Aaron Embrey shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Aaron, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
When I’m creating something new, for sure. Whether I’m writing outlines or sketching ideas for a new workshop, pasting together a new ‘zine, teaching a class, or writing to my people for my Unfolding newsletter, I can disappear into my creative flow and hours fly by. And usually, instead of feeling drained, I actually finish my day feeling a little more like “myself”.
For me, the creative process is about feeling connected with who I am and how I (uniquely) see the world around me. That’s been true since I was a little kid making up worlds and exploring the woods of East Texas, and it’s still true now as I guide others to rediscover their own, unique creative identities. When I lose track of time (in the best ways), it’s usually because I’m reconnecting to the most, wild, childlike, imaginative parts of myself that remind me why I fell in love with creative work in the first place.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! I’m Aaron Embrey, an artist, creative professional, and educator who’s spent most of my life helping people, brands, and businesses bring their new ideas to life.
After years of building visual identities (and designing ALL the things) as a corporate creative turned designer-for-hire, I realized my truest work isn’t just about photos, logos, or websites…
Lately, my focus has shifted toward guiding others back to the wild heart of their own creative process. And nowadays, I love helping people discover their unique creative identity and build the creative courage they’ll need to express it in their unique art, business, or story.
That’s the vision that inspired me to launch my newest venture, Wild Creating. It’s a home for MY ideas. Things like, creative camps, playshops, and other heart-and-soul-centered personal projects that invite others to make their mark in the world and create something new (from the inside out).
Whether I’m teaching from my own personal and professional creative experience, writing, or leading workshops like Making Magic, my goal is always to help others feel more artful in their work, more authentic in their lives, and more connected to themselves through their creative practice and projects.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was just a goofy kid who played and dreamed in the woods of East Texas; living in my imagination most of the time…
I talked and drew endlessly. I invented stories and games, recorded pretend radio shows on my cassette player, and I wandered the woods with my camera or cut new paths through pastures on my bike. Always on my own personal quest to find a new adventure, secret treasure, or make something new.
But growing up in a conservative faith community, I also learned pretty early on to hide, dampen, and de-emphasize certain parts of myself. My queerness, for sure. My differences. My true identity. And even my (wild!) imagination and innate curiousity. They didn’t exactly “fit” the mold, I was told…
Those parts of me never went away, though (no matter how much I hoped to suppress them sometimes). They became a sort of undercurrent that shaped me until I was ready to bring them back out into the light.
So, I don’t hide anymore.
Reclaiming my imaginative inner-child, artist has been one of the best parts of my personal and professional creative journey. I think it’s probably why I feel so compelled to finally prioritize the work I’m doing now. And to start helping others uncover their unique creative voices and the creative visions they’ve hidden away. Reminding them that what they thought they had to hide may actually be their greatest source of creativity.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
I believe, the fear that’s held me back the most has been… the fear of being fully seen…
For so many years, I worried that if people knew the real me (trans, queer, sensitive, messy, imperfect) they might reject me or run away forever.
I thought I might lose opportunities, clients, LOVE and other personal relationships if I stepped too far outside the version of myself that felt most “safe” (or “okay” or “comfortable”) for others.
The truth is, the more I’ve allowed myself to be and become more visible and more vocal about who I really AM, the more aligned my life and my work have become. I’m learning that my visibility doesn’t push the right people away, but it’s certainly drawn them closer.
It’s actually been incredible to see how the some of things I though made me most unlovable are actually the things that are making this new chapter of work feel the most meaningful.
ALL that fear still shows up for me (of course), but I’m finally learning how to treat it more like a compass (and less like a enemy). Some days, I’m better at that than others. But now, at least, when I feel fear or resistance around showing up or sharing something new, I know it’s just a sign that it actually matters. So, I try to trust that moving through that fear will ultimately bring me closer to the people and work I’m actually meant for.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
I love this question. I think, for me, fads are super surface-level. Right? They’re shiny, trendy, and so… fleeting. Impermanent.
But real foundational shifts happen at a much deeper level. And the real foundational things that we create, I believe, can connect with others on a much deeper level.
They’re not about what’s new. They’re about what’s true (for each of us).
In the modern creative world especially, I think it’s so, super easy to get swept up in all the noise around what’s trendy (including following TikTok trends and so many other, constant, new, tech-tools, platforms, algorithms, and on and on and on). But the most impactful branding shifts I’ve seen is when people finally see that creativity is more about actually showing up (rather than simply “keeping up”).
I love to see people sharing their real, awkward and artful selves. Rather than just regurgitating the latest, trendy thing.
I believe it’s all about trusting our unique (and awkward, artful) creative voice and not just always chasing after someone else’s vision.
At lease, that’s the lens I hope bring to this new chapter of creative teaching and coaching. I hope it might help to separate some of that trendy noise from the truth of their creative voice (because that won’t have have an expiration date).
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days.
Yes! I DO! Haha, I actually feel that way a lot times, now. Especially after so many years of doing creative work only for others, stepping into this new chapter work is feeling so, creatively, alive again.
I sincerely love guiding and teaching, and creating projects that are deeply personal and resonant. It’s brought back a kind of childlike, creative energy that I didn’t realize I’d been missing in my work.
Lately, I’m waking up genuinely excited to design, write, and explore the things I MOST love to geek out on, like creative identity, visual voice, and the making “magic” that happens when other people reconnects with their own imagination and creativity. I mean, for me, I think that’s some serious tap-dancin’ energy, for sure.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not always easy to ignite something new… But it does feel true. And I think that’s what I hope to leave as my creative legacy…
Proof that it’s possible to do our most alive, most creative and authentic work when we finally stop dimming ourselves for others and start creating (and sharing and showing up) from who we really, truly are.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aaronembrey.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theaaronembrey
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aembrey/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wildcreating
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@wildcreating
- Other: https://connect.aaronembrey.com/
Image Credits
©Aaron Embrey | photos.aaronembrey.com
