Re: Fall 2021 Art Goals
Sep. 12th, 2021 08:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rynlingI submitted one of the comics I had due on September 15 early. I put a lot of love and care into this piece because it was solicited directly by the zine editor. I had contributed a comic to an earlier issue, and he wanted me to do the same sort of work for a forthcoming issue. He needed a quick turnaround of about a week, but I agreed to take on the project. It was tough, but I did my best and was proud of the result.
So, a few hours after I sent him my submission, he responded to say that he doesn't need my comic (that I created on spec totally for free!) because he found someone else. What the fuck dude? This is just a photocopied zine made by some random guy whose Etsy store has less than twenty sales, but still. That hurt my feelings.
I also got rejected by an artist I tried to commission, which was weird. Like, they made a post to say that they've opened commissions, and I've been a fan of their work for years, so I sent them an email about half an hour after they put up the post. They replied with a surprisingly long message saying how much they love the character and the idea and the aesthetic and the references, and how much they always appreciate my comments on their artwork, but that I unfortunately didn't email them fast enough after they (totally randomly!) opened commissions. Although I know it shouldn't, that hurt my feelings too.
I've had a decent level of success during my first year of submitting creative work, but rejection isn't getting any easier. In fact, now that I've begun to polish my skills and am starting to feel better about the work I'm submitting, rejection is getting more difficult. The pain and sadness is even starting to spread to other areas of my life, apparently, making me extra-sensitive about any sort of rejection at all.
Some people might respond with "rejection is a normal part of the creative process," but (a) that's a really smug and condescending and shitty thing to say, and (b) I don't think it is, actually. I think rejection in moderation is a normal part of the creative process, especially when it's balanced with positive feedback. All rejection all the time isn't healthy, and it's not a weakness to be upset by it.
In any case, I think I'm going to sit on the third piece I planned to submit on September 15. There's a small chance that this illustration might be rejected, and it's not worth the trouble to finish it by the deadline. Instead of worrying about other people, I think I might chill out and create for myself for a bit.
So, a few hours after I sent him my submission, he responded to say that he doesn't need my comic (that I created on spec totally for free!) because he found someone else. What the fuck dude? This is just a photocopied zine made by some random guy whose Etsy store has less than twenty sales, but still. That hurt my feelings.
I also got rejected by an artist I tried to commission, which was weird. Like, they made a post to say that they've opened commissions, and I've been a fan of their work for years, so I sent them an email about half an hour after they put up the post. They replied with a surprisingly long message saying how much they love the character and the idea and the aesthetic and the references, and how much they always appreciate my comments on their artwork, but that I unfortunately didn't email them fast enough after they (totally randomly!) opened commissions. Although I know it shouldn't, that hurt my feelings too.
I've had a decent level of success during my first year of submitting creative work, but rejection isn't getting any easier. In fact, now that I've begun to polish my skills and am starting to feel better about the work I'm submitting, rejection is getting more difficult. The pain and sadness is even starting to spread to other areas of my life, apparently, making me extra-sensitive about any sort of rejection at all.
Some people might respond with "rejection is a normal part of the creative process," but (a) that's a really smug and condescending and shitty thing to say, and (b) I don't think it is, actually. I think rejection in moderation is a normal part of the creative process, especially when it's balanced with positive feedback. All rejection all the time isn't healthy, and it's not a weakness to be upset by it.
In any case, I think I'm going to sit on the third piece I planned to submit on September 15. There's a small chance that this illustration might be rejected, and it's not worth the trouble to finish it by the deadline. Instead of worrying about other people, I think I might chill out and create for myself for a bit.
no subject
Date: 2021-09-14 01:11 am (UTC)Also, I'm sorry about the commission rejection :( that's not a good feeling at all.