As humans, we yearn for artistic experiences that disrupt the day-to-day and wow us with a greater reality beyond our to-do list. That’s what draws us to the wonder of film and literature and art exhibits.
In the absence of such experiences, we fall down the rabbit hole of digital distractions, scrolling Instagram for the unpredictability, the excitement of discovery we’re not getting from our physical environment.
But what if we didn’t have to go to a gallery or a theater to encounter these transformative moments? What if artful experiences were available in ordinary places? What if you yourself could design for disruption and delight on a small scale in your own business and brand?
Today, Jeffrey explores the impact of artful, transformative experiences with Vince Kadlubek, cofounder and executive advisor of Meow Wolf, an award-winning immersive arts production company out of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Vince explains how he went from struggling artist to head of a company valued at nine figures, describing how he thinks about the tension between art and commerce. He speaks to what he calls the crisis of imagination, discussing why people are hungry for imaginative analog experiences and what businesses can do artfully in response to the crisis. Listen in for insight into how the emerging experience economy is changing the way businesses engage with customers and learn the design parameters Vince uses to create the kind of reality-bending, transformational moments that make for an excellent life.
[0:02] The human desire to be moved by artistic experiences
[5:17] How Vince’s creative genius expressed itself early on
[8:34] What moved Vince to disrupt the mainstream Santa Fe art scene
[16:23] The early days of the Meow Wolf arts collective
[20:20] The turning point when Vince was arrested for shoplifting
[26:36] The mammouth growth of Meow Wolf in the last four years
[34:35] The opportunity around our shift to an experience economy
[37:10] How Vince reconciles the tension between art and commerce
[43:04] Why people are hungry for memorable analog experiences
[46:44] Vince’s description of the House of Eternal Return
[52:03] The design parameters for creating transformative experiences
[59:17] How Vince is contending with the art of saying NO
[1:03:00] The questions that arise out of today’s conversation with Vince
Meow Wolf Documentary Origin Story
A Wondrous Mind on 1440 Multiversity
Center for Contemporary Arts Santa Fe
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts
‘Welcome to the Experience Economy’ in Harvard Business Review
Video of the House of Eternal Return
Chip Heath & Chris Fink on Tracking Wonder S2EP02
The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have an Extraordinary Impact by Chip and Dan Heath
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