We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Aidan Mclellan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Aidan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

In the Winter of 2023 and the Spring of 2024, I was working on a project entitled “I’ll treat you like one, if you treat me like one.”

It began as a desire to work on a documentary photography project. Specifically a project in which I felt like I was a sufficient enough delegate for the community I wished to represent.

And that lead me to begin working in a small, coastal town eerily akin to one of the towns I grew up in.

But as I frequented this new area, I continued to ask myself one question. That being: Why am I going to a place that reminds me so much of my childhood, when I meet most of my childhood memories with intense discomfort?

And after attempting to initially disregard this question, I was eventually forced to realize that the story I was telling was much less that of a New York community, and much more that of a psychological inspection of the self.

So this location became a sort of simulacrum for my childhood town, and “I’ll treat you like one, if you treat me like one” became more of a poetic study of neighborhood and community.

The reason why I credit this work as being so meaningful is that it made me fully appreciate the fact that the story I am most well-suited to tell is that of my own.

And it’s now through this burgeoning desire to make that story less opaque, that my work investigates an ever-evolving relationship between a traditional, documentary photograph and a narrative exploration of the self.

Aidan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I grew up throughout Massachusetts. But I moved to New York when I was 19 to study film at Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, and since then, New York has been my home.

I’ve had a variety of jobs here. I’ve worked as a direct support professional for Job Path NYC, as a video editor for the post-production company, Shellac, as an archivist for JV8inc and A24.

Currently, I’m a senior associate photo editor at the media production agency, BFA. And I’m also a second year Photography MFA student at Pratt Institute.

My photographic practice really coincided with me moving to New York in 2016.

There’s one moment in particular – late night at a deli with my roommates at the time, Alan and Will – that I credit as being the general impetus behind me developing such an affinity for the practice.

The two of them were just standing, waiting for their sandwiches to be made. Will on the left with a neon Samuel Adams sign illumining his face. Alan on the opposite side; next to a stapled up piece of paper reading: “Please Pay Before Eating Drinking.” It was a super simple moment, and I found it so beautiful.

And that’s what my practice was for years: photographing moments that I found to be beautiful with those closest to me.

It wasn’t until I started my MFA program that I began to grow an interest in actually conceptualizing my work. And thanks to the rigor of the program, I’d say I’m now becoming much more articulate in that regard.

As is the case with most things, the thoughts, conceptions, and goals of my photographs are in a continual state of change.

For now, I’m working on a project titled “A Wish in a Thawing Well,” and it’s concerned with the idea that a ritual of adventure can engender individuation.

It’s a docu-fictive endeavor with the ultimate goal of developing a personal philosophy; one with which to operate in every day.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is definitely the opportunity for collaboration.

Recently, three fellow MFA students, Cléo Sương Mai Richez, William Kim, Eric Sorensen and I created a curatorial project known as Zero View. In which, we put on a three act group show exhibiting the works of over 60 artists.

It was by far one of my most consequential artistic undertakings. In that, it granted me the privilege to connect with so many other artists; gain insight into other people’s practices; and ultimately create cohesive exhibitions that exemplified a multitude of viewpoints.

And to do so with three brilliant artists and close friends was such a great reward as well.

Zero View is still in its early days, and all of us are eager to continue this collaborative project with the hopes of showcasing the work of many more artists.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

It may be more of an outlet for creativity than a resource per se, but recently I’ve found the literary genre of autofiction to be an incredibly useful tool for my practice.

Pratt’s writing department Assistant Chairperson and Adjunct Associate Professor Claire Donato has provided a thorough introduction into this new frontier of writing for me.

And it’s been opening me up to many new insights within my work, both through a psychoanalytical lens and from a creative standpoint.

I’m in the process of seeing how I can incorporate more short stories alongside my photographs. It’s in its nascent stages, and I’m excited to see how it grows.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aidtkm.com/
• Instagram: @aidtkm
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aidan-mclellan-9034877b/

Image Credits

Personal Photo by courtesy of William Kim

All other photos by courtesy of Aidan McLellan