Meet Matt Elson

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matt Elson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matt, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My driving thought was simple: Get it right. I had a deep creative vision and a body of work I believed in, but I knew that talent alone wasn’t enough. I wanted the business side to be as strong and intentional as the art itself. That’s why I enrolled in the UCLA Anderson Executive Program — to gain a strategic overview and build a solid foundation. It helped me step back, look at the big picture, and begin to structure my ideas into something sustainable. For me, starting a business wasn’t just about selling work — it was about creating a vessel that could carry my values, vision, and future.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art lives at the intersection of perception, consciousness, and human connection. I’m best known for The Infinity Boxes — interactive mirrored environments that only activate when shared. They’re designed not just to be looked at, but to be entered. To be felt. In that space, you don’t just see yourself—you see yourself with another, multiplied, refracted, woven together in light. It’s not spectacle for spectacle’s sake—it’s a tool for awareness.

What sets my work apart is its insistence that the viewer completes the art. One box is a curiosity, two are a novelty, but three or more become a journey of shared discovery. There’s no passive spectator here—each person becomes part of the work, part of the story. That’s intentional. Because in a world that often isolates us, I want to create spaces that reconnect us.

Getting to this point was not easy. My path has moved through computer graphics development, high technology, photography, painting, animation, immersive design, and deep periods of reinvention. There were years I stepped away from the art world entirely—time spent skiing, parenting, building. But that break helped me return with clarity and the tools to make work on a new level. I’ve also worked inside major studios and startups, so I understand both the visionary side and the operational muscle it takes to bring immersive experiences to life.

The biggest lesson? Stay close to the mystery. Let the work teach you. Every challenge I’ve faced has refined the message: this is about more than mirrors and light—it’s about helping people see themselves as part of something larger.

If there’s one thing I want people to know about my art and my story, it’s this:
We are each other’s mirrors. The art only works when we’re in it together.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well first off, I’d make them drink a lot of water, because the desert does not care where you’re from and wore boots with zero arch support.

We’d start with breakfast at La Copine then roll into a sound bath at the Integratron, where you can lie in a giant wooden dome built by a man who talked to aliens and somehow leave feeling incredibly grounded.

We’d definitely spend time with my Infinity Boxes, for a photo shoot. The magic really happens when people stop taking selfies and start seeing themselves — and each other — for real.

One night we’d catch a show at Pappy & Harriet’s, because nothing says “Joshua Tree” like hearing a secret Foo Fighters set next to a guy in a bolo tie eating ribs.

We’d take the Palm Springs tram because how often do you get to go from cactus to pine tree in under 10 minutes?
We’d pop into the Palm Springs Art Museum for it’s fine collection.

I’d take them to The Good House hot springs for some well-earned soaking, and then out to Thousand Palms Oasis, where you can walk on the San Andreas Fault and wonder whether it’s more unsettling that the earth is shifting beneath you… or that those palms are older than most civilizations.

At some point, there’d be a BBQ at my house with stars overhead. And of course, we’d spend a day or two hiking in Joshua Tree National Park, because you can’t come here and not walk among the boulders.

All in all, it’d be a week of strange beauty, big skies, good food, deep talks, and very dry air. In other words — perfect.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Absolutely — my wife and family are my grounding. They’re the thread that runs through every stage of my creative journey, offering not just love and encouragement, but also perspective. My wife in particular has been both a mirror and a compass — someone who reflects truth and helps me stay aligned with what really matters. Building something meaningful, especially in the arts, requires a foundation of trust, support, and belief — and I’m incredibly lucky to have that in my home life. Every risk I’ve taken has been underpinned by their steady presence.

Website: https://www.mattelson.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_infinity_boxes/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattelson/

Image Credits
Matt Elson © 2025