Garrain Jones has become known worldwide as a transformational figure on social media who helps his followers unlock their potential through building confidence and self expression. It's an art form that he has honed over decades in a career that began in professional music and then led him into speaking, coaching, and even writing his book, Change Your Mindset, Change Your Life. His own deeply transformational life included overcoming homelessness and even serving a stint in French prison (as detailed on the National Geographic TV series Locked Up Abroad) before finding his calling that led to building a global audience.
Garrain's latest project, a retreat called Awaken The Artist Within, has become a magnet for successful entrepreneurs and executives seeking deeper fulfillment in life. Garrain teaches his philosophy of Artist Power and how it can be used to develop a new level of authenticity and confidence. We connected with him on exactly what Artist Power is and how it can be practiced.
Can you tell us a little about what the essence of artist power is?
Garrain Jones: The essence of Artist Power is that raw authentic power that every little kid has inside of them before they get tainted by society. It's that little kid who was not afraid to take risks. The brave one. The one with all the creativity, the one with endless amounts of energy, the one who is not afraid to be themselves simply because all they knew how to be was themselves. That power lies in all of us. In the inner child. The one that most people forgot about.
I called that child an Artist because when you look at children, they all have a massive capacity to endlessly create anything they want. When they are operating from the power of creation, there is no room for insecurities, or trying to do things to fit in, or not feeling worthy, or overcompensating in certain areas in your life that distract you from what you're not wanting to look at. When an adult taps into the essence of the little kid that's always been inside of them and allows their creative gifts that are fueled by their authentic expression to lead the way. This is known as Artist Power.
How did you develop the concept?
GJ: One day I looked at my life and all the results of the work I've done over the last decade and I said to myself, "something is missing. Outwardly my life looks amazing but deep down inside it feels like no one has truly got a chance to experience the truest essence of me." So I started asking different questions of myself. Right before I went into a deep meditation I set an intention to discover whatever message my ancestors wanted to reveal to me for the work that I am channeled to do in this world.
I had no clue what was going to come from that question. 30 minutes into the meditation I saw all of these instances from my past where I was working with people effortlessly in the fashion industry, in the music industry, in the speaking industry, and things that I had overcome in my own personal life. The result of all of the people I had worked with in those industries was that they felt more confidence than they've ever had, they felt like they could be fully expressed, they felt brave enough to take more risks and they no longer felt the need to overcompensate in many areas of their lives. All of this was being revealed to me in the meditation and that's what I thought came to me. "Garrain, you are a gift, you make people feel seen, and heard like they matter and you create a safe space that makes people feel like they can be fully themselves."
That's when I asked myself another question. What do I do with this information? And another thought passed over my mind. Awaken the artist within. You are here to teach people how to awaken their inner artist and tap into their Artist Power. From there it felt like my soul came back home and I had never felt more alive. This is how the concept was developed.
What are some of the ways that even people who may be outwardly successful could suffer when they aren't aligned with their artist power?
GJ: I love that you asked this question because I just recently had a retreat called Awaken The Artist Within with the intention of teaching people how to tap into Artist Power. The retreat sold out within two weeks And the majority of the people who registered all had successful businesses.
What I discovered was that many of them overcompensate for either control, money, work, power or the need to be needed. And they were there because they were craving to learn how to live a genuine authentically expressed life. For example, I was at a party with about 200 people. I picked up my tribal drum and I started drumming and activating people.
Twenty minutes later pretty much the entire party started dancing and there was one guy who kind of reminded me of Steve Jobs who kept looking up at me out of the corner of his eye but wasn't dancing at all. But he kept looking up at me like he wanted to. So I walked over to him and stuck my hand out. He grabbed it and got up and started to do a little dance. I had no clue who he was. Later that night he DM'd me on Instagram and he said, "I want that what you did tonight". And I said "you want me to teach you how to play the drum?" And he said "no! I want to learn how to have the confidence to be myself in any environment without hesitation. I've created a lot in my life and it's because I overcompensate." Well I presented him with an opportunity to attend my retreat which he registered and I came to find out he was a billionaire.
How does one build the confidence to be able to embrace their artist power?
GJ: The way to build confidence in your Artist Power is by immersing yourself into the things that brought you the most joy and happiness when you were five years old. So if you used to dance and it brought you so much joy as a little kid but you haven't danced in 20 years, by you immersing yourself in the art of dance, it will send a signal to the deepest reaches of your heart that will boost your happiness vibes to another level. What comes from the heart goes into the heart so as you are filling up your own cup, the people around you are benefiting from your overflow and not your exhaust. The more you practice, nurture, nourish the genuine love that is in your heart from the essence of that little kid inside you, the more you will experience miracles manifest in your life. Confidence is a byproduct of repetition. So continuously in the practice of Artist Power the same way you repetitively learned how to brush your teeth, by nature you build confidence.
What are some tactical ways that anyone can practice artist power in daily life?
GJ: One way is to give yourself an Artist Power day once a week. Schedule in your calendar at least one or two hours that is specifically dedicated to self-expression and allow yourself to paint, dance, sing, roll around in the dirt, play in the rain, swim, etc. There is a little kid inside of each and every one of us who is craving for love and attention. When you give it to them they will open the gateway to endless amounts of energy, creativity, joy, laughter, community and so much more.
