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One "Yes" is All You Need
Job hunting is the absolute worst activity anyone can engage in. Worse than online dating, worse than shark hunting in a meat suit, and definitely worse than showing up to school nude, woefully unprepared for a final exam.
Lucky me, I've been job hunting on and off for the past 4 years.
Despite my efforts, art doesn't fully pay the bills yet. Some of that is, definitely, my fault for listening to others who doubted my dreams. I would push art to the side to focus on finding a "real" or "real" career, only to find that those positions wanted nothing to do with me. Or—and this is also my fault—I would succumb to my own fears. Feeling that I wasn't good enough to work professionally and constantly berating myself for being too unskilled, unmotivated, passionless, uncreative, etc.
My brain's personal favorite is holding my age against me. At 31—the Douchebag Brain says—I'm far too old to change careers or start a new venture. Companies want fresh talent, artists who have a specialized degree, perfect teeth, and a winning personality. Obviously, the age excuse is just that—a defense mechanism to keep a person trapped in painful situations and starving from what would feed them.
I am a firm believer in two things: everyone has a calling and everyone has the ability to live their dreams. I don't care if a person's grandest dream is to be the best husband and father this Earth has ever seen, a homemaker, a CEO in financing, a professional cosplayer, or—dare I say it—an artist. All of these dreams are valid and should be cultivated, regardless of what douchebag brains and people say otherwise.
A constant companion to striving towards a dream is rejection. I get rejected from potential art ventures all the time. Rejected from zines, freelance work, artist alley spots, guest spots—you name it, I probably have a rejection letter from it. Receiving those rejections when you're job hunting is difficult, but hearing them when you're pursuing a dream is utterly demoralizing. The validity of your dreams come into question as the rejections grow. You begin to question if you should keep trying.
Thankfully, I have my father's wisdom to fall back on when I feel like quitting. Be it job hunting, looking for love, or forging your own career path, all you need is one "yes." That's all you need—just one Yes. One Yes moves you to the next Yes, and the next opportunity. Before you know it you're so much further along than when you started.
So what's a young artist to do when the weight of rejections is too great?
Re-evaluate: First thing I do is take the time to double check my submissions. Was my pitch well written? My portfolio the best it can be? This is the time to make tweaks before the next submission.
Celebrate: Celebrate a rejection? Um, hell yes celebrate rejections. A rejection letter still means I took the time and effort to put myself in the crosshairs and learned something in the process.
Chill: Sure, I celebrate, but it still hurts. Taking time from big rejections to lick my wounds is a necessary step in the process.
Dream: Day dreaming is another necessary step. If you're not in touch with your wanderings, how on Earth will you know if an opportunity is right for you?
Wait: The largest lesson here is patience. It's also the crappiest and hardest to learn.
No matter what, no matter your pursuit, remember that rejections aren't forever. They may feel that way in the moment but, I promise, when you receive that one Yes, it will all be worth it.
Keep trying and be kind to yourself—I promise it will all work out for you!
