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As The Crow Flies 12x24 Pastel
90% Rejection
I'm proud to say my daughter is an artist, a very good artist. She was recently trying for some commercial work, it was a competion sort of thing, but then isn't most art, fine or commercial, competion? It didn't happen for her. When I asked her about it she said, 'That was rejected already.' I told I was sorry. Then she said, 'I think art is 90% rejection.' Truer words have never been spoken.
I've been at this art business for over forty years and have been rejected far more then accepted. But that's what makes a dedicated professional artist a profession artist. No not the rejections, but the strength, desire and perseverance to continue on, either that or we are just gluttons for punishment and crazy. Crazy, maybe.
But then maybe not. Maybe it's just that as artists we have a strong drive to create whether it's accepted or not. Like anyone else we want others to feel our work has some worth, but to keep going you must know inside yourself that your work has worth and not wait for others to realize that. Because no matter how often we might get rejected someone, somewhere, a person will see what you create and it will touch them, profoundly. That makes it worth it. Yes some cash changing hands is good too, got to buy more paints, brushes or pastels or whatever you use to create, right. But ultimately how your work touches others is the true measure of what you do.
Thing is we don't always know how our work touches others as we are not always told so. Someone might see your work on your website or in a magazine or gallery and be quite touched, but for various reasons cannot relate their feelings to you. It's like a person wanting to buy your painting, badly, but they just cannot afford to. You get rejected from a show, it's disapointing, but if only fifty pieces could be chosen, what's to say you were not number fifty-one? My point being that our work might have worth to others but we may not know it.
So what does all this mean? It means that as artists we must continue to create, let the rejections roll off our backs like water on a duck. It's hard, no question about it. But if you really, trully believe in what you do you don't need others telling you that you and your art is of worth. You only need you to tell youself that. And you know what? You'd be right.
I've been at this art business for over forty years and have been rejected far more then accepted. But that's what makes a dedicated professional artist a profession artist. No not the rejections, but the strength, desire and perseverance to continue on, either that or we are just gluttons for punishment and crazy. Crazy, maybe.
But then maybe not. Maybe it's just that as artists we have a strong drive to create whether it's accepted or not. Like anyone else we want others to feel our work has some worth, but to keep going you must know inside yourself that your work has worth and not wait for others to realize that. Because no matter how often we might get rejected someone, somewhere, a person will see what you create and it will touch them, profoundly. That makes it worth it. Yes some cash changing hands is good too, got to buy more paints, brushes or pastels or whatever you use to create, right. But ultimately how your work touches others is the true measure of what you do.
Thing is we don't always know how our work touches others as we are not always told so. Someone might see your work on your website or in a magazine or gallery and be quite touched, but for various reasons cannot relate their feelings to you. It's like a person wanting to buy your painting, badly, but they just cannot afford to. You get rejected from a show, it's disapointing, but if only fifty pieces could be chosen, what's to say you were not number fifty-one? My point being that our work might have worth to others but we may not know it.
So what does all this mean? It means that as artists we must continue to create, let the rejections roll off our backs like water on a duck. It's hard, no question about it. But if you really, trully believe in what you do you don't need others telling you that you and your art is of worth. You only need you to tell youself that. And you know what? You'd be right.
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