When rejection turns into a revelation

I set a new personal record this past year. Not for anything worth bragging about, though. I lost count of the times I was rejected, scammed, ghosted, and psyched myself out of taking a baby step towards taking any risks.

How’s that for a motivational intro?

I mean, I did make $15.27 in royalties from designs I uploaded to Spoonflower. I think I could buy a sandwich and a cup of coffee.

It wasn’t the best year career-wise. Or was it? As much as it stings and makes me question my abilities as an artist even more than I already do, it also made me realize something.

I can do this, and now would be the worst time to give up. I have an amazing group of positive, encouraging folks who have followed along for many, many years, and I simply need to appreciate that and take matters into my own hands.

So, instead of spending time reaching out to other companies, agencies, or galleries, I’m buckling down and focusing on mine. Because I’m convinced I have something special going on, and just need to dig in and go for it a bit more. Easier said than done with my daily tasks and spicy brain, but it’s the truth. And it’s possible.

So be prepared for some changes. Mainly me not being petrified to send a newsletter (you can sign up for it here) or market my stuff in fear of someone unsubscribing. Organizing my work into collections, and finding ways to make a little piece of paper with art on it much more appealing.

Maybe I’ll even start to teach.

I think a huge part of the struggle has been how much everything is online and social media-based, too. Time to get out into the world, do some art fairs (my palms sweat even thinking of this), pop-up shops, and find ways to show my stuff in real time/away from a screen. Once again, easier said than done, but spring and summer are right around the corner, and I have some cool booth designs in mind.

Yeah, financially at this point in my life, I second-guess my decision to be an artist daily, but then I remember that one semester in college where I had no art and felt like part of me was missing and lost, crying in the library while studying for an economics exam.

I have a lot of beauty to bring into this world, and yeah, it might not be gallery-ready, very commercial/marketable, or most people’s cup of tea. But whether it’s painting, writing, or speaking, I’m not going to crumble…quite yet.

So, to the passive-aggressive rejection emails, ghostings from galleries, and managers who kicked me to the curb, I thank you for this new perspective and motivation.

Now, here are a few new paintings. Sending a bunch off to the printer to get scanned, but they’ll be in the shop soon.

Thanks for sticking around, and if you have a friend, co-worker, or acquaintance who might like my stuff, please spread the love, or in this case, the sunshine.

Off to paint.

-Rebekah