Aaron Miller, alive and well and creating “Blind Art”.

AARON MILLER WAS DEAD
And That Was Just The Beginning

Well-known West End artist and Mole Hill resident Aaron Miller died on March 9, 2010. But not for long.

Born in Newton, one of the most troubled areas of Surrey BC, Aaron was a confident kid, who wore skintight jeans and painted his nails. Being constantly called “faggot” had become a common occurrence at school and in his home. He was energetic, smart, with a good group of friends and a positive outlook on life — or so it seemed. But below the surface, things had begun to brew inside Aaron.

As Aaron says, “I thought to myself, I can either go to school with a lead pipe and beat the shit out of everybody who says something or I can kill myself. I figured hurting people and killing people would get me into a lot of trouble and then I’d be living with the life that would be tragic so instead of affecting everybody else I tried to take myself out of the equation.”

And so that March night, fourteen-year-old Aaron left his house about 10 p.m., distraught after a series of bullying events, rode his bike to the back of a local church, and wasted no time taking a handful of pills and drinking rubbing alcohol ... crying and dying.

The next day two youth leaders who were heading to the outside classrooms to prepare a day plan noticed Aaron curled up in the corner, leaning against the back of the building. Aaron was rushed to the closest hospital and was pronounced dead on arrival.

You’d think that would be the end of the story. Not so fast. Fourteen hours after being declared dead, “Through a mixture of medical intervention and what we can only call a higher power, a miracle happened and I was brought back to life,” as Aaron puts it.

He recovered, slowly, but was left blind and with brain damage.

A corner of Aaron’s front parlour / gallery.

“Suicide is never an answer,” Aaron reflects, “and for those who are successful, we lose them. I was lost. I was gone. I was dead. Yet I was brought back to life and I get to walk around while all of those people who have committed suicide and were successful stay dead. I feel so honored and blessed with this miracle in what I get to do with this blessing now.”

What Aaron has done with his miracle is create art. “Blind Art” as he bills his exhibitions and work. Having defied the odds he has found the courage to face his personal demons, and go on to create a place for himself in his community where he creates sometimes beautiful, sometimes troubling, always evocative work. Informed by his experiences of being bullied and committing suicide, his limited vision, and a brain wired somewhat differently by his death, his art can take the viewer to some dark places, but always somewhere in each piece there is something, a color, a form, a shadow, that suggests hope.

Aaron Is Dead is the title of a documentary about Aaron’s life, death, and post-death life and career currently in production. Created by veteran filmmaker David McLoughlin and his 15-year-old daughter Mikala Sky McLoughlin. His Irish Rose Films Inc is a Vancouver-based independent production company. The film follows Aaron's struggles to navigate adolescence and deal with bullying issues which ultimately ended in his suicide.

According to David: “I met Aaron at a medical dispensary non-profit society. As an artist and filmmaker I was inspired to bring his story to the world and recruited my 15-year-old daughter, Mikala Sky to help me produce. Being a father, I feel it is important to not only educate your children about these issues but to also connect with them and make yourself emotionally available for their needs. Using a combination of traditional Cinéma Vérité filmmaking mixed with a modern nonlinear storytelling techniques, I hope to create a film that is not only visually compelling but also thought-provoking and that will create a dialogue between young people and adults. “

The film will follow Aaron’s life before, during, and after his suicide, through resurrection, recovery and redemption.

No release date has been set yet for the film, but you can follow Aaron on Facebook for updates, and check in with The West End Journal’s Facebook page and future issues for news of the planned public screening. You’ll find Aaron on Instagram and the documentary has its own I nstragram site too.

In the meantime you can find Aaron at his Mole Hill pop-up / at-home exhibition and sale every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1170 Comox.

A selection of Aaron Miller’s work, including his tribute to a well-known homeless man who died earlier this year on
Davie Street.
Click on any image to enlarge.