Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Aaronn Brown. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Aaronn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I started my creative career while I was working my 9-5 job at a top nonprofit in New York City. This was around 2022 when I decided to get into the model industry by working with other photographers to build up my portfolio and later started creating art. During that period I had met my biological father for the first time which was at my biological grandfather’s funeral. Months later my biological grandmother dies so I had a lot of changes that I was adjusting through. In the process of me grieving my grandparents death, I decided to take my model career one step further by entering NYFW for the first time in February of 2023. February 2023 was also the month where my biological mother was diagnosed with breast cancer at stage 4. If I had started my model and art career sooner, I would probably have been a lot more aware of the different opportunities available and take advantage of them. I believe I also would have been a lot more knowledgeable business wise in terms of the model and art industry.

Aaronn, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was raised in East New York and went to an all boys high school in Brownsville which both are considered one of the highest crime rates in Brooklyn. I am a mental health and foster care advocate. Pop Smoke is one of my favorite artist and I am passionate about fitness. I can squat 405lbs my own weight haha. I been into art for a long time ever since elementary school where I used to do my own drawings and later got into paint for the first time around 2022. For modelling I started out as a model when I attended college in SUNY Brockport where I would walk in various fashion shows and entered my first model competition. I ended up winning third place and was even offered a model contract from one of the judges because of how well I did. From then on once I graduated I decided to pursue both the art and model world professionally. I had just got into acting too. Creative works I provide are my art pieces, fitness coaching, and other services as a model. I solve problems of many aspects and use my talents to solve issues such as filling in a role for a model for a brand or creating art for a specific audience that tells a powerful message. What sets me apart is my remarkable story that for many would break an individual and yet I beat the odds to follow my dreams while impacting those along the way. What I am most proud of is still achieving great things despite the background I was born into. Going through the foster care system is seriously no joke so I just want to make that clear for anyone who is reading this. The main things I want potential clients/fans to know about my work is that I am using the work I produce as a means to provide motivation for those who feel they cannot follow their dreams, educate those on mental health, and spread awareness of people who went into foster care.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Ooo this is gonna hit real deep. I’ll start off by saying that I was born into the foster care system along with my older brother. My biological mother, aunt, and cousin all have schizophrenia. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, schizophrenia is one of the most major psychological disorders in the world where some of the symptoms include delusions and hallucinations. My cousin unfortunately had died by suicide during my college years due to the symptoms he endured. Adding on to that, my biological father, uncle, and older brother all have autism. With my biological mother unable to take care of my older brother and I, the decision to take care of us was left up to my biological father where he ultimately decided to sign his rights away leading me to become a ward of the state at only a few days old. From then on I would be moved into three different family households, faced abuse at the second household I was moved to and later became legally adopted until I hit the third grade. I didn’t want my circumstance to allow me to become a negative statistic though. After graduating from college with a bachelors of science, I landed a full time 9-5 job at a top nonprofit in New York City. During that period I signed up for therapy for the first time and decided to look for my biological family particularly on both my parents’ sides. My father especially I was keen on finding. I ended up finding my paternal grandparents and met my father at my grandfather’s funeral as crazy as it sounds. From juggling my 9-5 job to finding out dark truths that led to me and my older brother going into foster care, I later went to add in modelling and art to some of my activities. I used to feel shame for my story and what I had gone through but for whoever is reading this I want you to understand of the power that you hold. You only have one life to live, so create your own destiny and follow your path. No ones journey is the same so there never really is competition but with yourself.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Once my fourth year of working at my nonprofit started, I began to realize my higher purpose in life. I was competent in my job but I felt a sense of unfulfillment. After deep thought and meditation into my next steps, I realized that working in customer service for the long run was not where I saw myself. In December of 2023, I made the bold move to quit my 9-5 job to further pursue my passion with art and modelling and explore the data analyst field route. Breaking into technology is another goal that I am actively following through with. I want to use my success to open up doors for others so I had no regrets. We’ve been taught to believe that our 9-5 jobs are completely secure which is not the case especially in today’s age. Everything is a business so security from a job does not necessarily exist. You have to create your security and know your worth.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @executive__brown

Image Credits

Chaniel Andran- Photographer (First Photo)