives me the greatest joy in life is writing music and recording in the studio. Everything else is a distant second.

Figuring out that even with a great cd, awards out the wazoo and lots of #1 songs on indie radio – it didn’t go far in paying bills – even in my streamlined no-frills life I’d been “reduced to.” When the savings ran out, it was time to get a job. Any job. Literally ANY job, so I could pay the rent. That was disheartening, but also taught me a valuable lesson in doing what you have to do in order to do what you love.

We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I’m an indie singer, writer, author, web designer, photographer, radio host, and bad actor. I’ve become known for reinventing myself and finding new ways to provide value to others in the creative work I do outside of my “day job.”

My clients who hire me for web design or photo shoots love working with me and enjoy the freedom I provide them to be their creative selves while I work on finding ways to help them look crisp, fresh, and ready to take on the world. I try to do the same things for them that I’d love a company to do for me.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
The list is long! Honestly, I’d have quit my “big money career” about four years before I did. I’d have come up with a different game plan to reinvent myself professionally – but the lure of the big checks each month kept me in place long after it was time to go. I stayed in the industry with the same company as a contractor for 13 years.

I knew by year six-seven I should have branched out – but I drank the Kool-Aid. And I didn’t want to stop. If I would have had a mentor shake me and say, “WAKE THE FUCK UP – GET OUT NOW” that would have been divine. Yet, looking back I realize I “had” to go through everything I’ve gone through to get to where I’m at now.

My life is completely simpler. It’s smaller. It’s enjoyable. I now LOVE my “day job,” and it gives me enough freedom to do my side hustle projects that feed my soul.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.garrettmiller.com
• Email: garrett@garrettmiller.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1624888644450231/
• Other: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/blond-jesus/995900556

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