Meow Files: Alec Brown, Artist

Meow Wolf Artist Alec Brown, self described wormhole enthusiast and Assistant Film Editor, sifts through hours of audio and video compiled over the course of the collective's nine years.

He estimates that he currently has 70 hours of recorded media, but that number keeps growing. The footage, once edited, will be used for current and future Meow Wolf projects. He mentions how profound it is to see, first hand, how the collective grew from its inception, immediately noting that working in a place he finds so fantastically weird, positively influences his creative process in numerous ways.

“Being around people who have their own sources of inspiration is comforting, especially in times where you feel like you’re burnt out or in a troublesome place, but you have to keep going and keep creating.”

The most gratifying thing about working with such a diverse and uniquely talented collective Brown says, is the never-ending supply of inspiration. The film project he is working on now is an all consuming priority, but for him it’s exciting to know there will be no shortage of interesting and creative endeavors in the coming months.

“Looking at all the people that we work with, the talented minds, the minds among minds, and realizing that they are all doing what they love despite everything that is going on in their own world, is really incredible.”

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After graduating from Santa Fe University of Art and Design with a BFA in Film and Film Editing, work has been consistent and reaffirming for Alec. The impeccable timing, he mentioned, “how everything lined up, was too perfect. It makes me realize that I am exactly where I need to be.”

One of Brown's favorite shows, the Twilight Zone, uses storytelling to challenge the way the audience perceives their reality — and through editing and carefully calculated narrative movements, he tries to achieve a similar result, capturing concepts and showing them in a way that impacts how we view our modern world.

“I keep myself inspired by finding new stories to tell and constantly search for a new perspective by listening and watching how people act. If people are watching a movie edited by you, that means they are seeing it through your eyes, which is the truest glimpse into your personal vision.”

Brown once wanted to apply his creativity to engineering. Film became his primary creative outlet once he realized there wasn’t going to be a market for Rube Goldbergs, which he contrived regularly in his spare time.

In his Junior year of high school, an AVP (Audio Video Production) class opened his eyes to the wonders of digital recording. After realizing any 'sane' person would have been filming all along, he took his dynamic energy and shifted its focus to storytelling.

Looking towards the future, Brown says he will always be learning, and honing his skills.

Hoping to build his voice into a “cocktail of nostalgia, wackiness, awareness and inclusivity, with a pinch of the supernatural, and one of those little umbrella thingies”.

‍Photographs and video by Kate Russell.