Artists Need to Learn to Take “No” For an Answer
Yes, even if they think their work is the best, purest form of art.
“We took a look and unfortunately it’s not a good fit for <redacted>.”
This was the rejection message I got in May 2020 when I submitted my article to a publication I’d been targeting for months.
I’d read their submission guidelines, checked and double-checked my pitch, and wrote the draft to the best of my abilities. I’d spent 7–8 days on the article, adding in research, taking quotes from experts, and polishing every word, every line, until I was sure I’d put in my best effort.
After all this, getting a generic rejection message was heartbreaking.
Maybe my writing isn’t good enough for them, I thought to myself. Maybe I’m not talented enough to write commissioned articles. Maybe all I’ll ever do is trade my time for $2 articles on online platforms.
That’s how my self-talk went, and this is what prevented me from getting another commissioned article for almost four months after the first rejection.
