Brad Montague is an internet creator (behind hits like “Kid President”), book writer and illustrator (of titles like “The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination” and “The Circles All Around Us”), and public speaker. And despite his impressive resume, he’s also a big ol’ failure like the rest of us.
Well, at least that’s what he reckons with in his latest book — “Fail-A-Bration” — created with his wife, Kristi. The picture book “made for children and former children alike” confronts how failure is just as much a part of trying as succeeding — and is equally worth celebrating.
Good Good Good interviewed Brad about what it means to confront failure with joy, inspiration, and courage.
What inspired you to write a picture book about failure?
Brad: I was writing an entirely different book, but it wasn’t working. Writing can be a very isolating thing at times, so I set out to throw a party. I invited some of my friends to share stories, but only stories of things that went wrong. I told them it needed to be like a TED Talk, except … terrible.
This messy “Fail-A-Bration” turned out to be beautiful! Stories were shared of failed businesses, dented cars, embarrassing auditions, heartbreaks, and more.
We laughed, cringed, and cried. I discovered how good it feels to connect with people around those vulnerable stories we too often hide.
After the big party, people continued throwing parties! Fail-A-Brations started popping up all over. I began receiving emails from groups of friends gathered in apartments and offices all over the world.
This idea just really struck a nerve with people. I was encouraged to discover I wasn’t alone in needing to work through my idea and relationship with failure.
I went all-in on the “Fail-A-Bration” picture book when I learned that one in three young people in America deal with extreme anxiety.
This number tracked with what I was experiencing in classroom visits. It also spoke to what I felt as a student who worried about my grades and being perfect.
I wanted to create a book that repositioned failure not as an end point or a catastrophe, but a normal part of the learning process.
Failure doesn’t have to be catastrophic! Failure can be a catalyst for creativity and new discoveries! It has been for me.
The book is a picture book for all ages — and I mean it. I believe the best picture books work for children and former children. The language might be simple, and the illustrations are childlike, but it really is for humans of any age.
The idea of reimagining failure and working through it with community is something every person needs.
How does failure make us more courageous?
Brad: It’s natural to want to hide our mistakes. We’re taught that failing is shameful. The idea that a failure could be shareable is somewhat radical.
This project has taught me just how contagious vulnerability can be. We’re hungry for it. Seeing someone be real about a setback or disappointment gives us permission to do the same. We begin to see shame transform into shared wisdom. It makes everyone around it stronger, braver, and more resilient.
To get people excited for the book, you’re helping them throw their own Fail-A-Brations. What does that look like?
Brad: It’s very simple to throw a Fail-A-Bration! It can be as big or small as you’d like.
All you do is simply bring people you care about together. This can be family and friends. This can be co-workers. This can be classmates. It’s an invitation to bring people together and celebrate your failed attempts, mishaps, and falls.
We’re seeing everyone from preschoolers to people in prisons taking this idea and making it part of their community. It’s overwhelmingly beautiful to see.
People are providing space for people to share vulnerable stories, which is already a big deal. We’re also seeing that all these vulnerable storytellers are being celebrated. We ask people throwing these parties to be generous with standing ovations, snacks, and surprises!
What would your dream Fail-A-Bration party look like? What failures would you be celebrating?
Brad: One of my dream Fail-A-Brations already took place! We were in an arena with more than 5,000 educators! LeVar Burton was there. It was absolutely incredible.
Best of all, though, each educator shared a story of something embarrassing or painful. I watched as this massive crowd became a family. It was like the arena became a living room. People sharing, laughing, crying, and growing together.
But my big dreamy Fail-A-Bration Of All Fail-A-Brations would be an Academy Awards-style celebration where some of the biggest stars in the world present awards to kids who fell off bicycles, came in last at science fairs, or missed words in spelling bees.
I think it’d also be helpful to have every elected official, entrepreneur, creator, or successful superstar interviewed by children. Every question would be about failures! No story of success from leaders allowed. Just tell us what went wrong! That’s where the good stories are! That’s where the good stuff is!
To be clear, this is not about celebrating mediocrity. This is all an invitation to fail better.
We spend so much time avoiding failures. That’s a life lived from a place of fear. We cannot and must not avoid failure.
“Failing better” means knowing you’re not alone.
Communities of growth and cultures of growth are needed if we’re going to be people who reimagine what our relationships to failure look like.
How do you find the courage to be vulnerable in your work? What is your advice for others looking to do the same?
Brad: I often create the things I myself need. I wrote the Kid President pep talk because I was in need of a pep talk. I share things on Instagram because they’re also things I need. I’ve discovered that when I do that, these creations tend to find the people who also need them, too.
My wife and I have a sign up in our studio. It says “Be Who You Needed When You Were Younger.” That has been a guiding principle. We look deep down for the things we needed as children.
We’re also listening closely to the children in our paths to find out what they need now. It’s led us to places of joy and pain, light and heavy.
What keeps me going is discovering that these things — be they stories or experiences or whatever — these things can be of help to people on their journeys. So, it’s not always easy to dig deep and get vulnerable, but it leads to rewarding places.
“Fail-A-Bration” by Brad and Kristi Montague is available wherever books are sold starting September 10, 2024.
A version of this article was originally published in The Courage Edition of the Goodnewspaper.
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