Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Rejection Equals Motivation


If you are a creative person, and have decided to share these creations with the world, you will experience rejection at some time in your career. This goes for performing artists, visual artists, writers, etc. Elimination is a must for many reasons: the acting roles are limited, the exhibiting space is limited and a magazine can’t publish all of the stories submitted. If one accepts being left out for the reasons above, it makes a lot of sense and makes it acceptable. It is natural for the rejected artists to think that it is a rejection of their work and question their creativity.

Let it also be said, though most do not want to admit it, that there is politics involved, even in the arts. It is not just limited to government. The right connection gets you in the door for an audition where more talented people may not have the opportunity. A bad piece of art may still be selected because of the prestigious name behind it.

The painting above is a perfect example of the process and shows that the reasons for rejection has nothing to do with the painting, but with the factors and the people involved. This painting was submitted last summer to a show. It was not only accepted, but won “Best In Show”. The same painting was submitted this past November to a gallery and was rejected. The quality did not change, just the person making the selection. Artists in all categories must have thick skin and high self esteem. If you create a piece that makes you happy and you feel you want to share it, please do so. All successful people have, at some point in their careers, dealt with multiple rejections. It must be used to your advantage. I would love to hear your thoughts on rejections, how you handled it and what you may have learned from it.


www.rosiebrownartworks.com

www.artistamundo.com/rosiesart

http://www.redbubble.com/people/rosiebrown

2 comments:

  1. I've been collecting my rejection letters for many MANY years and plan to publish them sometime in the near future ;-)

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  2. You have not let them stop you!!!! Fantastic. Here's Debra's blog:
    http://debracortese.com/blog/

    Thanks,
    Rosie

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