One of the first things creatives learn on their journey is that not all that glitters is gold. Rejection is an integral part of the journey. In order to grow, however, we have to learn to deal with rejection so as not to make our crafts or businesses suffer. In fact, if you look through the profiles of most business creatives, you’d see that they battle failures over and again till they start excelling in their craft. Did they give up? No. Instead, they learnt how to deal with rejection.
Rejection can come in different ways. From that client, you sent a pitch to that leader you tried to engage with. It could even be from you, battling imposter syndrome and denying yourself the value of your skills. Sometimes rejection is not directly related to our business, but it can still very much affect it.
As an inevitable part of a creative’s journey, we must learn how to always deal with rejection.
It is a painful process, however. Unlike the glamours of entrepreneurship or creativity, this is one aspect that is still not fun to experience. Knowing that, here are effective methods to deal with rejection as a creative.
Accept The Rejection
Sometimes, you might have been rejected for your faults. It could be a lack of preparation, depression, and salesy marketing. It could even be ignorance concerning your client. For example, an art gallery might deny your application because they felt your art wasn’t good enough.
Accept it. Even if you’re going back to the field to try again. You need to accept that this leg of the race is gone.
Don’t take it personally. While your creativity might be seen as an extension of yourself, it’s not inherently you. When you have to deal with rejection, you must realize this. Your failures do not accurately represent you. Accepting that you were rejected is the first step to getting over it.
Sometimes you might need physical expression to let go of the pain. You can scream, exercise, or cook. These are all common ways people let off steam. You can also go out with your friends to take your mind off it.
Analyze The Rejection Process
Even if your pitch fell through, analyze the process from beginning to end. For example, how did you find out about your customer? Did you prepare well enough? Is there some corruption in the process? Was your equipment of less quality? What is the market ideal for this business?
To deal with rejection properly, you must ask important questions about the rejection process. Look at industry trends and see if you followed them well.
You can research better professionals who have been in the same situation as you and see what they did differently.
Turn it into a learning opportunity and see how you can improve your next move(s). Do you need to upskill? Plan for it.
Focus On Improving
There’s no point in learning how to deal with rejection, only for you to go out and repeat the same mistake. You learn to deal with rejection so you can be better, not worse.
To do this, you have to use the analysis you’ve gotten from the process to know your next step. Deal with rejection by slapping it in the face with a better version of whatever was rejected.
If your creativity is facing a block, try to revive it. If you need to find mentors, find them. No matter what, make sure that you improve. Even if it’s a lack of suitable equipment, find a way to get them.
Practice Your Revised Methods
One of the fastest ways to learn is to do. Practice what you’ve learnt and make plan Bs. You would need to define your new process and find a way to track its effects.
One of the best ways to deal with rejection is to see your improvement from that period. Think back to the last time you felt you hadn’t accomplished something.
If you went back to try again and finally did, your joy would have known no bounds. It is the same with being a creative. Practice and see your improvement. If that’s not enough, go back to the drawing board and analyze again to reach your goals.
Conclusion
While rejection may feel like the end of the world, depending on how much effort you put into your work, it is not. This may seem harsh, but it’s a good thing. It means that you have a future to make your dreams come true. All you need to do is focus and deal with rejection right now.
