Meet Aubrey Fite | Artist & Illustrator

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

Hi Aubrey, what matters most to you?
Leave No Trace principles are woven throughout my personal and business practices. I grew up in an outdoorsy family — my brother was in Scouts and with both of my parents as leaders in his troop, I went along for a lot of their trips. Leave No Trace Principles are taught early on in Scouts. I remember lining up single-file at the end of a camping trip, all walking forward in a straight line with our heads down looking for any trash so we could leave the campsite “better than we found it”.

My grandfather Jim was also a big outdoorsman and was a huge influence on my business. He taught me how to fly fish as soon as I was strong enough to hold a rod and would drive me up to ski Purgatory anytime I’d visit him in Durango the winter. Even though math and engineering were his career strengths, anytime we’d fish with guides, they would say Jim was “an artist on the water”. Everything he did had beauty and creativity to it, especially his fly-tying — a skill he thankfully passed on to me. Anytime he introduced me to a new skill in the outdoors, he’d make sure to be abundantly clear that nature is important and we must respect it. He approached all things with care and I strive to emulate his style of work and recreation into my every day life and definitely my business. When I feel off course, I ask myself, “what would Jim do?” He’d spend time in nature, he’d create something beautiful, and he’d leave it better than he found it.

While all 7 Leave No Trace principles are equally important, I lean into “Leave It Better Than You Found It” the most when it comes to my business. I use eco-friendly shipping supplies, print on recycled paper, and donate 10% of sales to environmental non-profits that work to protect and restore public lands.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
For the most part, I am a self-taught artist. I took two years of Art in high school, but haven’t studied art traditionally since. I rely on resources like YouTube, Skillshare, and even TikTok to pick up new skills. My artwork started out as mostly digital and has grown to using a variety of mediums over the years. I was missing the hands-on messiness that traditional mediums allowed and I quickly took up block printing. I dove into video tutorials, bought a Speedball kit, and just went for it! The rainbow trout prints on my site were created from the first block I ever carved. Since then, I’ve played with gouache painting and introduced screen printing into my mix. Screen printing has definitely been the most rewarding; the process is tedious, but the payoff is huge.

I did consider studying Studio Art for what feels like two seconds at the end of high school. I was accepted to The University of Texas Studio Art program but changed majors before orientation was over. I felt too much pressure to create a career out of my creativity and listened too closely to folks who said it wasn’t a viable path. Plus, studio classes were 4 hours long, twice a week but only 3 credit hours? My 18 year old justice-driven brain just did not think that was fair! Now, of course, I’ve come full circle and have in fact made art my career, but if I could go back in time, I don’t think there’s a scenario where I stick it out with art school and enjoy myself. Having restrictions on projects felt so limiting to me and I’ve loved being able to decide for myself what I’d learn and at what pace.

Through all of this, I’ve learned that it’s important to trust your gut. Nobody knows you better than yourself and if you decide to revisit something years later and it still gives you a spark, lean into that. That previous time was not wasted. Even though I didn’t graduate with an art degree, I learned lessons in college that influence my creativity and decision-making every day.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is such a great question because I’m actually planning for a friend to come visit soon!

Bozeman is such a beautiful place and while I’d argue it’s best in the summertime, Fall is a close second and as a bonus, there are less tourists. Here’s a list of some of my favorite places to take people!

Food/Drinks: Daily Coffee, Zocalo, Backcountry Burger Bar, Sidewall Pizza, Seven Sushi, Farmers Daughter, Genuine Ice Cream, and Map Brewery.
Activities/Shops: Story Mill Park, Sourdough Trail, a day trip to Hyalite Canyon, shopping on Main Street, The Country Bookshelf, float the Madison, hammock at Lindley Park. farmers markets and Yellowstone National Park, of course!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to my partner Andrew. He has been my rock for the last 4.5 years, especially since starting Ranger Collective in 2020. He bought me a book about starting a creative business after I had dreamed about starting a business for months, and that really got the ball rolling on this whole thing. He gives me advice, keeps me grounded, helps out at vendor fairs, weighs in when I’m deciding my margins— Ranger Collective would not exist at the level that it does if it wasn’t for him. I love you, Andrew!

Thanks,
Aubrey

Website: www.rangercollective.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/rangercollective

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/aubrey-fite/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/rangercollective

Image Credits
Tabitha Turner for the feature image and the photo of the Grand Canyon print.