Chad Fjerstad of L.A. on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Chad Fjerstad and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Chad, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: Would YOU hire you? Why or why not?
Yes, because over all else I value the baring of one’s innermost self through work, and the world currently needs higher doses of spotlighted human persona than ever before. Many individuals seem to be freezing up or losing themselves in fits of rage or confusion as a conscious or subconscious reaction to technology rapidly and inevitably changing everything we have ever known as a species. We need mental soldiers who are unafraid of adaptation, but who also understand the value of staying human throughout the great transition, to keep what’s visceral glowing while we become accustomed to the unfathomable amount of data.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Chad Fjerstad. I’m a storyteller and a philosopher. Growing up, my preferred format for telling stories was through film, but it became too expensive and unrealistic to do that at an adult level, so I started doing it through music and literature instead. I started my multimedia production house, Ephemerol Night Terrors, which is also often referred to as a record label, in 2014 and have been releasing a great majority of my books, records, and more, through that since then.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a child, I believed that I was such a unique individual that once I grew up and started making art and media I would inevitably become well-known and successful due to that mere fact alone. But, eventually I learned that being unique is not enough. People complain about commercialism and things that follow too much of a formula and how all of that feeds the monster that is capitalism, and trust me, I am in the upper tier of types who consistently speak out against the toxicity of all of that. However, I recognize this is admittedly partially selfish, because I desire more credit for my individualism and for my continued efforts to keep art and media challenging, and brimming with heart, soul, and blunt honesty. On one side of the coin, I simply crave the ego-feeding, but on the other, I am fighting for further support of similar artistry because that is the kind of the art that inspires me, the kind of art that keeps people’s hearts and minds pushing beyond banality, and the kind of art that I believe will be one of the saving graces of mankind through its transition into a post-singularity future.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I think about giving up every day, not on life, but on specific formats. “When will I be completely finished with this art form?” is something I think about every single time I’m working on something new. But, I can never see a clear answer in that regard, which makes me think that I might not ever truly be done with any of them, and maybe that’s what it means to be an artist. But the whole thing is a complex conundrum, because I also feel that “letting go” is one of the most important parts of getting through life peacefully, so I’m still trying to determine if that goes for art as well, or just most of everything else.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes. 100%.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
When I’m creating something and following no one’s rules but my own.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://ephemerolnightterrors.bandcamp.com
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/fiercedad
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/fiercedad
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChadFjerstad