Agora Gallery reviews the right approach to rejection
There are some aspects about being an artist that are unique, and that make artists feel particularly privileged or challenged in their career. The ability to find creative expression, to experiment with new and interesting ideas or materials and the often solo nature of the profession are all relatively unusual. Agora Gallery’s artists frequently express a sense of gratitude for their lifestyle — it might not suit everyone, but if it’s for you then there’s nothing better.
Yet there are some parts of being an artist that reflect the fact that, ultimately, it is a profession akin to any other. One of these is that artists, in common with all other professionals, cannot expect to be constantly and continuously successful. Even well-known, established artists cannot expect to win every competition they enter or be awarded all possible prizes.
Although this is very natural and most artists are practical enough to accept it as a normal fact of life, it can sometimes be more important in art than in careers such as accountancy or law, for example. This is because success in art relies not on the size of the salary or the possibility of promotion or the amount of responsibility gained, but rather, to an extent, on the response of the public.
The most obvious sense in which this is the case is sales. The fact of someone wanting to buy your painting, other than being financially gratifying, is important because it is an expression of the pleasure they take in the work. It is a positive reaction, positive feedback. Since artists often work alone for part of all of the time, or in pairs or very small groups, the reaction of the public is often the only way they can measure what anyone else thinks of a new direction or idea. At Agora Gallery, we’ve often heard artists say that the best part of their job is seeing the thrilled reaction of their audience.
The importance of audience response can sometimes, therefore, make rejection seem unduly important as well. Really, this only happens if you see it out of proportion to reality — the fact that a gallery doesn’t feel your work is for them doesn’t mean that others will feel the same.
Agora Gallery offers advice about how to take rejection
When galleries such as Agora Gallery decide who to represent or which works to show, they are working from a professional standpoint. They need to think about not only the merits of individual artists or works, but the kind of art that is appropriate for them. In particular, they need to consider whether it will appeal to their established collector base.
If your work doesn’t happen to match the pattern of what they generally sell, that doesn’t say anything about your work itself, but only that it doesn’t fit this particular context. For example, Agora Gallery reviews artists who work in many different styles, but some galleries concentrate on abstract art, or work in watercolors. For this reason, there is no need to take it personally or worry about it. You can always ask the owner or director why they came to their decision, and sometimes you will get useful advice from this.
But never let it upset you; it’s not personal, and it doesn’t mean you won’t be snapped up with delight by a different gallery with a different clientele. It’s just part of being a professional artist, and you can use the experience to learn more about the art world and where you stand in it.
