Just when I was basking in the glow of a fine end of the year show at Bayou City and dreaming of the relaxing Winter ahead, that ominus email came from Main St. Ft. Worth.
You stare at the message header for a full 24 hours before you read the thing. It takes that long to steel yourself for the enevitable " thanks, but no thanks".But wait, there is always that chance it's good news you're in, or maybe even the purgatory of the wait list. Hell, you re did the booth shots after reading how much this counts in the jury selection, submitted what you felt was a creative representation of your work. You did the show two years straight, did killer numbers. Even schmoozed the director a bit for good measure.
Eyes closed, finger hovering over the mouse, gravity takes over and the finger plops down. Peeking thru parted fingers you slowly absorb the facts. They don't like me anymore. Damn.
It's tough to not take the rejection to heart. this is a show that will literally make the year, it's the Cherry Creek of the Spring (yeah, and waiting for that rejection too), the one show that people will make hotel reservations a full year in advance, and rent mules to haul their purchases off. Its two lanes of shoulder to shoulder,heel to toe happy Texans for four days and 8 city blocks just buying and buying and buying. But they ain't gonna be buying mine.
Maybe its karma, maybe I reamed a few show directors and there is this underground cult they all belong to that black lists people that call them out.Maybe the two years I was in was an abberation. Maybe my work really does suck.
Yeah. I know it happens to all of us.Photographers probably more than most others, simply because there are so damn many of us. Maybe I should become more run of the mill, stop trying to convey my own little take on the world thru my imagery.Become more mainstream.And maybe I just suck.
I have the whole cold and lonely Winter to think on it.
Comments
Having sat in on the Jury last year, I can't help but think that it is basically a gamble - so many applicants, and the jury looks at all your work simultaneously for a mere 15 seconds...your work is up, then down, then on to the next, over and over again. I think it is hard to give each artist a fair shake really.
oh well, I'll probably send in my donation again next year :)
So I, in my youth, fire and brimstone, came up with awards for "The Bottom Ninety." With the help of some other artists, we decorated full size paper plates with weird sayings ("Best Bad Potter," "Best Mediocre Photographer," "Best Imported Jewelry," you get the drift), bits of ribbon and duct tape and many of the artists we gave them to actually wore them. Until the evil show director came around and cast a curse on yours truly and my nefarious crew. I never even applied to that show again!
It's still a personal hit when you don't make the cut, and of course you don't agree with the assessment but at least you get that individual connection that means a bit more than "Thanks, looking forward to your donation next year".
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