We were lucky to catch up with Kaden Hill recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kaden, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
My sense of purpose comes from everything around me. I can’t walk past something old and rusty, abandoned on the ground, without wondering what it once was—and what it could be again. Inspiration is everywhere. I’m constantly drawn to the intersection of nature and human innovation, where history, craftsmanship, and creativity collide. I love the earth, and I admire the ingenuity of people. My purpose lies somewhere in that balance—honoring the past while reimagining it for the future.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My current art/ business is making functional bluetooth stereos out of found objects. It’s something I grow and learn from daily and I look forward to every day in my workshop.
Since I was a child, I’ve always had a clear vision—one that revolved around building things from whatever I could find. My first project was nailing my dad’s motorcycle ramp into the tree in our front yard and calling it a fort. Even then, I was driven by the idea of repurposing what was around me to create something new.
Growing up as a queer, trans kid in Texas, I learned that I could find boys’ clothes for just a quarter at thrift stores—and that sparked my love for secondhand shopping. Thrifting, antiquing, and junk shopping became more than just a hobby; they became a way for me to discover the raw materials for what I would build next.
I found a lot of speakers at thrift shops that had lost their purpose, and an idea began to form—though it took two years before I truly figured out how to bring it to life. At the time, I didn’t have many resources, but I had a lot of time. So, in the 10×10 room of my apartment downtown, what was meant to be a bedroom quickly became a workshop.
The project consumed me. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and eventually, I was able to create something that filled me with excitement—like firecrackers going off in my veins.
Breathing life into old things is what I do.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
One of my first jobs out of high school was framing artwork at a local art store, and I absolutely loved it. The customer interaction was deeply personal—I was helping people preserve some of the most intimate moments of their lives. Whether it was framing a wedding photo or memorializing a lost loved one in a shadow box, I was constantly reminded of the emotional weight that objects can carry. That job taught me three invaluable things: design, preservation, and people.
I get to use a lot of those skills from that art store while doing custom stereos for people. They tend to bring me heirlooms that they don’t know what to do with but don’t want to get rid of. It’s a really fun way to memorialize a loved one by bringing their old objects back to life as a functional stereo.
For those early in their entrepreneurial journey—or just life in general—my best advice is to go easy on yourself. Make mistakes, forgive yourself, and keep going. I’ve learned the most from messing things up and trying again.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
As an adult with skills, it can be tough to try something new and not be good at it. But I’ve found that’s where the biggest growth happens—by stepping into the unknown, asking questions, and allowing yourself to be vulnerable.
I experience this constantly with the stereos I build. There’s so much to learn about sound and electronics that even after eight years, I still feel like a beginner. Sometimes, I’ll have a stereo that just doesn’t sound right—something is off, whether it’s the way I built the speaker box or some other mystery I haven’t figured out yet. When that happens, I’ve learned to set it aside for a while, let my mind reset, and come back to it with fresh eyes. And every single time, I figure it out.
Over the years, I’ve realized that when I think I don’t like something, it’s usually because I don’t fully understand it yet. Giving myself the space to be bad at something has led to some of my best lessons—and ultimately made me a better builder.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rarebirdstereo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rarebirdstereos
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rarebirdstereos
Image Credits
Stevie Ellis did the professional looking photos
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
