We’re looking forward to introducing you to Austin Jones. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Austin, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Something beautiful in my life happened recently. On August 17, at 12:32am my baby boy was born. My wife and I have been trying to have a baby for years now. It has really not been easy. We have been through 3 miscarriages. It was only after our 4th pregnancy that we were successful. I’d like to talk about the story of how my son, Miles, was born. It was Saturday, August 16. My wife was sleeping. We were sitting on the couch. When she woke up and told me she was feeling pain. The doctor had told us if she felt more than 6 contractions in an hour, to go straight to the hospital. So I asked her: Are you having contractions? She said yes. I asked “How many?” She said, in a glum way: One. So she went back to sleep. The same thing happened again later. So I had her move to the bed. Only a couple minutes later she panicked saying: Lovey! I feel pain! I asked: How many contractions? She said: I feel pain near my vagina! I’ve only felt one contraction. At this point. I didn’t know what to do. My parents (since I can’t drive) told me they would dri ve my wife and I to the hospital if we really needed it. I sat in my bed for a second staring up at the ceiling, and I decided; we are going to the hospital. My parents pick us up, we drive to the hospital, we get there, and we go up to the labor and delivery suite. They roll my wife inside, I am out in the waiting room with my mom and my dad. After about 20 minutes they come and get me. The doctor says she is having mutiple contractions every 2 minutes. They say they are going to do something, if they don’t go away, we are doing the C-Section tonight to deliver the baby. They take me back out to the waiting room. I tell my parents. And then I sit there with my dad. He and I get to talking and eventually I ask him: Dad, how likely do you think it is that I am having my baby boy tonight? He looked me in the eye and told me with utmost confidence: one-hundred percent. 20 minutes later they come out and tell me: Mr. Jones, we are going to do the C-Section, you are having your baby boy tonight! From that point on, it was like hyper speed. They roll my wife back to prep her for the surgery, they take me too the recovery room to get dressed, it was crazy. And only once they had left me alone in the recovery room all by myself in the scrubs I had changed into. Time slowed for several minutes for me. It felt like an eternity. It was like being spawned in a RPG video game level and whatever would happen next would be some awesome action packed adventure. The room was so quiet. I tried to call my brother. It was midnight though, he would’nt answer. I called one of my best friends who was a groomsman at my wedding, and I told him what was going on, and he got me hyped up. And we were so excited. Then, in the middle of our conversation, two surgeons walked into the recovery room and asked me “Mr. Jones. Are you ready?” Before I hung up the phone, I told my friend “Buddy, I gotta go. I’m gonna go meet my son!” I got up, they took me to the surgery room. My wife was laying down and she had a big drape all around her belly. They sat me down. I took my wife’s hand. And we both started getting emotional. We both started crying. Then a couple seconds later…a third person started crying too. Miles. Had come into this world. I got to see my baby boy, for the first time. He was beautiful. He was perfect. I could not have been prouder any happier then I was in that moment. They had me cut the umbilical cord. Then I got to hold my son for the first time. I cried. I was so happy. I gave him to my wife so she could hold him. We had several minutes to be with him. Eventually they needed to wheel out my wife so she could get ready for recovery. I was in charge of holding Miles. So I took him out to the recovery room. And placed him in the bassinet. Looking down on him, I was so happy and proud. My son had been born. And we was going to be great.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
At the age of 5, Austin told his parents at the dinner table these words: Mom, Dad, I want to be an artist when I grow up. Austin’s parents looked at one another, paused, and looked back at him and replied: Okay Austin, we will make it happen.
Ever since that moment, Austin followed his dream. He took private art lessons, he studied with various mentors, and graduated from Art Center College of Design with a Bachelor’s degree in Illustration. And ever since, he has never stopped creating art. Austin is currently living the dream he wanted. He is running his own art business with his family, he continues to create art, and he is also actively teaching art.
In addition to being an artist, Austin has lived his whole life being on the Autism spectrum. He continues to spread awareness and is assisting multiple non-profit organizations with Autism awareness. He writes blogs for Art for Autism website.
Austin has a big heart. He has always been kind and generous. Austin’s philosophy is that he hopes his art will inspire change in a positive way throughout the world. And most importantly, make the world smile.
Austin once said:
“I hope my art will make a difference. No matter how big, or how small, change is a big factor in my life, as my art is always changing. I hope that change will inspire the world to be a better place.”
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
My parents. My parents raised me and showed me the ways of the world. Especially the working world. Once I got out of college learning from them and my mentors showed me how to be a real artist and a hard worker.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Failure taught me something more important than anything that you should always have: Hope. With hope you can do anything. Because no matter how many times you fail. You can always give it another shot.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
One of my closest friends taught me” You are the source of 90% of your own problems.” Which really made me look at the world and how my life is structured in a different way. This taught me that if something is wrong in my life, it is my responsibility to fix it. Not anyone else.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If immortality were real, what would you build?
I had a dream once. I had a dream I would make the largest mural on earth. Larger than any mural ever produced. It would be titanic. Towering over cities. If I were immortal, I would make that dream come true.
The other thing I would build, would be a cure to all suffering and an answer for world peace.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://austinjohnjones.com/index.html
- Instagram: @austinjohnjonesart
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-jones-0765085b/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hyperdrivemtg
