Letters to a young Artist

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Letters to a Young Artist

Rejection

Dear Young Artist,

I just got through Judging the Scholastic Art and Writing Scholarships. And let me tell you, those kids are absolutely amazing. Some of the kids could already compete in adult circles. Maybe you received a gold or Silver key, if so congratulations. I’d like to speak to the kids that didn't however. 

Rejection is part of this path. It will take years to get a thick hide where it no longer bothers you. Here are some things that will help put all rejections in perspective. (These are the things I have learned and I tell myself daily)

1. You don’t know who you are competing against. Sometimes they are simply better. Sometimes the judges have a bias for a certain flavor of art. Its hard first you need technical proficiency and if that wasn't hard enough, you need to say something special.  Some people get there easy, some struggle. I developed my voice early but my technical skills took a long time to develop. Honestly, I think this is the easier position because its harder to find yourself if you get praise for your skills early on. 

2. You will grow and develop. Some kids have the advantage of amazing teachers early on. Some of us don’t. I honestly hit my stride around 23 and got really good in my 30s. It just took me a while and it doesn't take away from the art I created then or now. Believe in yourself and you will get there. 

3. Sometimes your style just isn't what they are looking for. This is especially for shows. Some shows are realist shows, some are expressive or abstract. No matter how good yours is if it will stand out in a bad way, you will not get in. In this case its them, not you.

4. Sometimes you literally get rejected for being too good. The selection is always for a cohesive group. If they would  put yours in it makes yours look worse and destroys the rest. 

5. You’ll never know if you almost made it. It the scholarship competition we went though the images and everyone voted. About 30 paintings more had one vote but not the 2 to be awarded an award. Then we had to pass on another 20 images that we had liked to make the numbers the organization needed. These kids wont ever know how close they were. And this goes for all the other categories. So know that even if you got a “no” one of the judges may have loved your piece.

My Goal every year is for 100 NOs. This means I have to apply to many more opportunities than 100. It lets me know if I am competing in the right spaces. Too many yeses means I'm not competing at a high enough level. By playing this game, it makes both the yes and no a reward. 

Believe it or not, one day you will get a rejection and celebrate because you will be too overwhelmed with yeses.

You got this kid, I believe in you