Bonus Episode #2: ”The Art of Failure” (Speech)

After I finished recording the final episode of my podcast I felt there was something left unsaid, a monster in the closet that needed to be exposed to the light of day.

 

On  October 20, 2023, a week before my 60th birthday, I gave a presentation at my local library on "The Art of Failure". 

 

So many people enter the arts thinking they'll be an overnight sensation, only to be disappointed when they come to realize just how much time and effort will be required to even have the slightest chance at success. This speech is a sobering look at the creative life, the toll it exacts on its practitioners, the years of hours it takes to master your craft. It is a call to arms for those who will persist and persevere, no matter the obstacles and frustrations, the visionaries who stubbornly resist any attempt to dummy down their work or make it more palatable to mainstream audiences.