I don't think I'm being rejected enough. That may sound like an arrogant statement, but it is meant as a motivator. A friend told me she'd been told if she wasn't being rejected regularly, then she wasn't working hard enough and putting herself out there enough. She even keeps a file (a fat one) of her rejections to motivate her and as a history on how far she's come. She has pieces that were rejected that she altered and got accepted in a different venue. I have a piece I made for a biennial exhibit that was rejected. At first I was wounded when I had to retrieve my bracelet. Later, a photo of that same piece was selected to appear on the NH Arts website! There are many reasons for a rejection. Sometimes it's as simple as not fitting a theme jurors are creating. Other times it's a matter of one person's taste. Often, a poor photograph can be to blame. Rejection can be painful, but it can also be informative. Teenagers are well known for taking risks, sometimes unduly so, but as we age, we get safer and stop taking as many chances. Risk implies the unknown, and by it's very definition, a journey there is an educational foray. For a while, I was regularly making submissions to national exhibits, but I kept getting rejected. So, I looked at my work, at the work that was being accepted, and decided to buckle down and push myself and my work in new ways. Now it has been months, maybe more than a year, since my last rejection, and so, it feels time to put my toes back into the water and see how far I've come. In the interim, I don't expect the rest of the world stood still, so I will emotionally prepare to be rejected again, but while I am working at it, I am going to plan to be ready to succeed, as well. Looking at my own work with a critical eye, getting the best photographs I can, making a submission with a particular venue in mind, will all increase my odds of acceptance. Not too long ago, I lost my mother and celebrated a milestone birthday of my own within a few months of each other. Both are reminders to me that life is fleeting and we need to create our own opportunities. To do that, we have to risk rejection. Maybe I should start my own file! (Check out my beadcrochet page to see my Waves brace