Go Big Anyway | with Aaron Kai
He started with a sketchbook, shipping labels, and $12 an hour. Now his waves are on Adidas, Taco Bell, and the NFL.
Whether you realize it or not, you’ve seen his waves.
Bold, bright, and unmistakably him.
Aaron Kai is a Hilo-born visual artist whose pop-infused murals and signature wave designs have taken him from sticker tags in San Francisco to global brand collabs with Adidas, Taco Bell, Marshmello, and G-Eazy.
But none of that was guaranteed.
And it definitely didn’t happen overnight.
“Even though I had a nine-to-five job that was paying my bills,” Aaron says, “the stuff that no one really saw is like…I was still trying to pursue something.”
Back in those early days, Aaron was living in San Francisco, working full-time at a law firm. During his free time, he’d sketch in a little black book and carry it everywhere—to art shows, store openings, mixers, parties.
“Whatever it was, I would bring my book with me and show everyone my art,” he says. “And next thing you know, there’s a circle of people around my book flipping through the pages.”
People liked what they saw, but there was a problem.
“I noticed they need to be able to take something away, bring it with them home, show it to other people,” Aaron explains. “It needs to be able to be spread. Not just in this book that I close up and put in my bag and take home with me.”
So he found a way.
At the law firm he worked at, they had shipping labels. Little blank, 2x4 inch shipping labels. And, his neighbor at the time, gave him a bunch of markers. So he started experimenting with color for the first time. Those small stickers, filled with bright, poppy colors, transformed his artwork.
The stickers were all hand-drawn, one-of–a-kinds. Aaron gave them out wherever he went. Kids started posting them on Instagram and tagging him.
“It kind of started from there where I started to grow my fan base by just, like, going out into the streets, into the field, and really getting fans by giving them stickers.”
It wasn’t glamorous. It wasn’t easy. But it was working.
“I would just draw all those stickers and, you know, draw graphics that I would scan in and make into digital artworks,” he says. “Just always working.”
And then? Something shifted.
He started gaining opportunities, which made him realize something: I can monetize my work and make money off of something I love doing.
That’s when the light bulb lit up.
“I need to quit work,” he remembers thinking. “Cause right now I’m giving 40 hours to this guy in exchange for $12 an hour. So at that point I was like, is this what I’m worth? Can I just quit and focus on my art? Put that 40 hours that I was putting into somebody else’s work and put it into mine?”
That question changed everything.
Aaron took the leap. And it paid off.
His waves began to stretch far beyond San Francisco. Murals. Shoes. Jewelry. Surfboards. Album covers. His distinctive style showed up everywhere. And still, he kept going.
“If you do something good and well enough for long enough, people are gonna notice it,” he says. “And they’ll have to, you know, support you. If you do it the right way for long enough, then you’ll be successful.”
And this summer? He brought it all back home.
As part of the LA Rams’ 2025 Mini-Camp, Aaron helped transform War Memorial Stadium, painting the team’s practice field with his signature wave art. He also co-designed a limited-edition capsule collection and led a fan pop-up at Wailea Village, putting local style and global reach side by side.
“It’s meaningful to be here on Maui, to do something with the community,” Aaron told Hawaii News Now. “It’s an honor.”
From law firm shipping labels to NFL sidelines.
From a little black sketchbook to massive, movement-filled walls.
Aaron’s story is a reminder:
You don’t need a fancy setup.
You don’t need perfect conditions.
You just need the guts to start.
Because what starts small doesn’t have to stay small.
Not when you go big anyway.
Enjoy Aaronʻs story? Check out our Instagram, @RISEHI for more inspiration from people who are painting their own path to success, or sign up for our newsletter to stay updated!