For me, the hardest part of being an artist is rejection. As artists, it’s so hard just to get past our inner critics and put our work out for the public/curators/collectors to judge. And when we do, we open ourselves up to criticism and rejection. Now I’ve been very lucky, most of the time people ooh and ah, and I get plenty of compliments and encouragement. But when I hear a “no” it’s louder than any accolade.

I applied for the Bellevue Arts Museum Fiber Biennial and I didn’t get in. Yes, it was very competitive and there were many talented artists who didn’t make the cut. Yes, it’s not a reflection on the quality of my work but that it didn’t fit the curatorial vision. Yes, when one door closes another one opens.

Blah, blah, blah.

I’ve been moping around for a couple days, licking my wounds. I think it’s healthy and necessary to a point. We all need to feel those feelings of grief, of disappointment, of the loss of an opportunity. It’s not healthy to stuff our feelings.

Artist Trust put up a link to a Huffington Post article by Karen Atkinson “Reasons for Rejection and What You Can Do About It for Artists.” It’s well worth reading. My favorite quote:

“If you are not getting rejected often, you are not applying for enough things.”

So it’s time to go back to the studio, put on my apron, and make messes until I know what the next thing will be. I need to foster those little shoots of ideas, coddle them until they are strong enough to face the public. I need to make work, apply to shows, and take that risk of rejection.

Nobody is going to come find me in my studio to proclaim me a genius so I better get out there and show them what I can do.