We recently connected with Aaron Gilbert and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Aaron, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
I think my optimism comes from being in the military when I joined in 2017, the military was never my first choice as a career, my parents did it and made sure if I was to join, I would go in as an officer. We all know the military isn’t for everyone and sometimes on deployments and even in general we had to make the best situation out of literally nothing. You also have Soldiers looking up to you to make a way or make a situation better, because you are responsible for them so being optimistic can really boost morale. So, whenever I’m not in my uniform I always find a way to either find the silver lining somewhere or just be optimistic. Sometimes I catch myself in certain scenarios where I’m laughing and can’t even be mad or stressed, because I’ve been through worse in the military.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My name is Aaron Gilbert, I’m a retired Army Officer Captain, currently obtaining my MBA and graduating December. 9, 2023. I started a custom rug business called Aaronz Artistry back in March of 2023. This started off as a hobby and developed into a way for me to give my customers a custom product for their home or office. I really enjoy art as a whole, so when I came across tufting back in March, I was telling myself “This is really dope, to take a design such as an anime character, Kaws figure, or any design you can think of and make it into a rug for you to see everyday verses a wallpaper print out or painting”. “You can do this” So I bought all the material and started practicing. Since Tufting is still fairly new and started back in 2020, there’s not a how to guide to learning. You just have to practice and figure out what works and what doesn’t. It’s a very steep learning curve if you are trying to be really good at it and give customers quality products, but I can say when I finish a new design it’s always rewarding to see that I made that from scratch.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Having ambition, being resourceful, and being self-disciplined I would say were three qualities that were most impactful in my journey. Advice I have for folks who are early on their journey would be a phrase my friend Shaun Rutherford told me, “Bet on yourself” every time.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
My father has been the most helpful I would say as an adult, Esp from 25 to 31 years old. Growing up my dad and I use to butt heads constantly because he was super strict from being in the military and was mostly gone on deployments while I was growing up in high school. I would say after 25 we grew a lot closer, and we were able to have adult conversation about why I had to do so much growing up and why he was so hard on me compared to my siblings. In a nutshell it came from my dad not growing up with a father, and he always told himself he would want better for me and to do better for his son. My father instilled in my life lessons I wouldn’t change for the world; he’s shown me ways to broaden my thinking, has taught be financial literacy, how to conduct myself appropriately in this world, to lead and never follow and how to be a good father just to name a few.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.aaronzartistry.com/
- Instagram: Aaronzartistry
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-gilbert-46b112211
- Other: Tiktok: Aaronzartistry
Image Credits
Aaron Gilbert
