"Not all who wander are lost" is more than a phrase for Aaron Bleidt, it’s a way of seeing the world. As the artist behind Artful Outsider, Aaron distills curiosity, emotion, and the poetry of the everyday into bold, minimal works that invite the viewer to feel rather than simply observe.
Surrounded by a family that nurtured creativity, Aaron grew up experimenting with photography, graphic design, and storytelling. Still, it wasn’t until a spontaneous decision to begin drawing in 2019 that his true artistic journey began. Originally working on paper with pastels, inks, acrylics and gouache, Aaron found the materials restrictive. Frustrated by the pace and mess, he turned to his iPad and Apple Pencil. Freehand digital drawing and printmaking quickly became his primary medium: fluid, spontaneous, and always with him. “My studio is wherever I am when inspiration strikes,” he says. Balancing his studio time with his “day job” as principal and chief marketing officer of marketing/design firm DOXA / VANTAGE, his daily art rhythm includes about 45 minutes of predawn drawing before work and an hour or so most evenings, usually on his porch or sofa, with weekends being more open-ended. “Whether minutes or hours, it’s like time bends and I’m immersed in the electricity of making.”
He reflects on his art’s transformation from a spontaneous personal pastime to counterbalance the demanding structure of his daily professional life, to something even more essential — today, he describes it as more of a calling. He initially launched Artful Outsider anonymously on Instagram, but quickly realized the point of creating was to connect. “One day, I just asked myself — what’s the purpose if I don’t share it?” The art resonated and he was offered his first solo show early the following year, and he’s been unabashedly creating, exhibiting, and selling his work ever since.
His works, which he often refers to as “imaginative what-if scenarios, vignettes, or visual haiku,” are inspired by everything from nature and architecture to popular culture and fleeting conversations that span the gamut. In his eyes, the potential for art is everywhere. He’s particularly drawn to relatable human experiences; moments that speak without words. A viewer once told him that a simple figural form drawn mid-stride reminded them of their father leaving for work each day when they were a child. “A single line or posture can carry an entire story, even one I didn’t intentionally write. That’s when a piece comes alive — when something I create becomes a mirror for someone else’s memory.”
Looking ahead, Bleidt’s pigment ink prints will be featured in upcoming shows at MIXD Gallery in Rogers, Fenix Gallery in Fayetteville, and as part of the annual RAM invitational exhibition in Ft. Smith, among others. He’s also toying with larger-scale projects like vinyl murals, limited edition art objects, and brand collaborations. He’s working on a new series of narrative drawings, and is interested in deeper storytelling and evolving his visual language and process in new ways. “I want to keep pushing the boundaries of what my work can be and where it can live,” he says. “I’ve pursued various paths and creative endeavors over the years, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt quite this lit up about the journey ahead — there’s a sense that I’m just getting started.”
When asked about his art’s legacy, Aaron paused thoughtfully. “I’ve not really thought about it in such grand terms as legacy, but I hope my work makes people feel seen, connected, and inspired to notice the wonder of the world around them. It doesn’t always have to be serious, just honest and relatable. I’m an eternal optimist, and I hope that comes through.”
Let Aaron’s work be a reminder: it’s never too late to begin something new.
Learn more at artfuloutsider.com and follow him on Instagram @artfuloutsider.