Team Member Profile: Meet Aaron
Meet one of our fabricators here at Aberdeen Studio, Aaron Sauter. Mastering the ability to accurately envision the final piece while working on each step of the process, he not only helps us day-to-day in the studio creating custom pieces but also to continue to grow as a best-in-class, bespoke design + fabrication studio.
Read more about his approach to work and why he’s a fan of the epsom salt bath.
ON DESIGN//
Q: What is your personal design ethos and how do you carry that through your work here at Aberdeen?
A: With enough skill and intention, the wackiest design choice will feel entirely correct. So much of the work we create at Aberdeen has the quality of being expertly and skillfully executed with at least one, not "wacky", but unexpected element that draws your interest.
Q: How do you remain curious and imaginative throughout each of your projects?
A: I try to focus on each part of the process as i'm doing it. Something simple seeming like sanding can be improved by a hundred little tips and tricks, so being able to zoom into a discrete task can be like opening a door into a very large room. The more I'm able to do that, the better the final result.
Q: What part of the design process do you find most creative in practice?
A: I enjoy bringing ideas to life. A piece of furniture starts out in someone's head. It's my job to bring it out of the abstract and make it solid. That's a very satisfying act.
Q: How do you marry both concept and execution in your projects?
A: I try to remember that each step in the milling process corresponds to a part of the final product. I'm not just planing a board, I'm creating the right edge of the table. Keeping the final vision in mind throughout the entire process helps to make sure the piece matches the plans.
Q: Choose one: Form versus function?
A: They are one! Form should follow function. Ideally the piece seems coherent and whole while serving its purpose unnoticeably.
ON MENTAL HEALTH//
Q: Work-life balance is something we frequently talk about here in the studio. Do you believe this is something attainable and do you have any strategies you employ to keep your work and personal life in a healthy balance?
A: Absolutely! The 4 day work week at Aberdeen is part of what attracted me to the shop in the first place. A 3 day weekend is an order of magnitude more satisfying than a 2 and we get one every week.
Q: Looming deadlines and constantly shifting project details are the norm in our industry. How do you allow yourself space to move throughout this constantly in-flux process in a way that is healthy for you?
A: I try to focus on the task in front of me. One thing at a time..
Q: Do you have any self-care practices that you can share in regards to keeping the work-life balance in check?
A: Epsom Salt baths. This is a very physical job and if you don't make time for your body to recover you'll just be sad.
Q: What’s your enneagram and how does it resonate with you?
A: I don't know what that is.
ON THE LITTLE DETAILS//
Q: Most frequented Nashville restaurant?
A: Cheap Charlie’s Taco Truck, or Grillshack
Q: Favorite local music venue?
A: Basement East
Q: Most binge-watched show?
A: Currently, The West Wing.
Q: Your go-to comfort nostalgia movie?
A: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Q: Something surprising about you?
A: I was on Jeopardy.
Q: What could we find you doing on any given Saturday afternoon?
A: Hopefully walking my dog but probably doing some kind of woodworking.
Q: And lastly, tell us something about yourself that you like, and why it’s an important part of who you are and how you exist in the world.
A: I love my dog. Her name is Cowboy and she's sitting on my lap right now. She's my first dog at 32 and I never knew how much I was missing out on.