Mike G. - The Testimonial

Sometimes you have to show them once – sometimes you have to show them a million times. Michael Garrett has spent his career proving himself.
Not just to childhood friends who didn’t believe in him.
Not just to the companies that didn’t think he could cut it.

But mostly, he’s proving himself to himself.

As a fellow creative, to watch the evolution of Michael - Mike G, to me – has been brilliant and inspiring, to say the least. Michael is audacious - fully maximizing everything he touches. From ideation to execution, from personal projects up to Seattle’s second largest music festival, Michael’s pursuit of creative perfection borders on obsession.

To borrow from the Tiger Woods documentary, “I’m addicted. I’m addicted to golf.” Mike G is addicted to creating.

But Michael Garrett isn’t just a wildly gifted and dedicated creative robot - he works from the heart.

While preparing to write this, I asked Michael what matters to him in the projects he chooses to work on.

“In today’s social climate, I only want to work with brands that are aware and are standing on the sides of Blacks and POC.”

This is a noble idea at any time. But I’ve been in this business long enough to know that when people get to Mike’s level - when giants like Lexus and Footlocker and New Balance (actual Mike G clients) come calling - values systems start to wane. Not for Michael Garrett.

Not only is it essential for Michael to believe in your product, he’s got to believe in your message. And you’ve got to believe in his, too.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Mike’s absurdly wide skill set.

Let me let you in on a little industry secret – there are a lot of people who will sell clients on buzzwords and strategic terminology. Very few can actually execute everything they’re selling. So they’ll pitch you on work they can’t do, mark it up and pawn it off on someone who will do the work for cheap.

Not Michael.

Art direction, creative direction, branding, e-comm, photography, social strategy - he’s done it all. And he regularly does it all for a number of clients - at a very, very high level. Meanwhile, he is just as comfortable in the autonomy of a solo project as he is working on or leading a team.

So keep doubting Michael Garrett if you want. He won’t stop proving you wrong. But that’s not why he is who he is.

Mike G won’t stop proving himself to himself.

I’ll close with a brilliant line from Michael.

“I want the world to view me as I am. The world is complicated enough and I no longer care to fit in or alter myself to appease a mainstream standard. I'm me, you're you – you're here, so, you've accepted me and I thank you.“

-Nick Goodwin (Nicky G to Michael)