I’m feeling a little deflated.
I checked the list of accepted work for the show and neither of my pieces was listed. I’m disappointed because I really thought they’d make it in.
It’s hard to know whether there’s anything to learn from this. The show is only juried by one person so it could be that she just didn’t care for my style… Who knows? I could start second guessing whether they were good enough or whether she saw some fundamental flaw that I missed but I don’t think I will.
After all, I still really like both pieces so I guess I just swallow the sinking feeling of “they didn’t like my stuff!” and move on. And in a couple weeks when I can look at them more objectively, I’ll evaluate them to see if there’s anything I could have improved.
But it is interesting… whenever I’m very doubtful of getting into something, I do. When I get a little more confident, my ego takes a hit. There’s got to be something similar to Murphy’s Law that covers that. 
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
I just wanted to tell you that there are ALWAYS people out there who LOVE to tell us that we’re not quite good enough… Who in the world is to say that you are not good enough?
I hope you take this opportunity to create something that is wonderful to you… something that flies in the face of what “THEY” think is good enough. Not only will it make you feel better, but it will inflate you again. Remember, nobody knows more than you what is great.
Renee
Thanks, Renee. I think you’re right about making things that you love. As long as you’re happy with it, you’ve accomplished something. If you don’t love it who else will?
And I also feel better after seeing the work that was accepted for the show. Alot of it was rather austere and minimalist – not quite my style
Rejection is part of the game. It will always feel bad, no matter how expected or not. But remember what you posted earlier, the good thing about applying to juried shows or competitions is that makes you try things you normally would not, or to stretch yourself. You are ahead of the game already. You went further in your work than you would have otherwise! And you had the wisdom to understand the arbitrariness of the jurying process. There is always another show or competition to apply to around the corner. Look forward, not back.
Thanks, Judy. You’re right. Now I just have to figure out if there’s anywhere else I want to enter the same piece.