We have been discussing the topic of feedback quite a bit recently. In fact, I recently posted an article titled “The Sample Size of One Trap: Navigating Critical Feedback”, where we explored the danger of over-indexing on a single person’s opinion when it comes to business decisions.
However, I want to revisit this topic from a slightly different angle today. While my previous post dealt with the logic of analyzing feedback, today I want to address the emotional reality of it.
Because let’s be honest: rejection stings.
Recently, an artist shared with me that they received some incredibly blunt feedback from a gallery association. The comments were harsh, telling the artist that their work felt “more craft than art” and that “less is more.” When you pour your soul into your work, reading words like that can feel like a physical blow. It is easy to look at that rejection and feel the urge to retreat or, worse, to completely reinvent your portfolio to please that one critic.
Here is why you need to resist that urge, and how you can build the resilience to keep moving forward.
The Danger of Reinvention
The biggest risk when receiving harsh criticism isn’t that your feelings get hurt; the risk is that you actually listen to it and change your course based on a single opinion.
Imagine you submit your portfolio to a venue, and they reject it because it’s “too colorful.” If you immediately run back to the studio and start painting in neutrals, two things happen. First, you lose the authenticity of your voice. Second, and more practically, you inadvertently sabotage your chances with the next gallery on your list—the one that might have been looking for exactly that kind of vibrant color.
You cannot afford to stop and reinvent your artwork for every opinion you receive. If you try to please everyone, you will end up pleasing no one.
Consider the Source
When feedback feels unnecessarily harsh, take a moment to evaluate who is giving it.
Is it a gallery owner who has successfully sold art for 30 years? Is it a fellow artist who might be projecting their own insecurities or jealousy? Is it a juror for an association who simply has a different aesthetic preference?
There are as many opinions as there are people. Just because someone holds a position of authority in a local art association does not mean they are the final arbiter of what constitutes “good” art. Often, rejection is simply a matter of a “square peg in a round hole.” It wasn’t a fit. That doesn’t mean the peg is broken; it just means you need to find a square hole.
Rejections are Just Data Points
To survive in this business, you have to develop a thicker skin. You need to view submissions not as a test of your worth, but as a numbers game.
When you are looking for representation, you are going to be reaching out to many potential venues. You should view every rejection not as a stop sign, but simply as a notch on your checklist. You knocked on that door, they said no, and now you check it off and move to the next one.
Somewhere down that list is a gallery that is going to love exactly what you are doing in the same way you love it. Your job is to have enough stamina to get to them.
You Are in Good Company
Finally, if you feel discouraged, look at history. If we made a list of all the great artists who were mocked, scorned, or rejected by the “establishments” of their time, we would be listing the masters. From the Impressionists to the Abstract Expressionists, many artists were told their work was invalid before they were told it was genius.
If you are receiving strong reactions—even negative ones—it means your work has a point of view. Stay true to that view. Keep plugging away, keep submitting, and don’t let a “sample size of one” dictate your artistic destiny.
How Do You Cope with Rejection?
We have all faced the sting of a rejection letter or a harsh comment. Do you have a specific ritual or mindset you use to shake it off and get back to work? Share your strategies for resilience in the comments below.