Last week I entered a painting into an art show. It’s a departure from my typical style because I used a pallet knife instead of a paintbrush. “Sandbridge, Off Season” was painted on a rainy day, while I was seeking shelter under the pier.
As I put it up, the conversation with the show juror went like this:
“Who’s is this?”
“Mine.”
“Oh.” (pregnant pause)
“Should I take it down?”
“Yes.”
(ouch!)
The word “hideous” was never used, but I had visions of a TV commercial and certain woman’s opinion of “Jake from State Farm” while I walked away with my painting.
This isn’t the first of my paintings to be rejected for a show, and it won’t be the last. Rejection is part of the growth process, especially for those in a creative field. It stings (like heck), but it’s also a part of life. After licking the wounds (to my ego), I made plans for how to get a solid critique and improve that painting.
Have you faced some rejection lately? Maybe your idea for the team project was shot down. Or you heard negative feedback from a client. Don’t let it get you down and don’t let it stop you from learning and moving on.
It would be nice if life only brought us applause and compliments, but if it did, we wouldn’t be pushed to grow. The most important thing we can do when we get torn down is to rise a little higher when we get back up. Let the dismissal of an idea be the catalyst for a different approach and better solution than the original. Let rejection be an excuse to rework and revise until you have a better outcome. As Michael Jordan once said, “I’ve missed over 9000 shots in my career…I’ve failed over and over again…and that is why I succeed.”
What setback or rejection have you dealt with recently and what did you do about it?
