HOW TO TAKE REJECTION AS AN ARTIST

     The most important thing we all learn as artist of any form, is that rejection will be part of the deal.  Near constant rejection in fact.  An understanding of this harsh reality is the first step, dealing with it properly is the other.  Even the biggest names and best works have to carve through an avalanche of rejection.  Here are a few examples that will put your mind at ease.

     We all know of Sylvester Stallone and his breakout performance (and script) from Rocky.  What is less publicized is that the executives at Warner Bros. at the time loved the script, it was a go picture but...... Stallone said he had to play Rocky, he wrote the part for him to play, and the Studios said no (go to 1:28 in the video).  They not only said no to him as an actor over and over, but they offered him more money in return for making the movie without him playing the lead.  This former Rambo star stuck to his guns and the rest is film history as we know it.   Now, can you imagine another actor playing Rocky? Just look at the career Stallone has as well.  

     Take the hit Netflix series Orange is the New Black.  At one point you could have taken it because nobody else would.  One of the shows Executive Producers, Jenji Kohan has said that she pitched the series to every network in town before it landed on the office desk at Netflix.  This is a long running, Emmy Award winning show here.  I can’t speak for them but I have a feeling Netflix is happy Kohan faced that rejection before the show was produced with them.

     Dr.Seuss, as the story goes his first book was rejected by 27 publishers before one said yes.  I am sure his estate is glad that he pressed on with the submissions to publishers and made it 28.

     Lordof the Flies, before it was made twice as a movie it was a WilliamGolding novel.  This brilliant piece of literature was treated like the pig on his fabled island, his novel was rejected 20 times before it was published.

     Being an Artist, I liken it to a bull rider.  Oh yeah, you will be thrown off, crashing to the ground with a face full of dirt, but to make it you must get back in the saddle.  I endured six years of rejection until Cam-Girl, my third screenplay was the right script that was read by the two produces it took to believe in it and make it happen.  Before that I even wrote a non-fiction book that was rejected everywhere, and that is good because that Work was substandard.  For some of you this will be hard to accept, but there are many reasons for constant rejection in the Entertainment field, and one of them is because approximately 90 percent of the scripts that are written, or people who ever attempted acting are just not good enough.  That is exactly why you need to keep at it if you ever want a chance to succeed.  You should get better, you will get better, but you must be fully dedicated and have a hunger to learn about your craft.

     Some other things that make rejection a necessary part of the Entertainment world include, all the agents, producers and star actors out there are just too busy to consider every pitch that floods their email and social media every day.  Rejection is the industry’s way of thinning out herd for them.  It is a vetting process, also, it only makes sense that they would be more interested in a project that was referred to them by a friend or have prominent people already involved.  Besides that and the time factor, the other other reason is legality.  It goes without saying that lawsuits are very common these days, so professionals and business entities need to shield themselves from that.

     Okay Curt, I get it, now how do I deal with the rejection?  The answer is simple... and complex.  It has to be something you find on your own.  There are many ways people rise up from adversity, some work even harder, some let off steam at the gym, some vent about it through their art, others find comfort talking about it with loved ones or friends who also work in that field.  There are plenty of film groups, writers’ meet ups and Acting schools that can be your outlet for this.  Find what works for you, because much like rejection itself, the art of dealing with is a part of the deal if you want a career.

-Curt Wiser is an author and the Writer/Director of the suspense movie Cam-Girl now on DVD and Amazon Prime.