Behind The Scenes of Rosemary Dream
I invite you on a rollercoaster ride, a whistle-stop tour of the story behind Rosemary. If you’ve ever wondered how something like this came into existence then hop on board, fasten your seatbelt and allow me to tell you all about it while leaving a red mark on your booty. Sorry not sorry.
It’s hard to get it because it seems impossible. How can you possibly understand something that doesn’t exist? Our ‘copy and paste’ brains are so used to being fed with clarity and structure that when something surprisingly shapeless and even naughty hits us, we’re not sure what to believe, think or say so we vomit. Bon appetit. We are looking for answers in all the wrong places. We tend to stick labels on things to make it something, but that won’t work here.
Who are we?
Yaniv (Rosemary co-founder) often says, “Here is the spaceship. There is a free seat, jump in. We’re flying ANYWAY!” My extra edition would be “Stop asking questions and just enjoy the ride. Yes, it’s dangerous. No, we’re not sure if we’ll get there. No, we don’t know how exactly to get there. No, we don’t have a plan B or any other plans for that matter. We are flying in this direction because that’s what we feel like doing right now.”
Yotam (Rosemary co-founder) works double behind the scenes and just does his thing. The results are obvious today and the whole space is Yotam’s art gallery. Less nonsense, more doing.
Our home. Your playground. Get wild.
Rosemary is all about the people. The shameless core that makes all the noise silently. Maybe you’ve paid a visit so you know that the individuals that run Rosemary are a bunch of random human beings. It’s almost hilarious to think, those reckless youngsters run this huge place. Like, where is the real management?! Where are their parents?
The truth is, we are all foolish children, parenting each other. Everyone is far from being perfect, not even trying, we’re just doing our thing, you know?! So, how come these individuals are able to live on a mountain in Brazil, waking up for a surf before dancing around the breakfast table and accomplishing some building and marketing before the sun sets?
Where it all started
Yotam, Yaniv and Cormoran are Rosemary’s founders.
Skipping childhood, everything drastically changed when we joined the Navy SEALs. It’s one of the most rigorous military courses in the world that taught us greatly about ourselves, life and the world we live in.
It taught us to be good people. No matter what happens, first of all, you are an ethical man that lives according to his values and respects every enemy as an equal human being.
What’s this got to do with Rosemary? It’s to help you understand the why and how of this dream. Fasten your seatbelt, it’s going to a long ride. I will shake you until you fall ok? Thank you for your patience.
After the Navy service we went in different directions. We were 24 and the three of us didn’t conform to the usual race called life. University? Marriage? Other anchors, why? Let’s fly and discover what life is all about! Permissions? Expectations? Limits? No thanks, we like it black and bitter.
We kept in touch all this time. What I mean by keeping in touch is — Hey Yotam, do you feel like going for a night skate in the neighbourhood? Sure, let’s cruise! Looking like 10 years old, who cares?!
Hey Yaniv, What about smashing all the clubs in Tel Aviv today? Sweating, laughing and losing control, the sweetest moments in life with no substances, just us.
Yotam managed 1000 soldiers leading a whole military base with dignity and the highest standards. Yaniv used to smash VIP and make deals of millions, wearing nothing but an energetic, irresistible smile that signed off every contract he wanted.
Creating the impossible
Did you know that Hawaii is a chain of volcanic islands being born and disappearing? It has existed for millions of years now. Isn’t that incredible? It took great heat, pressure and the right conditions to allow it to erupt and form new land in one of the most remote places on earth.
The first ones to sail there were probably out of their minds, terrible navigators or just drunk pirates cruising without a compass.
Nowadays they live in one the most popular places in the world. At first maybe it was a crazy idea and now it’s well known and appreciated. Rosemary is just like that. In such demanding era of society, everyone doubted the idea. We were seen as foolish kids who didn’t know the difference between real and unreal. One thing we knew, if it’s fun, makes us roll around laughing and makes other people happy then it’s worth doing. Babies know best.
So a bunch of babies without the limits of time, energy or money travel together and Rosemary started to come alive.
Erupting into existence
Our little cradle is flying in the air now. It will overwhelm you with tears of joy, make you laugh hysterically until your abs will turn into a six-pack.
It will make you question everything about yourself, the world and your life. “Welcome to Hawaii” believe it or not, here it is. Can you discover anything new without falling behind the scenes and crawling back to familiar comfort? Jump big baby!
Not a hostel, not a retreat, not a resort. We burned the menu, so we don’t even remember the options. We don’t need a waiter. Let’s get our hands dirty and see what we could do with a bunch of rocks, smiles and a little pot of money.
The few years before Rosemary, we were just like the lava pocket under the volcano. We were working on the core, not the externals, not the superficial. Real success comes from the inside, from the heart. Surprisingly, every limit is very flexible. You don’t know this until you jump fearlessly on the trampoline of life.
One day, day one.
You stand in front a mountain in Brazil. It’s too expensive, too risky, too suspicious, too complicated. Too much. Eyes glazing and sparkling, we think “too much is our middle name” and shriek with excitement high-fiving, bum slapping, low-kicking. Let’s cruisssse!
Lawyers, accountants, parents, best friends, partners, local business people — all claimed it to be quite a naughty deal and tried to convince us to go back. Instead of running backwards we decided to run towards the fear, and the fear disappeared like sugar cotton — nonsense, empty and unnecessary.
We are somewhat grateful we didn’t know what we were about to face during the establishment of this hectic project. Oh mama. NOSSA! No claps needed, the reward is your funny faces when you get it, when you understand what is all about. Wow. That’s what fills our salty hearts.
The Rosemary way of life. A dream. Something simple and surreal.
So why did we open this label-less project not knowing what it is exactly and what the future will bring?
Winston Churchill said “History will be kind to us, since we are going write it!” This guy has the biggest balls and heart. You see, we were just living life and playing around. People started to ask us weird questions like, “Why do you dance so freakily and still not drink or use any drugs? Why do you walk barefoot and smile all the time? Why do you speak Portuguese so well? Why do you sit on the floor and stretch? So many whys. We actually don’t know why. We’re playing. We’re having a good time.
People wanted to join in, we waved them over saying “yeah sure!” It all rolled so smoothly from there. No money, no obligations, no expectations. That was the hint of what was about to come ….
Oh perdoname mi amor, I took you on this nasty ride to share what Rosemary is but I didn’t really give you any direction because I don’t know what it is, so I beg your pardon- please stop asking useless questions and get dirty right here right now because we didn’t come here to explain anyone the theories and concepts of what we do but to to live the most vibrant and revolutionary lives. Wanna join? YES?! Please leave your common sense outside and give me 100 burpees first. (No, I don’t care about your makeup. Yes you can take off your shirt)
Sweaty, foolish, sandy, smiling? disordered heartbeats and brain cells on fire? Eyes sparkling, booty shaking? Welcome to the ride of your life.
