My thesis consists of a novel in stories, each taking place in or around the Brooklyn Art Institute. My characters fall along a spectrum of artistic failure, whether because they have lost touch with both their former successes and their former selves, or because they are unable to reach the upper echelons of the artistic community. The stories themselves are a testament both to failure and to the dreams and desires that lead to it, and ultimately ask the reader whether it is better to lead a life of comfortable contentment or to fail gloriously.