The Meow Wolf of Flow: Exploring Creativity and Connection
In the summer of 2018, I stepped into the Meow Wolf House of Eternal Return for the first time. I didn’t just visit an art installation—I walked into a portal of infinite possibilities, a space where curiosity was the compass. Each room was alive with immersive, surreal beauty: a refrigerator opened into another dimension! A treehouse glowed with otherworldly light! Corridors twisted like dreams made tangible! It wasn’t just an experience; it was a conversation with imagination itself.
That visit was transformative because of how it reminded me of what it means to engage in the creative process. It embodied the essence of flow: that state where time dissolves, boundaries blur, and you lose yourself in the act of creation or discovery. Flow, like the House of Eternal Return, is nonlinear, playful, and deeply connective. It invites you to embrace not knowing and to find joy in the exploration.
As I prepare to become a New Mexico resident in 2025, I feel a profound sense of alignment with Meow Wolf’s ethos. Meow Wolf is a space that doesn’t just celebrate art but invites you to be art—to step into it, interact with it, and let it change you. That philosophy resonates deeply with my own approach to creativity and connection. Whether in therapy, writing, or day-to-day life, I think of flow as something expansive and immersive, much like Meow Wolf itself. It’s not just about producing something; it’s about inhabiting the process, about becoming part of something larger.
The Art of Flow and the Flow of Art
Flow is often described as the state of being “in the zone,” but it’s more than that. It’s a space where action and awareness merge, where you’re both present in the moment and transcending it. For me, the House of Eternal Return captured that perfectly. Walking through its halls, I wasn’t just observing; I was part of the story, part of the art. I wasn’t just thinking, “What does this mean?”—I was feeling it. That is the magic of flow: it connects you to something deeper than logic, something playful and intuitive.
In many ways, flow mirrors the kind of immersion that makes Meow Wolf so special. It’s nonlinear and unpredictable. It doesn’t ask you to solve it; it invites you to be with it. Flow asks for openness and curiosity. It isn’t about control or mastery—it’s about letting go, following where the process leads, and trusting that meaning will emerge.
What Meow Wolf and Connection
One of the most beautiful things about flow is its capacity to connect—not just to the task at hand but to yourself, others, and the world around you. Meow Wolf thrives on connection. Its installations aren’t isolated; they’re webs of relationships between rooms, objects, stories, and visitors. The House of Eternal Return is a collective experience. No matter how much you explore, there’s always more to uncover, and much of that discovery comes from engaging with the space—and the people—around you.
I think that’s why Meow Wolf resonated so deeply with me as someone who is always exploring the intersections of creativity, connection, and meaning. It reminded me that flow isn’t a solitary act. Even when it feels deeply personal, flow is relational. It connects the inner and outer worlds, allowing creativity to flourish not just within us but between us.
Bringing Flow to Everyday Life
Meow Wolf reminded me that flow isn’t reserved for artists, writers, or performers. It’s available to all of us, in big and small ways. You don’t need a neon-lit treehouse or a secret door to find it—though those are incredible bonuses. Flow lives in the moments when we lose ourselves in something we love: cooking a meal, dancing to music, solving a puzzle, or even having a deep conversation. It’s not about the medium; it’s about the mindset.
Just like Meow Wolf’s installations, flow thrives when we let go of expectations. When we stop trying to predict outcomes or control every step of the process, we create space for surprise, discovery, and joy. Flow is playful, and playfulness is essential.
The Future: A Life of Flow and Exploration
In 2025, my family and I will be moving to New Mexico from Houston, Texas—a city that recently welcomed its own Meow Wolf installation, The Real Unreal. Walking through The Real Unreal felt like a homecoming, a reminder that flow and creativity are never far away, no matter where you are. The installation’s labyrinthine rooms and hidden narratives echoed the same sense of wonder I felt in Santa Fe, yet it carried a unique energy—a testament to how art can adapt and thrive in different contexts.
Houston, with its sprawling energy and diversity, has been a place of growth and discovery for me. But New Mexico, with its open skies and vibrant culture, feels like the next step in this journey. Moving there feels like stepping into a new kind of flow, one that’s as expansive as the horizon.
Leaving Houston won’t be easy—it’s a city that has shaped me in countless ways. But there’s a thrill in the unknown, in stepping into a new landscape and seeing how it will change me.
The House of Eternal Return isn’t just a place; it’s a reminder that flow is always there, waiting for us to step back into it. Like the installation’s looping narrative, flow is cyclical. We leave it, we forget it, and then we return—to creativity, to connection, to ourselves. And each time we do, it feels like coming home. Perhaps that’s the most beautiful part of all: no matter where we are, flow is always within reach, inviting us to explore, to create, and to be alive.