Recently I have been rejected from several exhibits and while this hurts I remind myself of some of the following quotes from people who have dealt with this feeling of not being wanted or liked or really just appreciated. What is that feeling - disappointment, sadness, hurt, what it is I can’t define exactly.
Along with rejection are the comments one receives on their quilts when they are entered in shows. One of the first lessons I learned from my dear friend Melody Johnson was to NEVER read those comment cards that the judges write when you receive a quilt back from a show. You must always remember that judging is arbitrary and everyone brings their own feelings, aesthetics and values to the judging. If you liked the piece go forward from there.
1. I think that all great innovations are built on rejections.by Louis Ferdinand Celine French writer
2. I take rejection as someone blowing a bugle in my ear to wake me up and get going rather than a retreat. Actor Sylvester Stallone
3. I really wish I was less of a thinking man and more of a fool not afraid of rejection. Billy Joel musician.
4. I submit all my plays to the National Theatre for rejection. To assure myself I am seeing clearly. Howard Barker playwright
5. A rejection is nothing more than a necessary step in the pursuit of success.
6. Don't let anyone, or any rejection, keep you from what you want.
Einstein, Elvis, Lincoln, Edison, J.K. Rowling all failed or were rejected many things before they succeeded.
I feel like I am in really good company when it comes to being rejected and I am proud to be a club member.
Just some of my work that has been rejected one place and gone on to win awards in other venues are…
Spring’s Greeting
Shimmering Foliage
Tall Trees
Woodland Secrets
To name just a few. Thanks for listening. Tell me how you deal with rejection. I think Ice Cream is good.
7 comments:
This is so true and thank you for sharing! I love the cartoon too. So many messages in that. Ice cream with hot fudge sauce and nuts is a great way to deal with rejection as long as you aren't being rejected everyday, otherwise a nice long walk. I need to do more of the former and less of the latter. ;)
Oops Freudian slip I think I meant more of the latter and less of the former. hahaha
There have been times when I have been rejected despite doing my best work. Whenever this happens I re-read a little book called "Never Good Enough: Discover the Treasure of Self-Acceptance", by Ernie Carwile. Here is a key quote: "There is a time in every person's education when they arrive at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide." (Ralph Waldo Emerson) and: "If a man (or woman) does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away". You have many fans who love and appreciate your work... keep creating ! ;-)
How do I deal with rejection? Hugs from my husband, a great glass of wine, and sometimes looking at blogs (like yours) for inspiration to create and think differently. I think rejection is good in the sense that it causes us to look within and for me, to move in another direction.
Thanks for the feed back. It is always appreciated.
Hi!
Thanks for this post. It is timely of course ... on the heels of rejection from Craftform and Art Quilt Elements ... both successes in the past but not part of the immediate future! It is difficult to describe the "hurt". While one knows that the odds are long and that the jurors must reject many works they truly appreciate due to the limited space in which the exhibitions are held, it still "hurts". It is a let down and it causes personal doubt. Your post reminded me that I am not so alone with these feelings.
Thanks!
Susan
PS Thanks, too, for the comment you left on my blog about the "tar balls"
Thanks Susan, I know we always feel so alone when this happens and it hurts. But it is good to remember we are never truly alone.
Frieda
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