Artists are different. We leave the house with paint marks all over our sweatpants and folded journals in our pockets with scribbled, barely legible notes on every page, and have completely nocturnal habits because we stay up late working on projects. Our walls are covered with movie posters or vinyl covers or paintings that mean the world to us but nothing to our friends. There's either coffee or tea running through our veins. It's not surprising if we don't change clothes, shower, or leave the house if we get moving on a project for the sake of not losing our creative streak. But even with how much of our lives is centered around completing a project and completing it well, our work doesn't seem to be celebrated as much as deserved. And it can get very discouraging.
People rolled their eyes when we decided to pursue a creative profession rather than a business-minded one. They told us we won't be able to make a living or support a family. And we would be lying if we said that sometimes their negative comments didn't overpower the love we have for creating things. But in the end, we can never leave our work. It runs through our blood. It's what makes up our minds. It's how we view the world. Everything is an opportunity for a project: an idea for a photo, a line in a book, a color in a painting.
Being an artist myself, I know how it feels. I know how it feels to have no one understand why you get caught up in one line in a book or an aesthetic of a design. No one else really sees the beauty behind our artwork. There is a world of rejection and negativity aimed toward what we do, toward what we create. It could be something we're most proud of, something we've spent the most time on, and still, we hear, "No."
We can't expect everyone to love our work. Chances are, the smallest percentage of our kind will even become "successful" on a large scale. But for the rest of us, for the small-time artists whose lives still depend on an outlet of creativity and a portrayal of emotions, we need to start responding to those no's. We need to no longer be disheartened by the rejection but smile with gratitude when it comes our way.
After all, if everyone loved our work, how creative would it really be? If everyone loved our work, wouldn't we have lost our unique view of the world? If everyone loved our work, how much of a statement would we really be making?
Rejection isn't good for our romantic, passionate hearts. But man, it's good for our resilience, determination and stubbornness. Next time we're discouraged, let's channel that toward our work. Let's channel those pent-up feelings of frustration and rejection and discouragement into the words we write, the lines we draw, or the colors we paint. Let's stick to what we know: a world of beauty and wonder and exploration and good.
And while the rest of the world discourages us, let's encourage one another. Let's break down walls between different styles and envied success and remind ourselves that if we're not in this together, we won't make it out at all. Let's learn from each other, accept each other and support each other.
Besides, who else will understand the paint all over your hands and the neverending smell of coffee on your breath?
