Good morning to you all. It's Thursday and journey day.
Once you know you've got the drive to make a serious go at being an artist, of any kind, then you've got to thicken your skin.
What do I mean by that?
You've got to handle rejection letters and e-mails, poor critiques about your work and general lack of enthusiasm from some of your peers with style. I know, some of you will say, "Why do I have to be gracious when hearing criticism about my work? Why can't I just rant and rave about being misunderstood?"
Because acting like a two-year-old child having a temper tantrum never inspired respect or confidence from anyone. Besides, in this case taking the high road is all good.
Sometimes you will submit great ideas that simply don't fit into an editorial lineup or an upcoming season at a dance theatre or art gallery. Your ideas may be great, but just don't work at that time. Keep your ideas and reuse them!
Sometimes you will get poor reviews. So what?
Remember what they say about critics--they are the people who can't make it as an artist so they critique others instead. Of course that's not true of all reviewers and not everyone is going to like your work. Did you really think they would? Time to get real.
Just because someone else doesn't like your work doesn't mean your work is of any less value. It simply means that one person didn't get it or like it or whatever. Again I say, so what?
Once you send out your work you must stand back from it and keep a certain distance. Throw your heart and soul into doing it, whether that involves writing or dancing or painting, but once it's done, let it go.
Emotional distance is good once a work is done. Send it out into the world and move on to your next project. If you keep moving forward then what people say about something you did, even yesterday, won't get to you as much anymore! Forward motion is the key.
And above all don't take anything personally ever.
Even if it is personal and you know it, don't fall into that trap.
Ignore the review, if asked say the reviewer didn't seem to get where you were going, and move on!
Remember what Wayne Gretzky said, "You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take," so just do it.
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7 comments:
Do we have the same More Time Moms calendar with that Gretzky quote on the January page?
Cute question. Well, no actually. I got this quote from the Montreal Gazette a long time ago. It's one of my favourite quotes though.
Funny coincidence!
Yeah, but I don't really believe in coincidences. Maybe we both need to just go for something and this is the universe's way of hitting us over the head with it (in a good way, of course).
I think I can think of something in my life that I just have to take a shot at, what about you?
Well, I definitely agree that it's a pertinent quote for all writers. That's what I related it to when I first read it.
Yeah, me too. I guess whatever it is that makes you hesitate because you feel it so deeply.
I'm not sure my last comment made sense. I meant that Gretzky's quote relates to whatever in your life makes you hesitate.
Maybe you feel something so deeply that it creates a moment of indecision. The quote reinforces the fact that you should go ahead and take the shot anyway. Well that's how I see it.
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