Handling The Sting of Rejection

I'm going back to basics for a bit... just drawing in my sketchbook.

I've had plenty of time to build up a thick skin. As an artist, you have to. No matter how brilliant your work is, there are going to be people that don't like it, people that think you should do it differently, people who are going to walk by and not even glance at it. You'll have people tell you that their 5 year old did a painting better than that one. Or that their sister paints, and she's really good (implying that you are not). Everybody's got an opinion, and if you put yourself out there, you are going to hear them. You can trust me on this one.

So, why is it that every rejection still stings? Every refusal for entry into an art fair, every juried show I fail to get into, every gallery that turns me down. Ouch. It's not that i'm super sensitive. There are plenty of people out there that don't particularly "get" my work, and I'm ok with that. I've long since accepted that there are loads of artists around whose work is way better than mine, there will be shows my work won't fit into, and that entry into these things hinges on the opinions of one or two people who may or may not like what I do. Not to mention that for the more prestigious juried shows, there are hundreds of entries and space for maybe 40 pieces. No matter how good your work is, the odds are still stacked against you. 

My son is in the process of applying to universities. He worked his butt off getting his grades up, putting together his portfolio, painstakingly answering each question on the way-too-long questionnaires. He's had interviews with admissions committees (yes, committees), and gone on campus tours. Still, in the shadow of a looming high-school teachers strike, he still hasn't heard if he's been accepted. The waiting is killing him. And I worry about the kid's fragile ego if he doesn't get into his top choice. 

As a creative person, how can you build resilience? It's an important quality to cultivate. You can't curl up in a ball and give up the first time you're turned down, or you'll never accomplish anything that really matters to you. Fear of rejection can turn into a prison of your own making… it will never serve you. 

I have found having a strong social network helps. I belong to a local art group, and we get together once a month to catch up on what everyone is doing. We do shows together, go to each others events, help out when we can… everyone is very supportive of each other. I also belong to a few online communities, both on Facebook and G+. And the art community on Twitter is pretty cool, and has led to a few opportunities I wouldn't have otherwise had access to. Creative people know how hard it is to thrive in a world so focused on material wealth. You might run into the occasional person who hoards their knowledge or resources, but they are few and far between. Generally speaking, we like to share. 

Flexibility is also a pretty important trait. Experience can teach you that there can be many paths to get to the same result. It certainly can help you recover after a setback… if you didn't succeed this time, it probably just means you didn't take the right approach. Try going about things a different way… maybe try a smaller group show instead of that big juried deal that everyone else applies to. Or maybe next time submit that abstracted painting you've been working on, instead of that realistic piece your husband loves, but you don't really feel you put your heart into. Or hell, just try again. There will likely be different people choosing next time, and you just never know.

I think the most important thing is that you believe in yourself as an artist. My son loves to make music and experiment with sound, and I'm pretty confident that he'll keep doing that no matter what happens with the school situation. He has watched me keep going year after year, working a job to pay the bills and doing what I love in whatever time I can scrape together. It's important to me, and I wouldn't be who I am without it. He knows the only way to get what you want is to keep working for it. I'm glad I could teach him that. 

And in the face of rejection, we'll wallow for a day, take a deep breath, and try again. 

Behind the Scenes at an Art Fair

Me, standing in my booth at Arts on the Credit last weekend. I had my abstract work on one side, and the music series
on the other. I was undecided as to what I wanted to focus on, so I went with a selection of both. Not sure if that was the
best plan or not....  Photo credit: Annette Seip

When you wander through an art fair, do you ever wonder what all happens before those doors open? I never did until I actually participated in one. Now when I apply for anything I take a good long look before I click submit. I thought since I just finished Arts on the Credit, I would give you a little behind the scenes peek... it really does require the organizers plan every detail to have it all go off without a hitch.

Photographer Annette Seip hanging her work. By the time she
was done the booth looked great... you'd never know there
was so much other stuff that came and went.

Set up can be chaotic. When you have 40+ artists with helpers (if they're lucky) trying to set up at the same time, it can be pretty insane. Wisely, Marie and Sue had given us staggered set up times so we weren't all waiting for the 3 parking spots close to the door. Our unloading location seemed to be somewhat of a wind tunnel, and we couldn't have both sets of doors propped open without creating some kind of tornado vortex in the lobby of the hotel. Not acceptable. Luckily we had Don, who stood at the doors, opening and closing them as we hauled in our gear one at a time. And believe me, we had a lot of gear. You could tell the artists that were very experienced at doing this kind of thing... they were set up and gone within an hour. It took me a fair bit longer than that.... 

A hotel employee bringing in more tables. 

Mary Anne Dente, adjusting her lights.

At one point it was difficult to move around in there...

Last minute changes were done on Saturday morning. Little things, like affixing title tags and setting out business cards. Fifteen minutes before the start and there were people lined up at the door. The place was almost instantly packed, and stayed that way, with the occasional lull, until the end. I felt like I hadn't talked so much in one go in my life... or at least since last year. What I got from the other artists that I talked to was that they also had a lot of interest along with a few sales.  It's wonderful that people are actually buying art again, after the last few years of a generally soft market. I myself sold a few pieces, and had many wonderful conversations with people browsing. 

My neighbour, Linda Vanwyck, talking to visitors to the show.

I also had very sore feet, and by the end my back was not feeling so wonderful either. Note to self: get better footwear for standing around. Something with a nice, cushy insole. 

Me and my pal, photographer/artist Dana Brady. She was there bright and early Saturday morning, to purchase my abstract piece, "The Story So Far". Didn't want it to get sold out from under her.... gotta love friends like that!
Photo Credit: David Simmons. 

The Southside Shuffle - 2014 Edition

Saturday's Street Shuffle. Pretty good turnout, as usual. And no rain.

One of the things I love about where I live is the festivals in the summer. There are three that happen just a short bike ride away from my home. The Southside Shuffle is one of the big ones, and one that I make sure to get to every year.

Horn players from the band "The Jive Bombers".
I bought a CD... I can't resist a horn section.

This year I decided I would help out. I haven't volunteered at a music festival for quite a long time. I was beginning to feel like I was jinxing the event. It never seemed to fail: if I volunteered, it would rain like hell. Well... seems that still holds true. I only signed up for Friday night, and at about 8pm a storm rolled through that was blowing over tables and sending performers and spectators alike running for cover. Figures. Saturday morning the sun was shining, and the rest of the weekend was beautiful. Thank goodness I didn't sign up for all three days.

One of the "Stilt Guys" dancing in the street.  They are regulars at
Port Credit events.

Saturday afternoon the crowds come out for the "Street Shuffle". Lakeshore Road is closed to traffic and there are bands set up on both sides of the street. The music goes for 6 solid hours, alternating sides so they don't interfere with each other. One band finishes their set, turn around and the next band is starting up. The last couple years I've taken the opportunity to get a load of working photos for potential paintings... this year I was trying to get photos that were decent as actual photos. It gave me a chance to play with the settings on my camera if nothing else. I'll never learn how to use the thing if I don't get out and actually use it. And some of those shots will undoubtably end up as reference for canvas. I just can't help myself.

Steve Strongman on stage Saturday evening. Big crowd for Steve this year... last year he did an acoustic set and there were maybe 30 people there. Obviously winning the Juno has gotten him a bit of attention.

The evening acts after the sun went down were interesting to shoot. The stage lighting in particular gave some cool effects. Most of my night shots didn't turn out that well... I still need to figure out how to do low light shots of people. If you are interested in seeing the rest of my pictures, I've signed up for a flickr account and have uploaded more there. I still have a load to go through, so I will probably be adding to the library for the next week or so. And maybe I'll upload some of my other shots as well. I seem to have a large collection starting...

My painting in the window of Imagemaker Gallery in Port Credit. Perfect spot along Lakeshore Rd. for my work to be
during the festival.

Summer is Shuffling Along

Terry "Harmonica" Bean from
Mississippi

In my neck of the woods, the signal that summer is pretty much over is, for music fans, the Southside Shuffle. Held in Port Credit, Ontario, this awesome 3-day music festival is celebrating it's 15th anniversary, and it gets bigger every year. It's usually my last chance to get out there with my camera and get some photos to work with over the winter (there is lots of live music here over the winter, but outside shots turn out better with my crappy point and shoot camera). I got out all 3 days this year... and the lineup was awesome. Highlights included acoustic sets from Suzie Vinnick and Steve Strongman, and a great group of performers from Mississippi, most of whom I had never heard of but now have a little collection of their CDs.

As usual, I took a load of pictures. There are a few I'm going to work up right away... I've been focusing on painting these miniatures and the last few days I've been itching to work on something big enough that I can really get my hands dirty (this is not just a figure of speech... i usually end up covered in paint up to my elbows). This morning I started a 24x36 canvas for my New York busker in the rain, and I've got two more lined up for a couple of Shuffle photos.

D'Mar...  by far the most entertaining drummer I've ever had the pleasure of seeing perform. He had so much energy... kinda made me wonder what he was like as a kid....

This bass player was with the Mississippi guys...
he so LOOKS the part of a blues man that he
is surely going to be in a painting at some point

Steve Strongman... I've seen him live
many times, and it's always a great set.

Back on Track

The "Streetfest"... at 7pm Queen Street closed to traffic and bands lined the streets. It was pretty busy, even given the less than perfect weather.

This week was interesting. With no goal in mind but getting myself back into the right head-space, I took on a couple projects a little different for me. Right now I'm elbow deep in an illustration project for an album cover, and I've got little drawings for stencils taped up all over my studio walls, which will eventually end up etched on wine glasses and decanters. It's been fun, and got me in the right frame of mind for an outing. Lucky for me, the Beaches Jazz Festival was on this weekend... so with extra batteries and an empty SD card for my camera, I headed on down to the east end of the city.

Swing dancers having a blast.

I got there early... before the main stage acts started. I knew there was other stuff going on, so I wandered down to the park by the water, where there were two other stages set up. One was dedicated to Latin Jazz, the other to Swing. One guess as to where my butt was parked for the next two hours...

One thing that sometimes comes along with a swing band... the dancers! This couple was fantastic... no serious acrobatics but obviously very comfortable dancing together in front of an audience. I took a load of photos of them, at least 2 or 3 I'm sure will become larger scale paintings. I thought about going up to them and getting their contact info... they were so good... but I didn't do it. I kinda regret it now. Who know if or when I might bump into them again.

Weather is one variable that can totally screw up an outdoor festival. Of course the only day I was free to go was the day it poured buckets. Intense, but over quickly, the rain delayed things a bit, but didn't put an end to it.  :)

Yiannis Kapoulas on the ...uh... guitar?
ok, what the heck is that?

After a wonderful Thai dinner with old friends, we wondered down Queen Street and took in the "Street-fest". I was totally captivated, but I was assured by my friend who lives there that the residents of the area are not quite as enthusiastic. Noise, traffic problems and drunken, rowdy behaviour were the norm for the week. But still..  all that music...

I now have well over 100 photos to sift through for inspiration. I'm sure a few will make it onto canvas, painted while listening to one of the CDs I purchased from the vendors at the festival.