Between the Sheets: Maegan Brown, Photographer

Maegan Brown's ethereal photographic work has caught our eye a while ago and we've been following her work ever since. Her style is beautiful and other-worldly and it's her minimal, less-is-more approach to landscapes that really draws you in. Her other talents include graphic design and creating ceramic pieces with a raw, natural beauty for her studio, Made by Wan.

Tell us about the inspiration behind your creative work.

I’m a freelance creative working across a few different areas. I’m a photographer (typically shoot travel, landscape, lifestyle, still life and interiors), a graphic designer, and in my spare time I’m a ceramicist.

Photography

My personal work (fine art photography) brings me the most joy and this is a big priority for me. I shoot landscapes specifically for interior environments and create art that is made to be lived with (understated and elegant, yet still captures a mood and makes you feel something).

Most of my fine art presents remote and other-worldly landscapes though minimal compositions. They are often non-descript in subject matter and emulate a feeling of calm, stillness and solarity. I’ve been told they also look like abstract paintings, which I absolutely love!

Ceramics

I started Wán two and a bit years ago as a way to slow down. At the time I was living a pretty stressful life and pottery was the perfect creative outlet to help me to stop, slow down, be more present and also get away from the screen. It’s such a meditative release and is also really nice to have the freedom to play and experiment without having to fulfill a client brief.

I create both functional tableware and sculptural homewares (the vases have been really popular). I draw inspiration from both Japanese and Scandinavian aesthetics and I love wabi-sabi – celebrating the beauty of imperfections or the unfinished. I try not to tamper with my ceramics too much, and often only glaze the inside of vessels to show off the beauty of the raw natural clay, so a lot of my pieces are very minimal and reductive in both form and finish.

Where's the most memorable place you've woken up? 

I’ll never forget waking up in Iceland – we spent two weeks in Iceland during winter and slept in a Jeep Wrangler – it was freezing cold, my face was probably 30cm away from the plastic roof and every now and then you’d feel a drip on your forehead from the condensation build up! It was during this trip I captured my fine art photographic series, Jökull.

Describe the best sleep you've ever had.

I would call it a nap (it was a short 1 hour sleep) but I remember feeling so well rested and relaxed after a sound healing session recently. I laid on the floor surrounded by gongs, Tibetan sound bowls, crystal bowls, rain sticks and all sorts of amazing instruments that gave off the most amazing sound… it was really incredible.

What's the first thing you do when you open your eyes in the morning?

I pat around the bed to try and find my kitten. He always snuggles up with us!

What's the last thing you do before you go to sleep?

Set the alarm on my phone for the morning. I’d like to get into the habit of having no screen time before bed though.

If you could choose anywhere in the world to sleep, where would it be?

Somewhere cold surrounded by snow, with a fireplace and comfy blankets. Either Alaska or Greenland, so I could wake up hearing the icebergs crack.

What would we find on your bedside table?

A book, bottle of water and night cream – there’s nothing better than slipping into bed with a fresh face.

What's one thing that makes you Sleep Good?

I sleep really well after I’ve had a warm, candle-lit bath with some lavender and chamomile essential oils. I also like to put a few drops of lavender either on my pillowcase, in an oil diffuser or just a light spray around the room before bed. Always does the trick!

What's one thing that makes you Feel Good?

A warm Milo with Coles brand choc chip cookies. The simple pleasures…

What's one thing that makes you Live Good?

Definitely travel and being amongst nature. If I’m ever feeling a bit stale or stuck in my ways, I love to get outside of my comfort zone and explore somewhere new – somewhere with huge mountains. It’s always a good refresh.