October, 2026 CAVARTS Spotlight Feature #1: Alan Brown
Meet Alan Brown, a 23-year Army Veteran, writer, poet, and lifelong self-described “drama geek” who has found creativity to be a powerful way to process life, service, family, and transition.
Through his book, “When the Uniform No Longer Fits: Reflections on Military Service, Family and Being a Veteran”, Alan brings together poetry and prose exploring duty, deployment, fatherhood, the complexities of military life, and the often-complicated journey from service member to veteran. For Alan, writing is more than an artistic outlet—it’s a way to make sense of experiences that don’t always come with easy answers.
Name:
Alan Brown
Artist Moniker:
Alan S. Brown
Branch of service:
Army
About:
I’m a 23-year Army Veteran who has always nerded out on the artistic side of things. I’ve been active with writing creative nonfiction and poetry most of my life. In high school and college, I proudly wore the ‘drama geek’ moniker, always seeking ways to ham it up on stage, preferably.
Title of Piece:
When the Uniform No Longer Fits: Reflections on Military Service, Family and Being a Veteran
Medium of Piece:
Book of poetry and prose
Meaning Behind Piece:
Writing and compiling this book has been somewhat cathartic to me. I realized that over the years, I had amassed a small stack of poems and creative writing. This book is an attempt to compile my seemingly random pieces into something of a cohesive collection.
"When the Uniform No Longer Fits" explores the concept of duty, overseas deployment, fatherhood, the love/hate relationship with the institution, and how transitioning out of the military is more complicated than just taking off the uniform. The poems and prose speak to veterans, current service members, military family members and non-Veterans alike.
Piece:
Available on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/When-Uniform-Longer-Fits-Reflections/dp/B0FSYTQ777/ref=sr_1_1?
What inspires you to create art?:
Writing has always been a way to process or help make sense of the world around me — particularly when it fails to provide any clarity or reassurance.
I think I gravitated to writing poetry in college for a couple reasons. First, I was naive to the traditional rules and conventions that we often associate with classical poetry. I didn’t feel constrained by any rules or pre-determined judgements.
Additionally, poetry allows for such a wide range of forms, styles and opportunities for the writer to explore and process their own thoughts, experiences and ideas. It can be a very liberating and satisfying medium.
What part of your life has benefited the most from your creative pursuits?:
My pursuit of creative outlets has always been somewhat of a social outlet, as it fosters collaboration, sharing and conversation. Writing has helped me connect with others, as well as to share important ideas or feelings with my wife and family.
In the case of my most recent poetry project, it has helped me to make sense of my military career, even when it seemed nothing about the military made sense at the time. The same goes for the military to civilian transition —so many feelings to confront and deal with. Writing, specifically poetry, has helped with coming to terms with that ongoing transition.
Is it important for you to challenge yourself in your art? Tell us why or why not!
Much like many other career Army dudes, I’m a type-A personality, constantly wanting to excel and never satisfied with the ‘status quo.’ It’s 110 percent or nothing. No in between. It’s perhaps a blessing and a curse. The same goes with my writing. I enjoy experimenting with new forms, subjects, or projects. Can I succeed at something new? Can I pull it off? How can I revise a piece to be just a little tighter or a bit more precise? If the challenge wasn’t there, I am not sure I’d continue with it.
What is your process or ritual to get your creativity flowing?:
Inspiration comes to me so randomly. Usually an idea for a poem or piece of writing comes at the most inopportune moment. If I don’t force myself to stop and scribble down the key ideas and do some brainstorming around that central idea, I will likely lose the inspiration for good. Many of my best pieces have started as scribbles on various sticky notes or a note pad. Often a good poem begins with a catchy title, forcing me to write something that does the title justice. I love it when six messy sticky notes become a poem I am proud to share with fellow Veterans or family members.
What does CAVARTS mean to you?:
I appreciate that CAVARTS is so open to many areas of artistic expression and seeks to celebrate everyone’s achievements regardless of the medium or ability.
Our monthly theme is Creativity, Foliage, & Harvest of Transformation, but Alan submitted this when we were celebrating Fall Festival. Here’s what he had planned:
In Alaska, fall is extremely short, often about six weeks. Fall is spent prepping for winter which you have to love and embrace in order to thrive here. We spend the fall getting our skis prepped, snow tires installed, campers winterized and cold-weather gear reorganized from the closet.
What words of inspiration do you have for your fellow CAVARTists?:
Find an artistic pursuit you’re interested in and chase it for no other reason than for your own well-being. If you find something that brings you joy, then others will find joy in it as well.
