Jared Aronson, founder of Madhouse Tees, is a T-shirt designer living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. But, he doesn’t want to be perceived as the disabled guy in a wheelchair using a breathing tube. Jared is an artist who has been drawing since he was a young child. And even though drawing became more and more difficult over the years as paralysis gradually overtook most of his body, Jared kept drawing new T-shirt designs on his computer using only his thumb and a mouse.

Disabled artist Jared Aronson

His T-shirts are unique and funny. I bought a few of them and on several occasions I have been able to put a smile on people’s faces when I was wearing them. My favorite is the banana sliding over a person. I always feel a kind of pride when I wear one of Jared’s T-shirts because they are special and meaningful to me knowing they have been designed by an amazing young man who puts a lot of love, creativity and labor into each one of his tees. We had the opportunity of doing an online interview with Jared last year. If you haven’t read his inspiring story yet, you can read it here.

I have never met Jared in person and I was thrilled when he emailed me that he was going to be featured on TV. By watching his video, I learned a lot more about his family, his business, how he gets around and how he designs his T-shirts. It is truly enlightening to watch his video.  Just be patient while the 15 second introductory commercial passes by; it’s well worth the wait!

Javier Pena never saw himself working with people with disabilities, let alone leading a 25-member band whose members struggle with Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism and blindness. He didn’t really understand what he got himself into at first when he accepted a symbolic position to help socialize disabled folks with music.

Photo Courtesy OPS Inc.

But what Pena has been able to accomplish with a group of disabled musicians is extraordinary. Now his band, known as the Spirit of Goodwill, is a group of legitimate performers, complete with a blues-belting lead singer, a well-trained choir, a horn section, keyboards, guitar, and drums. They have become sought-after entertainers and their story has just recently been turned into the award winning documentary For Once in My Life.

You can read the entire heart-warming and inspiring story, a contribution by Jenny Inglee, here.

Being in a wheelchair doesn’t have to stop you from achieving your dreams. When Maksim Sedakov from St Petersburg, Russia lost his leg in a car accident and ended up using a wheelchair, he was determined to prove that his condition would not prevent him from doing the thing he enjoys most.

Maksim picked up a passion for wheelchair dancing, participated in dance tournaments all over the globe and even competed in world championships. Maksim’s attitude is a real motivator for others. He continued to trust himself and his abilities. I like his attitude: “Don’t let other people discourage you when they say you are unable to do certain things. You can do so much more than you think, like dancing in a wheelchair.”

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.

GILFORD – It’s one thing in life to find something that you love to do and it’s quite another to find that something only to have it taken away from you. Even more miraculous is when, what was taken away, is restored.

Jared Aronson is an artist and has been since he was a child. Every since he can remember he has had a love for drawing and he has parlayed that love into a successful T-shirt company called Madhouse Tees (www.madhousetees.com). Jared’s T-shirt designs are both whimsical and irreverent, poking fun at society’s norms, the advertising industry, history and everyday life in general.

Now 23, his witty ideas translate well to the T-shirt medium and are popular with people of all ages. One shirt parodying the popular line of John Deere Tractor equipment and subsequent advertising campaign is green and yellow with footprints on the ground and asks, “What deer?” Another shirt features the man in the moon with an American flag sticking out of his eye remarking, “Thanks a lot Neil.”

Jared’s dry sense of humor comes out in every shirt he designs including the one portraying a banana slipping on a person. This unique humor has come in handy throughout his challenging life. You see, Jared is confined to a wheelchair and only has the slightest use of his thumb making his artwork all the more remarkable.

Jared’s parents first realized that something was wrong with their son when he was late to walk for his age. When he finally did get on his feet, he began falling around the age of four. A battery of tests confirmed that Jared had Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a progressive disease marked by the steady wasting of the muscles. Aronson’s health began to deteriorate steadily and he is now confined to a wheelchair and bound to a ventilator 24 hours a day, seven days a week and needs to be accompanied around the clock by his parents and nurses.

There have been some close calls for Aronson, who has lived in Gilford his entire life. In fact, Jared received his diploma from Gilford High School while in Concord Hospital, where he spent 17 days in the intensive care unit after catching pneumonia. At one point Jared weighed just 52 pounds, down from his normal weight of 120 pounds. Throughout the progression of the disease, Jared has lost more and more of his ability to move. He has been seeing the therapists at Summit Rehabilitation in Gilford for a number of years and receives treatment three times a week to remain as flexible and limber as possible.

When Aronson was first attached to a ventilator, he lost his power of speech. It took a while to track down a trach, or tube that attaches to his throat, identical to that which was used by Christopher Reeve, which allowed Jared to speak again.

The way in which Aronson creates his artwork has also changed over the years due to his disease. “I used to use pens and pencils and then a computer mouse but after a while I was not able to even do that,” said Aronson.

Jared gave up on drawing for a long period of time after he could no longer manipulate a mouse. He was essentially resigned to the fact that he would no longer be able to do one of the things he loves to do most in life. Then, he found that by using Photoshop it allowed him to draw using just his thumb and a sensitive track ball. He was once again able to pursue his passion, although in incredibly painstaking fashion. In fact Aronson says its takes him over 20 hours to create a single design.

He begins by sketching the artwork, whether it’s from a preexisting design being parodied or an original design, and then filing in the colors pixel by pixel.

Aronson first became interested in designing T-shirts when he was asked to do a design for the Aaron T. Francour Memorial Basketball Tournament. He has since continued to design the tournament’s shirts while also taking on many other projects such as designing shirts for a pig roast and creating designs for his friends.

Jared continues to develop new designs and in fact he has just recently added four new T-shirts to his website and has countless other designs ready to go to print. He is also willing to take other’s ideas for a design and incorporate those designs into a shirt.

Aronson’s entire line of T-shirts can be found at www.madhousetees.com and they would make an excellent gift this holiday season for those who appreciate an off-the-beaten-path sense of humor.

We at Disabled and Productive recently had the chance to interview Jared, and if you’d like to find out more about his inspiring story, please take a look at our interview of disabled artist Jared Aronson.

from sfgate.com

I came across an article on sfgate.com about a man who suffered an accident that left him nearly paralyzed. He had always dreamed about being an artist, but had never made it work for him until his physical limitations forced him to quit manual labor and focus on using his talents. Now, despite his accident, he is actually living his dreams.

The art he paints on cars is wild, but pretty cool, and his story is inspiring, especially about how sometimes a twist of fate can force us to change our outlook and way of operating in life – for the better.

I think the article about this man who despite his disability is living his dream is worth a read, and hope you enjoy it.