We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Aaron Grayum. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Aaron below.

Aaron, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

One project that’s particularly meaningful to me is my “Love Each Other” mural in downtown Nashville. In the summer of 2020, many cities around the U.S. experienced days of unrest following the verdict in the George Floyd case. Downtown Nashville was no exception, with looting and smashed windows along 2nd Avenue. Tensions were high, and the downtown community was shaken. I was asked to create an uplifting piece of art on a real estate company’s boarded-up windows, to bring some color and hope Downtown. The image I decided to paint had piano keys stretching along the bottom, with hands of all colors and sizes playing a single melody on the piano. Above the piano is a rainbow with a small red bird perched on top, watching over the community. Finally, I wanted to add an unmistakable message that would cut through the noise, so I wrote LOVE EACH OTHER across the top.

This project is meaningful to me for several reasons. First, it was the first time I’d ever been hired to paint a mural, and it was in a very high-traffic area of Downtown Nashville. 2020 was a rough year for business, and this opportunity came right as Covid lockdowns were lifted. It felt inspiring to head right into the heart of the city and create something impactful. My wife and son also helped me paint it, which made it even more special. Additionally, this was supposed to be a temporary mural — only to remain for a week or two max — until the owner replaced the windows. Instead, it drew in so many people that they decided to keep the art up for nearly two years before finally replacing the windows last May.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember. In school, I used to draw in the margins of every piece of paper I could find, and those drawings directly inspire my art today. I grew up in Nashville, and throughout my childhood, I mostly drew with pencils or crayons, not painting very much at all. I remember not liking having to clean up afterward. Later, when I went to college at Middle Tennessee State University, that’s where I started developing a love for painting. During college, I painted with oils — mostly large abstracts. After I graduated, I didn’t paint very much for a few years, but when I picked it up again in 2005, I switched to acrylics and loved it. What drove me to switch to acrylics was when I was working on staff as the graphic designer for a mega church. I was asked to assemble a small team of artists and create some 6ft tall paintings for Christmas, and I only had a few days to accomplish this. We had to paint really big, and it had to dry really fast, so I figured acrylics were the way to go. I hadn’t worked very much with them before, but I really enjoyed acrylics and haven’t ever looked back.

I get inspiration from my childhood self. Many of the images I paint — egg-shaped birds, jelly bean trees, airplanes, sailboats, and a piano player floating across the sky — come from drawings I remember making in elementary school. My color palette was inspired by the illustrations in vintage children’s books, like Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland. Over the past couple of years, I’ve been incorporating my love for abstract art into my representational work, and I’ve been thrilled with the results.

I have a graphic design background, and when I create a logo for someone, the idea is to take a ton of information — everything about what their business is trying to project into the world — and distill it all down into a small, simple, memorable visual. I try to do the same thing when painting, although the larger canvas allows for much more texture and depth! My design sensibilities often inform the graphic nature of my work, and I have a deep love for words, both in what they say and how they look. When I combine words or poetry into my art, it usually happens spontaneously.

People tell me that my art makes them smile and lifts them up or reminds them of when they were a kid. I love that! I make art that speaks to our inner child, which appeals to both children and adults, which is precisely what I want.

Through our company, The Gray Umbrella, LLC, my wife Michelle and I have a variety of creative activities that we run together. These include original paintings, prints, merchandise, graphic design, commissions, children’s book illustration, murals, live event paintings, etc. Fun fact: our company name is a mashup of our last name (Grayum) and the fact that it’s the “umbrella company” for all our creative projects.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Reaching people through my art. I love what I do. I love the worlds I create through my images. I love my color palette, my line quality, composition, etc. When I add messaging to a piece, I have one of three people in mind as my audience: my son, my childhood self, or somebody out there who feels lost and alone. So after putting all of that into my work, there’s nothing better than to see somebody else appreciate those things too and be moved by something I created.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn the outdated notion that if you make money with your art, you’re “selling out” and not a “real” artist. That idea is as toxic and untrue as the “starving artist” stereotype, and it drives me crazy. Art has value (GREAT value) in the world and to a lot of people. I hate to think of all the artists and creatives who may have turned away from making a living by doing what they love because they learned that money and art can’t mix. To me, “selling out” is only accurately applied when an artist knowingly compromises their integrity, morality, or principles purely for profit. That distinction makes all the difference.

A few years ago, I went through an artist entrepreneurship program in Nashville called Periscope (by the Arts & Business Council). From day one, I learned that being an artist is just as legitimate of a career and business path as anything else. Can you starve? Sure. But that’s a risk that any entrepreneur takes. Making art is one thing. Being strategic about how you market that art, where you exhibit, your pricing structure, etc., is what ends up putting food on the table and supporting your family. There’s not a thing in the world wrong with that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aarongrayum.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aarongrayum
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aarongrayum
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aarongrayum
• Other: Aaron exhibits his work nationally, and is currently represented in his hometown of Nashville by local galleries Swipe Right Art and Art Beat.

Image Credits
Jeremy Cowart Ashley Bergeron (Swipe Right Art) Alicia Spence-Schlesinger (Nashville BCycle)