REJECTION
noun [ri-jek-shuhn]
to refuse to have, take, recognize, accept, grant, recognize, discard
to deny, repel, eliminate, renounce, consider, dismiss, rebuff
Here are some of the ways we artist's receive the news.
From my personal "Rejection" file, thank you very much.
EX: "not accepted" on a postcard
EX: "the entry has been declined - we sincerely thank your for your submission"
EX: "we regret to inform you" hidden in a lengthy letter
EX: "we hope that creating your artwork was rewarding, regrettably..." followed by an invitation to see the works that made it in
Artist's have to figure out (as well as other's) how to deal with rejection and put it into perspective. Here are some good quotes to help in that direction. These apply to more than art.
There are more on the site.
Learn to eat rejection – it will make you stronger.
(Bob Ragland)
[My new motto!!]
There is a large degree of trust in working creatively... people are so defined by their work, it becomes very personal: you reject an idea, you're rejecting a person. (Nina Sadowsky)
Rejection is a speck, like a bit of unwanted debris, imbedded like a pebble in our psyche, and it stays there niggling away and undermining our self-confidence until we feel strong enough to pull it out. (Janet Warrick)
How you react to rejection is important. It is not the rejection of others that truly affects us, the problem occurs when... that rejection by others causes us to "reject" ourselves. (Chris Tyrell)
We keep going back, stronger, not weaker, because we will not allow rejection to beat us down. It will only strengthen our resolve. To be successful there is no other way. (Earl G. Graves)
Rejection is the natural course of things. (Eric Walters)
