Got my first rejection in a while. That is, well, I haven't had the opportunity for a rejection in a while. I told myself my chances were slim, that it makes life easier not having to mat something up and send it out. Etc. Etc. But I must have thin skin. Or maybe I just have a fuckton of issues (yes...this). It's not even about whether the work is good. It's about thoughts like... I am not good enough. *I* haven't worked hard enough of as artist. I'm just a hack anyway. Ohhh yeah...the self talk is brutal and that little part of me can be rather cruel.
It's a lovely show with phenomenal work. There were 3000 entries and around 70 got chosen (between the in person show and the online show). Maybe my odds just weren't good. Maybe my whackadoo approach with the overlapped Holga frames just didn't fit in. In any case...
Now I wait for the second rejection. It'll come mid month. Sure that may be a negative way to think, but whether I think I'm going to get in or not really doesn't have a bearing on what actually happens. It's better for me to just figure my purpose in entering juried shows is the practice of choosing work and getting it out, not to actually be part of an exhibition.
The good news is, getting rejected from a juried show doesn't make me want to stop creating. In fact, it spurs me on to create more. Not to enter shows, mind you (one of these days I'll just throw in the towel on that because I have a lot of mixed feelings about them anyway), but rather to dive deep into my own creative process.
To honor my sweet little collection of rejections ( "collection of rejections" sounds like a great title for an exhibit) , I present them to you here. I did make prints of them all, while I was working out the sizing. Maybe I'll list them on Etsy for a pittance.