While I was out on vacation, I thought it would be great to introduce you to Mark McGuinness, one of my favorite bloggers. I’ve been reading Mark’s Lateral Action blog since 2009. Mark is an excellent writer, deep thinker, and creative consultant. Have fun with this Q&A!
Hi Mark! How do you get used to rejection? What does it take?
Firstly, by accepting that you have to get used to it!
When you see rejection as something abnormal, as a sign that there’s something wrong with you or your work, then you shy away from putting yourself forward. Of course you avoid rejection that way, but you also avoid acceptance and success!
Rejection and acceptance are two sides of the same coin – you don’t get one without the other. Take a look at this list of 30 famous authors whose work was rejected repeatedly (and sometimes rudely) by publishers. I’m sure you could easily compile a similar list for famous artists. It’s incredibly encouraging to read through the list and realise that these ‘greats’ had to face rejection just like us, and they succeeded by accepting it as a normal part of the process – and persisting in spite of it.
And anyone who tells you ‘don’t take it so personally’ doesn’t know what it means to make art. You put your heart and soul into your art, so of course it feels personal each time someone says ‘no’. In fact, it’s a good thing that it hurts – because otherwise you would have stopped caring, you’d just be phoning it in.
So you get used to rejection by showing up, by accepting the risk of rejection, accepting that you will take it personally (and that’s a good thing) and by not beating yourself up (too badly) each time it happens.
Paradoxically, the less you resist, the more you accept, the more you allow yourself to feel the sting, the more you get used to it (in a good way) and the less painful it will be.
Plus, the more rejections you collect, the bigger your chance of landing a big success that will make all the suffering worthwhile.
Why do you think so few visual artists have engaged in Internet-centric art?
(e.g. To This Day Project or TakeThisLollipop.com – see more examples here)
Most artists want to create something lasting, and we’re used to thinking of the internet as an ephemeral, transitional, transactional space. Keats described himself as ‘one whose name was writ in water’ but he made sure his poems were printed in ink!
If you’re an artist used to making physical paintings, sculptures or installations, a web-based artwork might feel a bit flimsy and intangible. A bit of a non-event. How do you get people to come to a launch? (It’s not the same without drinks and canapes.) And there are financial considerations: how do you persuade collectors to buy a web-based piece?
I can relate to this feeling: I’ve been blogging for over seven years, but one reason I wrote a book is I think it’s more likely to stand the test of time than a set of blog posts.
Having said all that, the internet is now so pervasive a part of everyday life that these attitudes may be changing. I saw an elegy on Google+ the other day, written by someone who had only known his friend via their interactions on Google+. A virtual relationship involving real feelings. Why not real art in a virtual space?
And of course some artists value the net because it’s impermanent. Their art reminds us that life is, in Shakespeare’s words, ‘an insubstantial pageant’ – so online is the perfect medium for them.
How do you make rejection irrelevant, and why is now the perfect time for artists to start doing this?
I bet Anish Kapoor doesn’t lie awake worrying about rejection. Nor do Bruce Naumann, Tracy Emin, Takashi Murakami or Gilbert and George. Rejection is irrelevant to them, because they’ve done the hard work of establishing their reputation – so people queue up to offer them opportunities.
You too can make rejection irrelevant – if you commit to building your reputation as well as making your art. There are lots of ways to do this – the traditional route, of networking and exhibiting, and/or using the online space to get your name and your work out there and known.
In my book Resilience I suggest you start building an ‘opportunity magnet’ to build your reputation and attract people and opportunities to you. You could do it online, in the form of a blog, podcast etc. Or you could do it in person, by running an exhibition or salon, or some other kind of event.
Now is the perfect time for two reasons.
Firstly, because there are now more tools, platforms and networks available to you than at any previous time in history.
And secondly, because now is always the perfect time. Put it off, and you’re putting off your art career. Get started, and you take the first step into a different future.
How can artists play a different game than their competitors?
Fundamentally it’s about discovering your ‘x factor’ – what matters most to you as an artist, and staying relentlessly true to that. Because when you express your talent to the nth degree, you’ll find yourself doing things no other artist on the planet can do, which puts you in a space with no competitors.
It sounds simple, but it’s not easy. Because sometimes what you think you’re best at, or most passionate about isn’t the same as what your Muse / creative unconscious (delete as appropriate) is prompting you to do. You might admire a certain type of artist very much, and try to be like them, while overlooking some extraordinary and very different things you’re capable of doing.
Sometimes feedback can help, if you come across a teacher, mentor or critic who can nudge you in the right direction. Sometimes your audience will let you know. And always, you need to check in with your gut feeling, to see if the feedback resonates with you at your core.
Once you’re in touch with your ‘x factor’ as an artist, it will become obvious in your work, so then it’s a case of being creative and persistent in finding ways to expose the work to the right people. Which is where the networking and exhibiting and blogging and publishing and applying for opportunities comes in. Without the ‘x factor’ you can do all of that stuff and just end up spinning your wheels; but with it, you’ll get a lot more traction with a lot less effort.
Mark McGuinness is a coach for artists and creatives based at LateralAction.com, and the author of Resilience: Facing Down Rejection and Criticism on the Road to Success.
This is outstanding. Very well said and also inspiring. I will send each artist in my gallery a copy. Thanks much. Bill
Excellent post. Mark is right on as far as overcoming the downside of rejection. As a hypnotist I always reframe rejection or anything that you want to do but are concerned with the outcome as ‘fun’. Make it ‘fun’ or ‘serious fun’ and you will tend to do it… The post is also interesting to me because he’s talking about making art for a ‘higher’ purpose rather than just to sell. Nothing wrong with selling, but creating art is not necessarily about selling (though I do know that’s the focus of The Abudant Artist). Artists need to reframe selling as ‘serious fun’ and play with it. If you do what you like to do and are having fun, you will tend to continue doing it.
Be well. George Guarino http://www.arthypnosis.com http://gguarino.tumblr.com/