Ah, the internet. A place where dreams are built, inspiration is shared, and someone, somewhere, is always ready to tell you why everything is doomed to fail.

Case in point: today, while perusing social media, I came across an article about the new brewery coming to 100 Seneca in Oil City. This is big news! A new business, an exciting venture, a fresh reason for people to gather, enjoy, and—let’s be real—sip on something delicious. Naturally, people were thrilled. Comments flooded in with excitement about the growth, the revitalization, and the fact that, yes, cool things are happening in Oil City!

But alas, like a poorly written sequel to a great movie, the naysayers arrived. I saw this happen in Pensacola while I lived there, even with it being a beautiful town on the coast of Florida. The town was picking itself back up with many people being proactive, yet the humbugs voiced their “opinion” about how it was doomed to fail. Ten years later and I’m happy to announced that Pensacola is thriving. But, there will always be someone complaining no matter what you are trying to do.

You know the type. The ones who see a new opportunity and immediately predict its failure like they have some kind of crystal ball of doom. The ones who still pine for the “good ol’ days” while conveniently forgetting that the good ol’ days weren’t always that great. The ones who assume that because something is new, it must be bad, and because something didn’t exist before, it shouldn’t exist now.

I like to call them the defeatists.

As an artist, I know these creatures well. They are the ones who take great pride in explaining to me why my creative endeavors are impractical, why artists can’t make money, and why I should probably just get a “real job.” They stand at the sidelines, loudly declaring that the game is unwinnable—while never actually playing the game themselves.

A Brief History of Oil City’s Evolution (for the Defeatists Who Forgot)

Oil City, as the name suggests, once thrived because of oil. In fact, it was where it all began. It boomed. It thrived. It was the place to be. And then—surprise, surprise—big petroleum companies decided they could make more money elsewhere by destroying an entire town’s livelihood, packed up, and left. What followed was the opposite of an economic boom. (An economic oomph? An economic thud? A financial faceplant? Take your pick.)

But did Oil City roll over and give up? No! The town shifted gears, launched an artist relocation program, a Mainstreet Program, and people in the community stepped up and decided to make things happen. Others just sat on their hands and complained. Yet, despite the laziness and moaning of a few, the town slowly started rebuilding with creativity, community, and small businesses at its core.

Now, we have new businesses, a thriving art community, and growing opportunities. Change isn’t coming—it’s already here. And yet, some people still refuse to see it. Instead, they clutch their metaphorical pearls and reminisce about a time long gone, all while ignoring the incredible momentum happening right under their noses.

Most of our community and the surrounding communities are hungry for awesome things and pay attention to all the cool stuff that is coming. Some live in a bubble of their own pessimism and are committed to not being a part of that growth.

Why Do Defeatists Exist?

Honestly? Some people just don’t like change. Others can’t wrap their mind around the future because they are stuck in the past. They’d rather complain about how things used to be than take part in how things could be. Maybe it’s fear. Maybe it’s laziness. Maybe they have a secret hobby of raining on people’s parades.

Whatever the reason, their negative energy is exhausting. And if we’re not careful, it can seep into our own enthusiasm like a slow leak in a bicycle tire.

The truth is, some people just got used to complaining and focusing on everything that is going wrong. They bitch, they moan, but they don’t become proactive in their own lives. They are waiting for someone to save them and until then, they just complain. I know this sounds harsh, but it’s true. I used to be one of those people, and the world I see now is vastly different than what it used to be.

The town isn’t going to evolve on its own. It takes forward thinkers and people who focus on opportunity, something that defeatists can’t do because they are stuck in the past.

So, What Do We Do About Them?

1. Ignore and Proceed

The best way to deal with a naysayer is to do the exact thing they claim won’t work. Prove them wrong by succeeding. Don’t expect all of them to come around and change their mind, many will chalk it up to luck and move on to the next thing they’ll complain about. However, some may have planted the seed of hope in their perspective which is huge.

2. Don’t Engage in the Negativity Olympics

Trying to argue with a defeatist is like arguing with a pigeon—it won’t change its mind, it’ll just ignore you and look for things to peck at… and eventually, it’ll just poop on your head. Let them stew in their cynicism while you build something awesome.

3. Remember Who Actually Represents Your Community

The loudest complainer does not represent the majority. The person who left that negative comment does not speak for our town. I’ve seen firsthand how supportive this town is of new businesses and ideas. So let’s not let one keyboard warrior speak for an entire community of dreamers, doers, and creators. It’s easy to complain from the sidelines while someone else is trying to make things happen, but in the end, those people are not in the arena and they are not actually committed to the growth of the town. They want someone else to fix the problem, all while not lifting a finger to actually do anything about it.

4. Keep Creating and Supporting Growth

Klee and I are not only working on a mural design for this brewery, but we’re also involved in the Makerspace that’s coming to the same building. These are projects that will contribute to the town’s growth and creativity. That’s where our focus is—not on the people who refuse to see progress even when it’s painted on a wall right in front of them.

In Conclusion: Let’s Keep Moving Forward

The reality is, change is inevitable. It’s part of life. And instead of fearing it, resisting it, or yelling at it from behind a keyboard, why not embrace it? In my travels around the country, I’ve seen a lot of towns fall victim to devastating economic change, but I have also seen towns reinvent themselves and thrive. The towns that thrived did so because their community came together and embraced the future. The towns that fell apart saw no future for themselves. Oil City has already proven that it can evolve, and it will continue to do so—whether the defeatists like it or not. Luckily, we have way more dreamers.

So, to all the dreamers, risk-takers, and forward-thinkers out there: keep building, keep creating, and keep proving the naysayers wrong. And to the defeatists? Well, enjoy your time in the past. We’ll be over here, shaping the future.