Meet Aaron Bardo | Designer & Carpenter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aaron Bardo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aaron, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Since I was a child, my father would joke about my approach to life: “Ready, Fire, Aim.” That still holds true although now I’m a little better at planning ahead. I have gone freelance a few times before. I would be employed at a job that didn’t pay well, or sucked my soul away, then I quit and tried working for myself. Eventually I would be strapped for cash and get employed again. It’s like a spiraling cycle of a career path. Work for somebody, have a little bit of security, learn some new skills. Then work for myself, learning to be an entrepreneur by jumping straight in the deep end. Every pass of the cycle I develop and mature myself, trying new things until I find a field that balances my creative output with freedom, flexibility, and a comfortable income.

My current business started in California in 2019; about 6 months into the COVID pandemic. I was working at a sign-making shop. Lots of repetitive labor, and very technical jobs with industrial machinery. It paid some $19/hour and every month I was only just paying the bills. The business was run in a very hap-hazard way and there was a ton of clutter and safety issues. When things got slow I would help improve the shop by building storage and organization systems, and designing the space to make things more efficient. A friend had told me about this app called TaskRabbit, which is how he built his business. Ideas had been forming in my head to try being a handyman, since that was the type of thing I enjoyed the most at my job. I was away on a little trip to Tahoe and that break was what I needed. While up in the mountains, I called my boss and told him “I’m quitting,” and never stepped foot in their business again.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
One of the hardest parts of being a creative is coming up with ideas. What I’ve learned is to play with limitations and keep feeding your mind. Got writer’s block? Read, or watch a movie with a good story. Don’t know what your next painting should be? Browse through some new artworks and try doing your take on someone else’s piece for inspiration. Once the flame is kindled it’s easier to make it grow.

Creatives are the ones who gaze into the realm of infinite possibilities through imagination. Our job is to bring back ideas and manifest them in this world. The infinite realm can be crippling, which leads to intense procrastination. One solution is to give yourself some limits to work within. It may sound counter-intuitive to talk about limiting yourself to be creative, but it helps to create a little sandbox to play in, instead of an entire beach. If that helps you to focus in on something specific and an idea starts forming, you can then remove the limitations and see where your creation goes!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I don’t really have a life, recently moved to Denver, and I’m a total home-body so this one’s tricky. But if you want to grab some tasty cocktails and be around a bunch of super weirdos (my favorite), check out the Electric Cure. Lots of eclectic curios to look at, with bird and satanic undertones. They have a location in Wheat Ridge, and they’re opening a new location in RiNo (I think).

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Classic Shoutout to my wife! Thank you Lindsay for always being my yes-person and encouraging me along the way.

Website: www.bardo-designs.com

Instagram: bardo.designs