Meet Aaron Kirchmaier

We were lucky to catch up with Aaron Kirchmaier recently and have shared our conversation below.

Aaron, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

I try my best to live. Any kind of creative expression needs to *express* something. For me, living authentically fuels that expression.

It’s easy to fall into these mental patterns where output needs to be perpetual, but I’m not convinced it works that way. At least as a means to make works that are powerful and captivating and authentic. I see it as a daily conversation with oneself. Sometimes you make some really great things day in and day out. Sometimes you just sit and study and think about what’s in progress. Sometimes you don’t even open the studio door, and I think that part is okay. You gotta reload the tank with chaotic hardcore shows, and tasty snacks. Maybe a little love or some new friendventures. Go see a body horror movie even though it’s yuck. Take a walk with a new indie playlist. Just catch the vibe, yknow. Then you get to bring it back around and brain vomit all the cool new experience you have to share. Tell the canvas how life’s been, even if it’s bad. Then we rinse and repeat until forever because we’re artists and that’s what we do.

It’s waves. One day it’s big and overwhelming but you gotta shred the gnar because how is it that big right now?? Tomorrow it’s a respectable ripple, but yesterday it was glass motionless. Soo… run with it.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

At the end of the day I’m just a guy that likes to make paintings. At the moment I have a few pieces showing with Gallery AF in the arts district, I’m working on a skate deck for a group show in the Bay Area early next year, and I’ve got half-a-dozen works in progress I’m really enjoying making.

Being an artist is a lifestyle before any project or brand or method of “success”. You gotta have fun with it, yknow. I have a day job working as a studio assistant for an LA pop artist, I have an in-home studio of my own I get to work in whenever I want, I’ve got a handful of great friends (also creatives) that bring me joy and inspiration, people like my work enough to appreciate it and buy it, and I’ve been really big on peace recently.

Life is tight.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Networking, hedging your bets with risk, and learning to let go.

Meet all the people. Everybody around you has a story to learn from or a bit of insight or a laugh to share. We’re all way more alike than we want to accept. Be an active participant in the communal web.

Try everything. Having specific goals is great, but your greatest achievement or highest level skill is probably something you’ve never even thought about. Life is long.

Let it be. Live like water. Shoot it from the hip. Accept change – it’s inevitable.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

It’s all overwhelming isn’t it? Being alive right now with all the people and the current events and how everything is so far away but also so very fleeting.

I rest a lot. I’m medicated. I talk to a therapist. I talk to my friends about my woes. I never ever ignore it.

“Overwhelmed” is a feeling and feelings are real. You’ve gotta feel those feelings in order to figure out how to manage them. It’s hard. Looking inward is scary. Not knowing yourself is scarier.

The craziest part is the remedy is different for everyone. I don’t have anybody else’s answers, only mine.

I don’t really know if that’s the most appropriate answer for this platform, but it’s real.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bairbrains.com
• Instagram: @bairbrains