We were lucky to catch up with Aaron Hansen recently and have shared our conversation below.
Aaron, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
The first time i really sat down and drew, i was about 7-8 years old. My uncle was on his deathbed and we were all living together in the family house at the time. He was the patriarch artist in the family that brought my mom and everyone else to California from Guanajuato Mexico. He gave me and my cousins sketchbooks before he passed in hopes we would continue the family craft. Because i lived in the same house he would give me little projects to do, the first one was life drawing an apple on the dining room table. After i completed that, it was aware to myself and to the whole family that i had the gift. Drawing in my early days let me do discover graffiti around 14. The communal aspect of graffiti and its competitive nature reignited my desire to get back into art, learning letter structure, color combinations, collaborating and expirementing with different mediums. Spraypainting walls instead of brushing on canvas threw me into murals at an early age so the transition to professional murals wasn’t much of a leap. My capabilities really exploded when i worked at a sign shop and learned how to screenprint, spray automotive finish, fabricate, learn graphic design etc. I think because it was always survival in those days, i was forced to excel and understand a myriad of craftsmanship quickly. However, learning all those things definitely took alot of time and had a way of making me go in every direction. Jack of all trades master of none, but still better than a master of one! Still not sure if that was a mistake or i owe my success to that. In retrospect speed was the most essential skill to pick up, slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Speed and efficiency allows you to complete more layered murals in the same amount of time as a basic graphic which in turn equals more revenue and bigger portfolio in less time. Every project is your advertisement as well so the faster you are without sacrificing quality the more work you attract. I know for a fact worrying about bills in those early days made me excel but at the same time took away my power to choose exactly what i wanted to excel in. So in short, my start not being financed or supported financially forced me to take the long way to where i am now.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Im from the desert region of southern California known as the Coachella Valley. Its comprised of resort towns and towns that supply the employees to those resorts so its a very seasonal and often harsh environment. There was a lot of voids to fill because it wasnt a city and didnt have the specialized industries of cities. Firm believer on creativity over competition, there was so much room in what was lacking as far as services that i made it my strategy to fill those needs in the community as opposed to fighting over the same type of work. I started offering signpainting/murals and also worked with Palm Springs Unified School District to teach at-risk youth how to paint murals. I would supplement the slow times with screenprinting but this proved too competitive. In retrospect, everything i know is from working with other people and experimentation, art school was never in my story. I picked up a lot via the route of paid practice, good ol work experience. Later on when i had my own business, I learned it was better to do high volume with less clients than to chase alot of clients with low volume so i really started focusing on collecting clientele and other craftsman that could use my skillset. I really directed all my energy into becoming a specialist in these rare fields and forged myself as a vital secret weapon in the art community. The world of Sculptors, Muralists, Galleries is so small i just had to keep my name solid with one and i after that i was known and hired by most. Im in the middle of transitioning my focus from me being known as an artist to a new identity/venture called Murals, Letters, Colours. It encompasses my services in Murals, signpainting, and sculpture finish which are all pretty rarely offered in my area so as soon as they find me, im already a hero! I offer what falls out of the average painters scope of expertise, sometimes I show up with the same exact materials a painter shows up with but get treated like a guest and get paid much higher just by changing a few things about myself. People also like when they just have to deal with one person that can handle all their creative problems for them so i leaned into offering a broad range of services within the creative field. Ive curated my client list to the top restaurants, hotels, artists etc in the area and that truly is a powerful way to create your perceived image/brand/value. That probably, business wise, is what makes my demand so high. Keepin up with the Jones’ as they say, when other businesses want to be perceived as the top, its common for them to follow the example and hire me too. Practicing empathy is huge, always put yourself in the clients shoes and really understand where they are coming from. Being a real person with them that respects their energy and vision, in turn builds a beautiful relationship that can last your whole career. As you build your business you take notes of what rubs you the wrong way dealing with people and what is delightful so keep that in mind when the tables turn. Too many people have a strict pricing strategy for dollars and will risk building a relationship just to stick to their formula. Money is just one metric of value, network = networth. Ive learned that one job is just an introduction not a money grab, get on base dont worry about the homerun yet. You really want to focus on the next 20-40 years of your career and see who is worthy of having a relationship with you for the remainder of that time. Curating your clients is one of the best strategies i can share. I am proud when i have clients so excited and happy about our experience they come up with a new project for me and are ecstatic when they bring me up to their circles. Thats when i know im fulfilling my purpose in the community. Sometimes i look at my contact list and just cant believe all the high value connections i have now from being a heathy vital synapse in the network. Key players in the game you’d never think to meet now need your help and want to give you money, that is a great source of pride for me.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
When i was young and hungry, basically full blown starving artist, i really wanted to paint this wall down the street from my house. Problem was i didnt even have paint, but being resourceful and aware of my surroundings i remembered a place in the desert people dump trash at. I found about 5 gallons and bam that mural started. It would take a few more manifestations but surely it was completed. That taught me the life long lesson of “ask and you shall receive”. Necessity is the mother of invention, the lack of material also forced the direction of the mural knowing i only had so much of each color and had to find the balance of what “doing what i can with what i have”. This really ended up as a foundational belief system, i realized its bigger than me. The world needs me to do what i do and everything i need will indeed show up. It feels like its your idea and your problem to solve but in reality, these things are being presented to you. Later on i wanted to do the same thing but large scale, across the country, a coast to coast mural campaign. I had an artshow and sold work enough to fund/start my endeavor. When i started running out of money i still kept going, “everything will be provided”. Shortly there after i realized more ground would be covered without a vehicle because a vehicle needs gas and gas needs cash. Observing the interstate analyzing the probability that out of all those vehicles, one would surely have room for me. With that i crammed my backpack with spraypaint and brushes and hit the road. I hitchkhiked from Pacific ocean til my feet hit the Atlantic ocean painting walls whenever i could. I only had a lil jansport backpack so didnt pack blankets or extra anything, just socks, trailmix and a gallon of water. Made a fire to sleep warm in the Tucson desert, slept under a bridge in Jacksonville to evade the rain, slept in semi truck bunk beds and hostels, beds of pickup trucks, home was wherever i laid my head. Realizing you are indeed of the earth and everything in this dimension is conspiring for you to do your part. That was, to me, a rite of passage to my future self, trusting the calling and fulfilling my purpose on earth. I carry that same philosophy to this day and have the utmost faith in my craft and using it for good. Amongst many other realizations, one of the potent ones that stuck with me is that every place on this continent is connected to your street. The second your foot touches the road you are assimilated into a vast network that will literally take you anywhere you want to go. Everything is accesible from where you are.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect is what you turn yourself into. You become the masterpiece. Aside from being your own boss and all that, on a deeper level you are truly building your relationship with self/source. Every task and experience that finds its way to you is building your credit with the universe. The secret sauce to life is acquired in a way only creatives would understand. In all the practice of turning your thoughts tangible day in and day out you are evolving into a more powerful version of yourself. These are priceless, unteachable experiences you must find within. I remember living with less intuition, creativity, general ability and realize most people still live like that. This makes me incredibly grateful for past versions of myself that sacrificed their existence for who i am today. The road to mastery is long but when you master your self through a craft you become a master to the core of your soul. The highs and the lows are illusions like everything else, we must not give them too much power, the path of creation is the way to our rewards.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.muralsletterscolours.com
- Instagram: @arnhnzn @muralsletterscolours
- Youtube: arnhnzn
- Yelp: Murals Letters Colours
