In 2021 Arens was part of the dearMoon project and created numerous Non-fungible token art pieces [1] to commemorate the designated SpaceX Starship, a trip funded by entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa.
[1] The show, coupled with his interest in fonts, colors, spacing and layout, set in motion a growing fascination with art and design.
By the mid to late 1980s, Arens was DJing around the Twin Cities, and had a brief stint in rap music under the alias 2 Percent, opening for Gang Starr, EPMD, DJ Quik, amongst others.
Although Arens created artwork continuously growing up, his career as an artist was substantively set in motion with a design gig for the Woodstock '94 festival.
Arens' album design/layout career continues to this day, and has featured many projects, including: Dolly Parton's Backwoods Barbie and latest, Blue Smoke, Eagles of Death Metal's Heart On, Ziggy Marley's Wild and Free , Glen Campbell's Ghost on the Canvas, Pete Yorn's Back and Forth, and, most recently, LA musician/producer Jonathan Wilson's Fanfare.
[citation needed] A visit to Los Angeles in 2003 prompted Arens' move[4] to his current location on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood.
This has spurred a career in concert print creation that continues to present, with over 250 pieces created for artists such as Radiohead,[8] Queens of the Stone Age, Dolly Parton, Stevie Wonder, The Weeknd, Sonic Youth, The Who, Devo, Diana Ross, Divine Fits, The Pixies, Tony Bennett, Glen Campbell, Bruno Mars, Tame Impala, The Beach Boys and many others.
"A Better Place" (2012), featuring Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age,[13] and "Hey Little One" (2013),[14] a tribute to Glen's wife, Kimberly Woollen, who helped Campbell in his battle with Alzheimer's disease.
[16] He also directed "Living Each Day" by Kirin J Callinan in 2017,[17] and co-directed "Asleep at the Wheel" (with Jason Trucco) by Band of Skulls in 2014,[18] and "On Graveyard Hill" (with Bobbi Rich) by Pixies in 2019.