Rejection: It Still Hurts

The reality is that all artists, of all mediums, experience rejection... and this has not changed in the history of art nor will it.  That unnerving feeling in the pit of our stomachs, when a Jury or Gallery rejects our works with little explanation. Or you spent months preparing for an opening to launch you latest works and you have put everything on the line and no one shows!
Not fun.

As artists, we very often, choose to be an artist or makers because we yearn for acceptance. We are the black sheep of the world in many ways going against the grain, unconventional, and dancing to our own songs.

The fact of the matter is that there is more talent in the world than venues to promote it or even patrons to support what all of us make. There are millions of us right this minute wanting to be represented or shown and yet only a handful of platforms.

Art schools and academies will churn out hundreds of thousands of artists each year and the fact is only 2-5 % of those graduates will end up full-time professionals or let’s even say just of jewelry makers eight years from now, only 2-5 % will end up working full-time as artists. Now is a good time to set the stage with a very specific jewelry-related story that occurred over two decades at Patina Gallery, in Santa Fe, of which I was the director and creative founder.

In the early 2000s Patina was still trying to find its ultimate groove, so imagine the scene the gallery was hosting one of the world’s most talented and recognized jewelry artists for a one-person exhibition. Michael Zobel a major exhibition that was centered around a famous opera opening in Santa Fe, that summer. I’m already nervous enough, with Michael and his young protégée Peter Schmid (now owner of the Atelier) just having arrived from Constance, Germany, for this huge event, bringing dozens of jaw-dropping works.

It was a beautiful, summer Friday evening, and an entire cafe had been constructed for guests and visitors long before social media, long story short as they say in Philadelphia, where I was born, almost no one showed up.

In the gallery’s GREENess we had picked the wrong weekend to launch the event. We were competing with the opening of the world-famous opera season. Big mistake. Imagine how everyone felt, it was awful, and the worst for self-rejection. Of course, over time I figured all of this out and the gallery went on to launch two dozen world-famous, exhibitions from this studio, so mistakes happen and as artists, we take it hard.

As a maker I had my first gallery exhibition in 1975, with my new studio works 10 years before the internet was even a word. Now at your fingertips, you have the world at large in terms of places that show art and you also have the ability to self-promote yourself. I love that KLIMTO2 by the way is given you a place to do this also.

We all know the tormented story of Vincent and his life of desperately wanting to be loved and accepted, examples like his can be found in all disciplines, yet few have the impact that his story does. Truthfully, at the time of his death he had only sold a couple of paintings from his lifetime of work.
The quote above from O’Keeffe, one of the most recognized, female artists of all time (who spent most of her life just up the road from where I’m sitting writing this) is powerful. Unlike Van Gogh, O’Keeffe did have a very marked commercial success in her lifetime, but of course, she also had a famous art promoter at her side most of her life, which doesn’t hurt one bit.


So what is my point?

Stay close to those who love you, they don't have to even understand what you are doing; they simply need to keep loving you. Vincent’s dear brother Theo was his lifeline, we all need a lifeline after all. For all of us as makers when we arrive at the final stage in the creative arc is, to have someone buy something from us is a huge validation. Any artist who says that this does not matter is not being truthful, when someone pays for what we did it says I’m worthy and loved.

None of us wants to keep filling up drawers and closets with what we make, plus, unless we are independently wealthy, we need to sell our work, to keep the heat on or find other means to support ourselves and this is why day jobs matter.

Do not, and I repeat, do not be driven by commercial trends in your art making, you will always be behind the curve repeating yourself, because the last one sold is not wise yet quite difficult to do, when you need groceries. So again keep the day job and even when you have gained the success of selling what you do, do not let the marketplace dictate.

So now back to the topic at hand, how should we professionals deal and cope with a jury or gallery or museum, or even our best friend who doesn’t quite love what we are doing?  

Answer: note I said, professionals. Part of being a consummate professional in any arena is being able to accept a NO as a response to what we are creating. So I will say this here and now accepting not interested or no is simply part of the journey, and honestly, in my 55 years as an artist I’d say it doesn't get easier, hearing those words. After all, we pour ourselves into what we do, and we expose our feelings and vulnerabilities, for the public to view, so hearing a No hurts.

I’m here to say it still HURTS, and that is a constant. In the words of Justin Bieber- you can’t fly unless you let yourself fall. So keep flying and remember that the joy we all feel when we are making is what we live for.

Be yourself, being anyone else will hold you back.  And finally, in the words of Taylor Swift, You will have losses, that you never thought you’d experience. You have to learn to deal with that and get up the next day and go on.

/ Ivan Barnett. Santa Fe, NM. Serious Play Studio.


© Ivan Barnett 2024, All rights reserved.
 

About the author

Ivan Barnett
I stir souls. And I know, from decades of experience, how to scale an art business from good to great. I live and work in the oldest capital city in America - “the City Different.” After 25 years, I have stepped down from being the founder and creative director of Santa Fe’s world-renowned Patina Gallery, best known for its soul-stirring works and “Beauty over Time” exhibitions. In my 25 years, I grew Patina from an unknown brand to a global storyteller, exhibiting the works of the most talented artisans in the world.

Here’s what I’d like you to know about me: - I’m a man of my word. - I deliver on my promises. - I’ve produced and directed exhibitions and events that have never been done before. - I have collaborated with some of the world’s most famous opera stars. - I love the Pareto 80/20 principle created by Italian economist, Vilfredo Pareto. - My favorite quote is “Less is more.” - I’m an INTJ. - My favorite movie is Zorba the Greek with Anthony Quinn. - My best ideas come at 3 am. - I like taking the long way around and do not believe in shortcuts. - I was taught to arrive at all meetings seven minutes early. - I make friends for life. - My forte is connecting dots and telling stories about artists.

creativemornings.com/individuals/ivanbarnett
seriousplaysf@gmail.com