A couple of weeks ago my art was rejected. It’s not the first time, but it hurts just the same.
The Times My Art Has Been Rejected
That first time my art was rejected four years ago, I felt a little sad. That time I moved on pretty quickly, but the second time I got rejected, it hurt a little more, and for a little longer.
You see, that second time I’d gotten some interest from an art director for some of my paintings to be used on their boxed notecards. I was super, super excited, and really hopeful it would work out and I’d get an art licensing deal. When it didn’t happen, I was really, really let down. It didn’t help that it was the dead of winter and my husband was out of town.
In the years since then I’ve been rejected here and there, but nothing that I took too hard. Recently, though, I’ve changed the focus of my art, and rather than trying to sell original paintings, I’ve been focus on surface design. What’s that you say? It’s creating art for any surface you can think of, like tissue boxes and bed sheets and socks and so on.
One of the ways to get this kind of work is to approach companies yourself, another is to work with an art licensing agent. I applied to several art licensing agencies, and on a Monday a few weeks ago I got a positive response from one agency, but on Wednesday I got an email rejecting me from an agency I really, really liked.
How I’m Coping With Rejection
You might be wondering why I didn’t feel happy about the first agency rather than being stuck on the rejection from the second agency. Well my friend, I believe that can be blamed on good old negativity bias. That’s where our brains get stuck on the negative and ignore the positive, and if you look for examples of it in your own life, I’m sure you’ll find plenty.
So there I was, really down, really disappointed, and that’s when I noticed all the negative garbage voices filling my head. You know how that goes, don’t you? You tell yourself things like, “You’re not good enough and you’ll never be good enough” and “I’m an imposter and everyone can tell I’m a fraud.”
The way I dealt with all that negative stuff was to acknowledge it. I know that my thoughts aren’t reality Yes, I still get stuck in them, but being aware that they’re going to pass and that I don’t have to trust everything my mind tells me is a huge relief.
I also tried to avoid getting stuck. It’s a paradox, really: You want to allow yourself to have sad feelings, but then you don’t want to get mired down with them.
The other thing that helped me was reading articles about artists being rejected and eventually succeeding. This really made a difference for me, which is what leads me to today’s post.
Why You Should Be Proud When Your Art is Rejected
Notice how I wrote “when,” not “if?”
If you make art and put it out in the world, it will be rejected eventually. That’s an AMAZING thing. It means you’re different than probably 80 or 90% of other people in the world, because you’re doing the work and taking the hard step of showing it to people.
It’s persistence, not talent that will help you succeed. Okay, okay, you probably have to have some modicum of talent, but I’m sure you’ve seen artists (not just visual artists) whose work is getting a ton of exposure and you can’t understand why. It’s not their talent, it’s the consistency with which they have persisted in getting their work to galleries or magazines or art directors. Remember, there are plenty of people out there who will love your art, you just have to find them. The only way to find them is to keep showing up and keep putting your work into the world.
Your art will get better, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad now. I got back into art and painting about six years ago after a long hiatus. When I look back at some of the early stuff I made, I kinda cringe, but I’m also super proud of myself. And you know what? People bought my art back then because it meant something to them, even if it’s not something I’d create now. You will get better and better and hone your craft of the years and decades. It’s okay to start where you are and it’s okay to notice where you need to improve. Again, persistence is what matters.
You’re Doing a Good Job
Ultimately, this is what I told myself after I was rejected, and I finally started believing it. I tell myself this, sometimes out loud, every single week when I send out my art samples to creative directors.
You’re not always going to get the acknowledgement you crave from other people, so you must learn to give it to yourself.
Keep going. You’ll fail again, but you’ll also succeed, as long as you persist.
Listen to My Pep Talk
If you want to paint along with me and listen to a similar pep talk on rejection, here’s your chance!