Yes I know....its a mistake to blog while under the very slight influence of two glasses of Banrock but hey..its about time.
(UPDATE: now, this morning, the wine has worn off I feel a little ashamed of shamelessly inviting sympathy..but thank you all for your lovely ego massaging comments! I know some of the other people who are going to be exhibiting at the fair and I love their work and would be delighted to be a part of it.)
The truth is..I am a reject.
I flippantly mentioned in my last post that I had the possibility of three Christmas markets..and then I decided against one of them because it was outside.
Well I heard from one of them...........................
Or should I say 'not selected'? That sounds a little better.
I really need to grow up but I am dreadfully hurt by this.
I know. Rejection is all part and parcel of being an 'Artist'..but perhaps I'm not?
Perhaps I'm the embroidery equivalent of the crochet poodle toilet roll cover maker?
(I DO apologise if you are the crochet poodle toilet roll cover maker..I'm told they are ironic now and therefore 'cool')
However, I'm feeling very positive about my latest efforts. I photographed them on my homemade tree because I am applying for yet another rejection craft event. 
Get out the tissues....
(We'll ignore the eleventy bazillion anonymouses which really boost the comment count. I always delete them)
On Sunday we sat about wondering where we should go for a walk, and whether we should go for a walk..it was soooooo dull outside. Eventually we bestirred ourselves..I'll admit it was nearly three thirty and the clocks had gone back so not long till dark.....and set off in the car to the end of the walk we normally do, a teeny hamlet called White Coppice, (If anyone saw the childrens' tv series a few years ago called 'Sloggers' about a cricket team, it was filmed there) and walked the bit we are always too tired to do when we get to White Coppice on foot.
The colours of the leaves are spectacular this year. When I took this, I was thinking of Emma's 'Splash of Colour' theme over on Siverpebble...a lovely blog with beautiful silver jewellery. Pop over and say hello.
I wish I could have focussed the berries but it was going dark. I photographed this tiny frond with the fantastic forest colours across the water. Just look at the spores on the back of the leaves. They were about pinhead size.
We stood there for quite a while taking in the misty evening and the distant noises of a family with children throwing stones into the water on the other side.
Ahhh...bliss.
51 comments:
Definitely an artist I'd say. You wouldn't be human if you weren't a bit upset at what you see as a rejection but there are plenty out there who think your art is amazing I'm sure. A big hug and then you can put those tissues away now eh?
Love the countryside photos too but your velvety leaves are absolutely stunning!
Jane
I'm one glass ahead of you! your work as always is beautiful and I think that when a rejection happens it's simply that the venue isn't in your league and doesn't know how to showcase your beautiful work. Simples.
well if you're a reject then make me a reject anyday. It is their loss and I have to say I think all these are really beautiful. I also love your shots from the walk...see, you give us beautiful embroidery and beautiful scenery. Bring on the rejects I say xxx
It is always disappointing to be rejected. I know the feeling and it is hard not to take it personally. Your work is beautiful and you'll find another venue that works perfectly for you.
mmmmm..... Comparing your work to a crochet poodle tissue cover, I don't think so. Your work is so incredible. The market you were rejected from obviously does not know art when they see it. That said, I too do not handle rejection well.
You new pieces are really beautiful!
I love your fall photos and sounds like you had a lovely day.
It will be their loss. Although rejection hurts, you must take comfort in all of us who enjoy and admire your work.
Love the photo of the trees reflected in the water.
I remember the one and only "fair" I participated in. It was devastating. I felt completely worthless. The event featured home-made products, but also a lot of vintage stuff and whatnot. There was no application procedure involved, you paid a little fee and that was it. I had handmade jewelry made of leather, polymer clay and beads, pretty stylish stuff, but not the mainstream way. People took a quick look and moved on. Over the entire day I sold exactly nil. In contrast, the booth next to me was filled to the brim with ... witches on broomsticks. The lady had customers galore. Her customers, as well as certainly most of the visitors that day, obviously were the "crochet poodle toilet roll cover" crowd. I simply did not fit in. But it hurt all the same ...
It always hurts to be rejected, in any way, at any place, even if you don't care about the specific project in the first place. Please don't take it to heart! You are making wonderful stuff, and please, please keep making what you like. You need to follow your heart in order to be an artist - which you definitely are!
Maybe we need to set up a "rejections" blog spot! I suffered my first huge rejection at a juried art show recently. I had been accepted into each one I'd entered prior to this one(locally for a total of three now) but this one was in another town...and the judge was a professor of textile art; and it was in a community known to be over loaded with textile artists...so I knew the stakes were HIGH...and I am NEW at this; but still...I so wanted to make the cut...and when I didn't well, I felt "REJECTED".
But I chose not to drown my sorrow in drink; I only ate a little sugar; ;-) and then I heard about another show to which one needed to be "INVITED." So I called around and I GOT MYSELF INVITED! And last Sunday, I took two pieces of art down which will hang in that show for three months!!!!!
I know I am among more polished, artists with much greater credentials and more time at being artists than I. But I am there.
So all this to say we can't make the cut each and every time...so we just have to pick ourselves up and get back on the horse/show/craft trail and try try again.
Your ART is STUPENDOUSLY WONDERFUL and many know it. The loss is that of whom ever said no to you; but maybe they already had filled all their tables by the time you called...or or or...they just don't know a good thing when they see it.
Hugs!
Love the red and the green and orange, rust and the blue leaves............and the ones you actually found in nature too! xoxo
oo so sorry to hear this!! your work is so beautiful and saleable! silly them for not picking you! don't give up....
What has that wine done to your brain? LOOK at your work. LOOK for crying out loud. Poodles? Toilet rolls? I see autumn captured in velvet. I see a stunning rendition of those trees across the water. What are these craft fairs thinking? But we KNOW why that other one didn't accept you - overlap of products.
(I'm speaking from a haze of hot chocolate laced heartily with Stone;s ginger wine. Nummy nummy.)
You mentioned my colour thingy and said kind things. Thankyou x
Stop feeling sorry for yourself!
Your work is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!!
I *wish* i could make something half as lovely.
=-)
p.s. Please don't take this the wrong way. I'm not fussing at you. You are definitely talented and have an eye for beauty.
Yes, you ARE an Artist!
some people have no taste - who wouldn't want to buy these lovelies. you carry on creating beautiful things Jackie!
Firstly, I hope you don't mind me leaving a comment, it's my first one here. Secondly: It's clearly their loss to be honest. I love your work, the colours always cheer me right up when I'm feeling unmotivated or just not very happy. (Which happens often!) It's like putting on a good song, looking at your stuff just makes me feel much better! You have a great style and I can see it's much loved, so please try not to let it get to you. (For the record: I'd have cried like a baby and/or thrown a tantrum if I had been rejected. But the differences here are that I'd not even have tried, and because of that I'll never get anywhere. Sometimes just trying is a great thing!)
However you rationalise it, rejection still hurts. You know your work is highly saleable and beautiful, they look great on the tree.
Beautiful photographs,
Well, the group/show that rejected you will miss out on your lushous colored, fabulous, and whimsical new pieces. Me, myself, and I Love them. You truly make so many happy with your creations Jackie!!
Well, they don't know what they are mising! I love your work:))
I know what I would buy at the market and it wouldn't be a poodle toilet roll cover or one of those tea towels with croched tops.There is a place for everything Jackie and obviously you pieces were too good for this market but you will find a place that they will be acceptable and the work that you have put into them will be appreciated.
Bottoms up Jackie! You were right to decide against the outside event - the cold and wet weather this time of year can be so detrimental to textiles. I suspect that you were not juried onto the other because there was already a felter, a jewellery maker and a textile artist - suddenly this is happening at fairs around here and friends are experiencing it. I know sales are difficult in the current financial climate - but HEY - what happened to good old fashioned competition? The more the merrier I say. You know that in the right venue, your stuff sells like hotcakes, so stop beating yourself up and use the Banrock to celebrate, because those red and greens are absolutely striking - fantastic!
luv this post. Your work is alway beautiful and I cant wait for you to list some more brooches on your etsy shop.
I can't imagine what they were looking for if they regected your work. Love it love it love it.
A x
They must be out of their (probably very tiny) minds. Gorgeous leaves (both kinds).
I had to stop, rub my eyes and read your post again....... then I pulled my crochet hook out from my work in progress and threw my half made poodle toilet roll cover into the wastepaper basket...... (tears running down my face as I did it)..... Ha! ha!
Today is another day Jackie, so "up and at 'em!". Beautiful work and I love the photos of the work on the home made tree.... just lovely. As for your autumnal shots: absolutely stunning..........
Hey! Look at your work - does it look like it's rejected?! (While you are busy, please do some designs based on those lovely spores on the underside of the leaf!)
Oh Jackie, definitely their loss. Your work is always jaw droppingly gorgeous! Just rise above it and keep on doing what you do so well. Lovely post by the way. Glass of Banrock sounds good. Take care,
Penny
Just catching up with your bloggings... and it's the 2nd blog I've read today about ejection and art and craft and how to deal with it (http://intothehermitage.blogspot.com/) I think all artists find rejection painful.
Your work is beautiful and you've had lots of orders lately - you didn't seem sure about doing those Fairs so think of it as a lucky escape.
Beautiful photos of your walk - so tranquil!
Celia
x
Sorry about the non-selection, they must be mad. The pics of you gorgeous pieces are a real treat to brighten up a dull, dreary wet morning and are definitely the work of an artist. Do NOT despair! Love the autumnal photos. Autumn in our area has barely begun, colourwise, and yet the windy weather has taken so many leaves already. Good Luck.
Your work is really beautiful and they will be the losers without it!
I love the colours in your photos.
It's a fickle world this one of arts and crafts... and it is probably going to be a crappy fair anyway... well it will be because it won't have your work. Those "autumn" leaves are stunning. If you'll excuse me I'm going back to my crochet...
four words only .....They have no taste.....
Thanks everyone..I am a bit embarrassed to have bared my soul here..its just a blip I think!
I can't believe they rejected your beautiful work, they obviously don't get out much and see how popular your work is. I have two pieces and they're stunning. We all love your work here in Oz.
I'm late to comment here, following so many that agree with me that your art is fab. Forget the rejection. Doesn't really matter as long as you are making what YOU like. Its why I don't sell anymore. I started to create what would sell and not what I WANTED to make. Stay true to you.
You live in an amazingly beautiful area. Your fall colors are so muted and beautiful. Thanks for the pics. I always love to see where others live.
xx, Carol
Wine or no wine- you make me smile anyway! The thing about poodle toilet roll covers - and yes I do have the pattern - is that they remind us of the time when we luxuriated in the fact that we had one extra roll of soft toilet paper as opposed to the alternative which meant that your brother was ages in the bathroom catching up on news articles, when the launch of Sputnik was the cause of a spell of bad weather and when muesli, yoghurt and fondues were cutting edge. Rejection? their loss.
Your Aurumn photos are fab but your autumn velvet leaves are GORGEOUS!!! Who cares what one tiny group of people think - the rest of the world love your work!!!!!
I love your leaves! (What if the one rejection you got was from the craft show looking for crochet poodles... I have been to those shows, and they are right about not choosing you for it.
<3 Terri
I think it's great you did your rant with two glasses of wine under the belt. Maybe the craft fair is the reject here, not you, just twist it all around and don't worry about it. Your post made me laugh and your work as always is gorgeous.
The person doing the selection probably gave a stall to a friend who makes rubbishy felt and your's would show them up! Hahaha. That's what I think. I was asked to supply a cafe with a range of my items but not my cards. They already had a card maker supplying them and the card maker specifically said that they would be upset if the cafe sold my cards too as they knew mine would be more popular. That's not me being big headed, it's what I was told! I didn't supply them with anything in the end.
Love all your leafy brooches. It's nearly a year since you mentioned fish.....any more ideas?
Hello! I think you make very beautiful things!! Don't be affraid because you are rejected, they don't know what they are missing!! Greetings...Peebee
They were mad not to include you but maybe another outlet is waiting round the corner. Your work is gorgeous as are those stunningly beautiful photographs.
Your embroidery is fabulous! and too good for them (whoever they are!)
My word I remember our last bottle of wine.... I had a really bad headache the next morning. :-)
Beautiful work as always..... maybe they never had their glasses on. Or maybe like us (that particular night) they had them upside down. :-)xxx
You'll never be a reject to us readers. Does this mean you might have some leaves to post on Etsy?
Love the imagery in this post Jackie, especially the autumn foliage and rich reds of the haws and your lovely leaf brooches hanging on white paper branches. How clever is that?!
As to rejection - it's rotten, no one likes it and who doesn't take it personally? We've all been there if it's any consolation. x
From what I have seen of craft fairs lately there is an over abundance of cheap, unoriginal jewellery so I would have thought your beautiful original work would have been jumped at. Perhaps if there were more stalls selling original items like yours the shows would be better supported. Their loss and I don't blame you for feeling upset about it.
I did once take part in a fair, but after three evenings in an unheated tent in November, during which I sold exactly nothing, I wished I hadn't.
But at least some people talked to me. The girl at the next stand had gorgeous handmade silk lingerie and people just shivered and moved on..
Well, here I was planning to make a whole bunch of those cute poodle toilet roll covers and you've just taken the wind totally out of my sails! (You do know I'm kidding, right?). Never mind, that show is obviously not ready for someone of your talent and it's their loss. Now I'm off to see if I can find a buyer for some unmade poodle TRC's!!
I've been away or would have said this earlier ... its hard to be someone who takes time over making beautiful things because people don't often appreciate that effort, and anyway they're used to buying mass produced stuff cheap. We ALL have times when its hard to keep going, and telling us that this was one of them doesn't make you needy. Love and hugs.
What a beautiful blog post Jackie ...those autumn leaf brooches are beyond gorgeous! Could you make loads more please; I think they are in demand. xx
I know this is an older post. Do you have a work process blog post for these? They are lovely.
Johanna Fritz
Menomonee Falls, WI
wisfritz4@yahoo.com
I know this is an older post, but these are lovely. Do you have a work process or blog post for them? If you had a sample piece with instructions, you could sell it on Craftsy for 100% profit. I just think they are so beautiful.
Thanks.
Johanna Fritz
Menomonee Fall, WI
wisfritz4@yahoo.com
Oh my word... how absolutely beautiful your art is, I L-O-V-E I-T !!! Some truly stunning photos too, thank you for sharing, best wishes, Jayx thesewingwren.wordpress.com
Post a Comment