Having a hard time dealing with rejection

February 13, 2016 • 4 Comments

Having a hard time dealing with rejection

I got rejected yesterday from two Art shows I applied to. There were two HUGE, prominent shows that would have served to get Left Behind to the next level. They were Art On the Square (Belleville, IL.) and The East Lansing Art Festival (E.Lansing, MI.). Both rejection emails came into my inbox at nearly the same time, a 1-2 punch to the gut!

They were both juried shows and I thought I submitted my best work. Some of the same samples have served to get me into other shows, and even won awards at contests. Every show I get into the customers are voting with their wallets. I know they would do the same at these two shows. I just don’t get it.

Now I am scrambling to fill these two weekends: May 13-15 and May 20-22.

Comments

Left Behind, photography by Kyle Wilson

I appreciate that Karen.
It did hit me hard. I will take a day or two to put this behind me but I am NOT giving up. I will make the most of it and try to fill the weekends with a different show.

Thank you!

Karen(non-registered)

Sooo sorry about that I know that has got to hurt. I think your work is great. Just don't give up.

Left Behind, photography by Kyle Wilson

THANK YOU Lauri!

I am trying to keep my head up and make a Plan B. I just had my hope up so high, as usual. Fairs should not be political, they should be logical. I know that is not always the case. They should also be consistent.

Yes, at least they got back to me when they said they would, so that I can scramble to fill the dates. The East Lansing email said that they had hundred more applications than last year that made their decision even harder. The other festival even said that the jurors change each year and that to try again in 2017.

That sucks that you heard nothing back. That is a real amateur thing for that organizer to do!

Thank you for the kind words. I do well at the shows I get in. I have that part figured out better and I am actually getting a little bit better at each show at guessing what will sell and what will not. Plus having a lot of inventory helps.

I will try to not let this sidetrack me too much.

Thank you for reading and commenting on my blog. I am trying to drive more traffic to my site by experimenting with new things.

your words mean a LOT!!!!

>K

Lauri Novak(non-registered)

Kyle - don't get too down if you can help it. Art fairs are also quite political. Sometimes it takes more than one try to get in if you've never exhibited before. At least they let you know. One I applied to last year I never even heard back from at all. Nice huh? Sometimes it all depends on who the jury is that year and what their personal tastes are. You really never know all the factors behind the scenes.

It's the same (I think) as what sells and what doesn't, why some shows are good and some aren't. You do much much much better than I at your art fairs I'm quite sure of that. I'm still learning. In the end trying to figure out what customers and/or judges/juries want is the hardest part in all of this.

You're doing all the right things, you're working hard and getting yourself out there. Just keep doing it!

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