Back by popular demand- Rejection from Bead Dreams

Sunshine Bungalow pendant

My rejected entry for Bead Dreams 2010

Once again the time has come and the notices have been sent out. To some the news is happy news and for others it's not so happy. I thought it would be wise to repost my message I wrote last year. It seems that it has been helpful for some. I hope the message below brings some comfort.

I thought for about two seconds about writing this post because it does have it's pros and cons but overall I believe explaining my experience might be helpful for the people that are dealing with rejection. To everyone that has been accepted into the Bead Dreams contest: congratulations!

For more than the last four months I've been working on various designs and techniques, mostly of an experimental nature. I’m constantly seeking out new and different approaches to beadwork. The piece I entered was the result of this experience.

After entering a crocheted necklace into Bead Dreams last year and receiving a rejection letter I felt like never entering another contest again. It took a while to overcome this rejection. I don’t want this to sound egotistical so lets say I felt sad. So, I entered again this year but YES only to be rejected again. Ok, not that I haven't ever been rejected in my life before, because I have, but this time the rejection took a different turn. When I read the letter from Bead and Button a sense of calm came over me as if to say "my gain and their loss". It’s no big deal and that is exactly correct. It is no big deal!

I believe when you enter a contest you should be proud of your design or not enter. Feeling rejected is natural and very personal. Your feelings naturally get hurt when they reject your creation that you’ve labored over. I believe you don’t have to accept this rejection or acknowledge this as failure. Rejection is a hard emotion to deal with and I think it takes practice to learn how to bounce back. Your design is an accomplishment that you feel proud of and you should still be proud if rejected. There’s no reason to let a few people’s opinions ( which may seem like the majority to you, but it isn’t ) define your design as a failure. Probably all famous artists have had their work rejected at some time in their careers. Yet they went on to become famous and appreciated.

Through this last rejection I realized I should not compromise my style and ideas of what art is to me when rejected by others. Sometimes designing is influenced by other people’s designs or what's popular at the time, but for me I design as an expression of myself and who I am. If my work doesn't please a few, then this should not have any merit on the quality of my design or how I think about myself. It should not negatively influence my direction. Past rejection notices have influenced how I grew as an artist and they were a big part of determining my next artistic direction.

So, for all of you that were rejected from the Bead Dreams contest or another contests please stand up and say that you are proud of your accomplishments and you did a great job! Life is not over and you’ll get through it, so don’t give up, try again and post your designs and let the world see your beautiful beadwork!