A fresh member of the 20’s club, Rayce Aaronson is a multifaceted visionary based out of Hidden Hills, California. Rather than fashion, art, and filmmaking being competing forces, Rayce’s domination in each artistic category brim with innate urbanity. Each of his aesthetic expressions serves as a conduit to his heartfelt intellect. His sincere passion for various art mediums has resulted in an all-encompassing intellectual capacity. Morphing and refining his imaginative skills rapidly, it won’t be long until he’s on your list of favorite creatives. We got to converse about his ambitions, enlightening experiences, and our mutual love for the Safdie brothers’ latest film, Uncut Gems.
Q: You’re labeled as a creative on social media, and I consider you to be a multidisciplinary artist, but does this resonate with how you personally define and label yourself?
Rayce: That definitely aligns with how I would define myself. I’m interested in so many different mediums of art so I feel like I don’t fall into just one category. Lately, I’ve been focusing on painting, filmmaking, and designing clothing.
Q: Can you tell me about what you’re currently pursuing?
Rayce: Right now I am working on some clothing that will be released sometime in coming months. I also have a job at a property management company right now and I will start my second year of college in the fall.
Q: What is your inspiration behind these pursuits?
Rayce: Just trying to expand my horizons and find new things to keep me busy. I only feel healthy if I’m being productive.
Q: What films have had an impact on who you are as a filmmaker and as an individual?
Rayce: A few Wes Anderson films like The Grand Budapest Hotel and Fantastic Mr. Fox have definitely inspired aspects of my style. I really like all of the Safdie brothers’ films and I thoroughly enjoyed Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse. These directors are able to create films that feel so different and new through the incorporation of old and traditional film techniques. This is a quality that I strive for in my own videos.
Q: What’s the first memory you can recall that led you to realize you’re a creative individual?
Rayce: Around when I was like 4 years old, I was super into dinosaurs and whenever I found a new dinosaur that I liked I would draw it. I used to draw a lot when I was little. My schoolwork was always covered in little doodles.
Q: How would you describe your style?
Rayce: I honestly don’t know how to describe my style because it’s really all over the place; I just wear whatever makes me feel good and that’s what I think finding your own style is all about. If you feel confident in an outfit, I think you should wear it regardless of what others think.
Q: What is the ultimate message in your artistic expressions? Are there any hidden messages embedded within your art or filmmaking?
Rayce: People can interpret my art in any way they want to. I feel like an artist explaining their art is kind of like how a joke gets less funny when someone explains it. To me, the fun in looking at art is trying to come up with your own reasoning as to why the artist made the piece.
Q: Have you ever felt enlightened by an event in the past that has given you a new perspective on life?
Rayce: I remember visiting my friend Nahko in Hawaii and seeing how he was living off of nothing but the land. It was a super eye-opening experience for me because I had never experienced what it was like to live that way. It was dope to see someone make so much out of so little.
Q: Are you ever unable to express your creativity to the fullest? What kinds of things inhibit you, and how do you get out of creative ruts?
Rayce: I feel like I am constantly in a state of creative confusion. There are moments that I sit in front of a canvas or behind a camera and ideas pour out of me, but for the most part I feel like I have trouble expressing myself the way I would like to. I waste the most time when I go out of my way to search for something or come up with something. I’ve concluded that the best way for me to create is to just let the idea come to me.
Q: Who are some creatives that you admire or influence you?
Rayce: Leonardo Da Vinci, Claude Monet, Hayao Miyazaki, Raf Simons, Steve Jobs, Bloody Osiris, Kanye West, and Takashi Murakami to name a few.
Q: How much of your creative ability do you think is innate and how much is a skill you have developed or learned?
Rayce: I think a good amount of my creative ability comes to me naturally but has been refined with years of practice. My great grandfather was a phenomenal artist so I like to believe that I inherited some of his good genes.
Q: What’s your current playlist like at the moment?
Rayce: I have several different playlists that I keep private. They consist of everything from the Beatles to Young Thug to Beach House to MF DOOM. I have too many favorites to list here, I might just have to release a mix for y’all…
Follow Rayce on Instagram and Tiktok to keep up with his latest looks and endeavors.
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