Thoughts on Perseverance
When an event goes completely sideways, it's easy to question everything. But setbacks are often just a reminder of why we started chasing this life in the first place.
My Dearest Dreamers,
The tagline I’ve attached to the Ephemeral Dream brand is Dreaming of a Cooler World. This is meant as an affirmation that the world can be better, and it applies to every level you can imagine—from the larger geopolitical world we all share, all the way down to the individual worlds we build for ourselves. The work my family and I create is meant to speak to that hope we all hold that the world can be better than it is. But sometimes, as I think we all do, I find myself drifting away from that hopefulness, and it gets harder to find.
Recently, I had a truly miserable experience at an event where I didn’t even manage to earn back my booth fees, while vendors at the nearby farmers market—who paid a fraction of the cost—did amazingly well. No hate to them, of course; I wish them every success. It’s just frustrating to invest so much money, time, and effort into an event and have it go so badly. It’s discouraging and makes you question if you’re doing the right thing pursuing art the way I do.
I was beaten down and frustrated, but I’m very fortunate to have my amazing wife there to pick me up and push me to keep going. We sat down and deconstructed the event to figure out what went wrong, and we agreed it simply came down to a bad location and poor planning on the coordinator's part. Once my space was assigned, I was essentially doomed. There was nothing I could have done differently.
Then she reminded me of the life I’m trying to create: one where my art and creativity support my family, and I no longer need to punch a clock and worship at the corporate altar. Where I’m able to travel and enjoy my family to the fullest as I help my children build whatever amazing futures they dream of—a life where I’m not constantly just surviving the grind.
That’s the cooler world I dream of. But I call you all Dreamers because I know your imaginations are running wild with the worlds you’re building, too. I’d love to hear about the cooler world you're dreaming of, if you're willing to share.
With my deepest regards,
David