I’ve gone down the hole of negative self-talk before, but at the time I was a real practicing artist. It was not a sideline for the pleasures of self-expression. Income? This line of work required another source of income and/or pandering to create what sells.; a truly stomach-turning thought for someone who feels there’s power in their art. Another blow to self-esteem is the requirement to spend 1/2 your time on marketing, and marketing includes building your “brand”, and doing so means building a Curriculum Vitae that lists exhibits and won competitions. From the perspective of many artists, having an MD isn’t a useful brand, it means art is both a sideline and implies the luxury of adequate income.
I too cope with bipolar and the darkness it imposes too often. I had to quit the arts and choose a practical path that’s better for my mental health. The problem is ultimately not the rejections but the disorder itself and how it prevents the ego from staying strong enough to bear a life in the arts.
I once wrote a novella that was summarily rejected from multiple novella contests. The only reason for writers to submit to novella contests was that novellas (at that time) were considered unpublishable. To this day, novellas are considered remnants of failed book writing projects, regardless of whether that’s true. The ultimate unserious act of trying to write a book and then giving up and wrapping the plot halfway through. In my case it was a 2/3 reduction in words to a 90,000 word novel. I thought what remained after the culling of verbiage was punchy and strong and moving. After the rejections I added the 60,000 removed words back in and sent it to literary agents and publishers for rejection.
I’ve gone down the hole of negative self-talk before, but at the time I was a real practicing artist. It was not a sideline for the pleasures of self-expression. Income? This line of work required another source of income and/or pandering to create what sells.; a truly stomach-turning thought for someone who feels there’s power in their art. Another blow to self-esteem is the requirement to spend 1/2 your time on marketing, and marketing includes building your “brand”, and doing so means building a Curriculum Vitae that lists exhibits and won competitions. From the perspective of many artists, having an MD isn’t a useful brand, it means art is both a sideline and implies the luxury of adequate income.
I too cope with bipolar and the darkness it imposes too often. I had to quit the arts and choose a practical path that’s better for my mental health. The problem is ultimately not the rejections but the disorder itself and how it prevents the ego from staying strong enough to bear a life in the arts.
I once wrote a novella that was summarily rejected from multiple novella contests. The only reason for writers to submit to novella contests was that novellas (at that time) were considered unpublishable. To this day, novellas are considered remnants of failed book writing projects, regardless of whether that’s true. The ultimate unserious act of trying to write a book and then giving up and wrapping the plot halfway through. In my case it was a 2/3 reduction in words to a 90,000 word novel. I thought what remained after the culling of verbiage was punchy and strong and moving. After the rejections I added the 60,000 removed words back in and sent it to literary agents and publishers for rejection.
Welcome to the loser front.