Interview with Disabled T-shirt Designer Jared Aronson

We recently had the opportunity to get in touch with an inspiring young man who started his own t-shirt company, Madhouse Tees. Jared Aronson lives with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy every day, but his humor, his art, and his outlook on life are what define him. And considering what he has to live with every day, that is both amazing and inspiring. In Jared’s own words:

“Imagine having a dream where your whole body has slowly been dried into a giant block of immobilized concrete and where the only way to do anything for yourself is with the help of others. Even the most basic task, breathing, can’t be done without the sucking and blowing of a battery operated box. To most people this would be considered a nightmare but to me this is my life.”

The motto of Madhouse Tees is “If You’re Not Laughing You’re Not Living” and it’s truly applicable not only to Jared’s business, but to how he lives his life as well. We were able to interview Jared and find out more about him and his art; for a background about Jared and his company please see the story here. We hope you enjoy the interview!

Despite your disability you still managed to get your high school diploma.
What were some of the toughest challenges during your schooling?

Keeping up with homework always seemed to be a little difficult because I get tired very easily.  I had an IEP written for me to help adjust my homework load, but I always wanted to show everyone in my class that I was just like them.  Being in a wheelchair you’re already different enough, so you try to do everything you can to fit in with the other kids.

Have you fully accepted your condition or are you yearning for a cure as many severely disabled people are?

I feel that I have fully accepted my condition. I have never once searched the internet to even research my disease. If a cure is ever available, I will hear about it.  In the meantime I choose to live my life to the fullest with the cards I’ve been dealt.

What is the most difficult thing you have had to overcome with your disability?

I’d say the most difficult thing that I’ve had to overcome is dealing with social obstacles. The more dependent I become, the harder it is to have my own social life. I can’t ever be left alone due to my dependence on a ventilator to breath. There isn’t any privacy in my life, which makes all my social experiences less sacred.

I’ve always had a couple of good friends, but it’s hard for me to just go and hang out with someone. Being friends with someone like me involves a lot of sacrifices on their part.  A lot of planning has to be done and there are only so many things I can do.

It’s also difficult knowing I’ll never be able to have a family of my own or a real relationship with someone.  There are a lot of things we need more of, but little Jareds isn’t one of them.

What gives you inspiration day after day and how do you maintain your positive attitude?

To keep a positive attitude, I try not to take things too seriously.  I’m always trying to make others laugh and that helps me to stay upbeat.  I’m a very happy person, which I can attribute to my ability to laugh at anything.  My company’s motto is “laughter is life” because I feel if you’re not laughing, you’re not living.

My inspiration comes from my love of drawing. Creating art is extremely enjoyable for me. It’s my nirvana.

You already had a passion for art when you were just a few years old. How did the disease affect that passion?

When I was first put on my ventilator I wasn’t able to speak for about a year. Which, if you know me, is like Jesus without a beard. After my voice was taken away I went through a brief stint of depression. During that time I had no passion, not only for art, but for anything. Fortunately for me, they make happy in pill form, which helped me get through that rough patch.

I looked at your website www.madhousetees.com and your tees are really funny, creative, and original. Which one is your favorite and why?

I’d have to say my favorite t-shirt is the snowman design. With my tees I try to be as creative as I can. In my opinion, that design is my most creative. It still makes me smile when I look at it.

Which T-shirt is your bestseller?

The Hey Yo t-shirt is definitely the best seller.  It’s simple and funny and I think that’s what people like about it.

How did you come up with the name Madhouse?

Growing up in a house with six siblings and up to eight dogs at a time is the main inspiration for the name. My house was always a little loud and a little crazy, but always a lot of fun.

What are the biggest rewards you get from your art and your business?

There are many rewards I get from my art and my business. First, I love to see people’s reactions to my t-shirts. Many people can’t control their laughter while viewing my tees. It’s a good feeling seeing people laugh at my work. Second, learning about all the different aspects of how a business works has been enjoyable for me. I’ve learned lots and I still have lots more to learn. And last, I’ve met many great people whom I would have never met without having started my business.

How long does it typically take to finish a design and what kind of adaptive tools do you use to produce your artwork?

On average, I spend up to twenty hours per design.  The first step in designing one of my t-shirts is to do a rough sketch in Photoshop.  I then take the design and import it into illustrator where I complete the design.  Before I learned how to use illustrator, my designs were done exclusively with Photoshop.  Using just Photoshop my designs were basically drawn pixel by pixel, which was very tedious.  With illustrator it makes it a lot easier because you are able to click and drag to draw shapes and lines, saving hours of work.

I use a trackball mouse using just my thumbs to create my artwork.  My left thumb controls the ball and the right thumb controls the clicking.  I’m naturally right handed, so it was a hard adjustment learning to draw with my non-dominant hand.  My hands are placed on my lap atop a heating pad on a pillow.  I’m not able to draw if my hands get cold.  It can take up to ten minutes just to get my hands positioned properly.

Another must have for designing my shirts is an on screen keyboard. I’d be lost without it.

Besides art, what other hobbies or interests do you have?

I am a huge fan of movies. I’m not really a scary or western movie kind of guy, but I’ll watch any other genre. Chick flicks are even occasionally viewed on the flat screen. Without chick flicks my chest would be embarrassingly hairy. It’s well known, a good action movie will put hair on your chest, and with chick flicks having the opposite effect, they are a must.

If you were to ask me what my favorite was, I’d promptly say “Kill Bill”. Love that movie!

Do you have any big plans for the future?

In the future I’m going to try my best to grow my business dramatically.  It would make me really happy to see my shirts sold in many locations throughout the country.  The more people I can make laugh with my shirts, the happier I’ll be.

What is the most important piece of advice you would give to those who are struggling with their disability?

The most important piece of advice I could give would be to surround yourself with as many good friends and loved ones as you can.  I know with me, the more social I am, the happier I am.   The best tool to stay social is Facebook. I feel Facebook is an amazing tool for people with a disability.

And my final question: what are you most grateful for in life?

I’m grateful for my family and my friends.  My family has gone out of their way to help me live a somewhat normal life.  To them I’m not much different than anyone else. I just have more physical needs than they do.  I have a small group of awesome friends that I am also grateful for.  A lot of my caregivers have also become good friends.  Like Hugh Hefner most of my friends are women.  The only difference is that none of my women own a pair of bunny ears!

If you are interested to learn more about Jared’s funny t-shirts, check out his website at www.madhousetees.com. You might find yourself a tee you really get a kick out of which will certainly put a smile on some people’s faces when they see you walking or rolling around wearing it.