We had the good fortune of connecting with Aaron Knowles Dias and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aaron, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
When I look back at my life, I realize that I didn’t have any other choice but to pursue a creative career!

I had the special circumstance of growing up in a world where almost all the adults I knew were actors, writers, directors, musicians and/or dancers. My parents met at the Hip Pocket Theatre here in Ft. Worth, and from infancy much of my time was spent with them and their colleagues, immersed in their collaborative creative process. All of my first important role models and peak experiences drilled in the value of creativity and the joyful power of live art. I started acting on stage at 8 months old, I wrote stories and songs and plays and monologues in my free time. Once I got to high school I started directing plays and I assisted my mom as she taught her theatre classes for middle and elementary school students.

When I studied early child development in college I learned that creativity, imagination and play are essential qualities that we are all born with, and that they are the cornerstones of learning and healthy growth. Unfortunately mainstream society tends to train a lot of that out of children as they grow up and try to fit themselves into the very un-imaginative boxes in order to be successful socially, academically, and financially.

When I help people develop their meditation, self-growth and healing practices, much of the work involves unlearning that societal conditioning that stifled the inner artist in the first place. When someone feels stuck–in any area of their life– we need to awaken imagination before they can discover a new hopeful path. When someone feels un-inspired or dis-empowered, we need to stoke that creative fire before they can start embodying wholeness, purpose, joy and freedom.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I help people master meditation techniques, energy systems, and non-dualist philosophy as a way to discover their own innate wisdom and their own innate ability to heal and evolve. Through retreats, workshops and one-on-one coaching I support individuals through transformative passages in their life journey, their literal and figurative births and deaths.

I am different from others who teach this kind of thing, in that I believe that this capacity for wisdom and healing and growth is innate in everyone. I never tire of reminding others of how capable they are and am always pointing them back to their own empowerment.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
During the day we could hike out in Nature Preserve then go swimming at my family home on Lake Worth. After that we could ride over to the the Hip Pocket Theatre to see an original play and great live music under the stars.

I think that the Museum district might take up 2 days! Giving priority to the Kimbell and the Modern Museum and the Botanical Gardens, but letting my guest pick one or two other attractions.

It would be nice to spend some time walking or hiking the Trinity Trail one of those days.

One evening would be dedicated to being downtown, checking out the Water Gardens and the lights of Sundance Square.

Another evening dedicated to checking out the near Southside, with dinner at Benito’s on Magnolia Ave. Then perhaps heading to South Main Street to see some art galleries some live music at Tulips.

We might have to return another night to see a play at the Stage West Theatre to see the highest quality and most progressive regional theatre in the area!

And of course, we would have to go to the Northside at some point and see what makes this Cowtown!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to my mother, Paula Knowles, my first and most important teacher. Shoutout to all the moms who gave me the honor of being their doula; they taught me that the most courageous acts are acts of love, and that nothing truly valuable arrives here without some discomfort. Shoutout to Johnny Simons, the founder of the Hip Pocket Theatre, whose powerful style of embodied and musical storytelling–at once sincere yet silly, un-pretentious yet skillful, simple yet awe-inspiring– got infused into my very cells as a youth. Shoutout to my philosophy professor Michael McCarthy, who taught me that being an excellent educator is not about being the smartest person in the room, but about being a role model for the learning and growth process. Shoutout to my guru Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, who taught me that my greatest strengths AND my greatest weaknesses lie within.

Website: forevermarvel.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaronkdias/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-dias-b8754940/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/seelovethrive

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forevermarvel

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTkUtPsQGHdyrJrZ4tsJdCw

Other: nowherevillage.org

Image Credits
The headshot in the snow is by Sarah Wilmer

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.