In the furniture upholstery business,

The Disappearing Chair is the Stuff of Legend

Rumors have floated around for centuries about it, passed down from father to son, mother to daughter, master to apprentice, and on convention floors. The story is always the same: A chair simply appears in a workshop. Usually in a corner, which makes the upholsterer think it’s just another piece they’ve picked up at a charity shop or yard sale or sidewalk trash heap and then forgotten about. Upholsterers are unapologetic hoarders of unloved furniture.

But then business gets slow, as if often does. There are hard conversations about giving up and finding a steady job that pays the bills. The upholsterer sits alone in his or her basement workshop or shed and looks around, wondering what to do…and then they see the chair. It’s always in sad shape, but the upholsterer’s eye can see something about it, something in the wide, low leg of a slipper chair or the seashell carving on a Queen Anne.

Suddenly inspired, the upholsterer spends several frenzied days restoring the chair, forgetting to eat, sometimes falling asleep still holding a webbing stretcher or tucking tool. It’s always a heady experience. The end result is the best work they’ve done in years. There it sits, inspiring them to go on. More work comes in. The chair is set aside. After a while, the upholsterer realizes it has disappeared.

Most artists call it The Muse. But furniture upholsterers call it The Disappearing Chair. Every person will experience some version of it — a time when a certain something appears in your life and reminds you not to give up.

Look over there. Right there. It’s waiting for you to notice.