Happiness is a Journey chronicles the daily life and art of Bear Lopez, East Austin resident of 60 years. Artists Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan met Bear at the Austin American Statesman’s printing warehouse where Lopez has been working for over 20 years without a single day off, delivering papers. 

Bear’s paper route cuts through the heart of East Austin, traversing César Chavez from I-35 to the Holly Power Plant. Watching alleyways and business districts that define everyday life, he is a steadfast witness to the transformation and gentrification of East Austin. With Happiness is a Journey, Lucas and Bresnan seek to bring the home and works of Bear Lopez, while recording the resilience of those who like Bear remain faithful and proud of their East Side roots.