If You Were the Choosing One, Would a 'No' Mean Anything?

How many 'No's' have I received, as an artist and also as a being simply being on the planet? 

Many.

Today, I just received another one of those 'No'-replies.

And usually, I don't even mention them. On social media, I talk about the 'good stuff', the positive news.

Today, I just received another one of those 'No'-replies. And I deleted it right away, moving on and not making it relevant. Then, I was wondering, maybe I can be a contribution to someone out there who has given up or is at the fringe of giving up? Maybe my journey is not just for me?

So I chose to write about it.

How many of you artists and most wonderful creatives have received tons of 'No's'? 

Applying for art exhibitions, funding, grants, events? You are so courageous! It takes courage to show your work, it takes guts! Why? Because it always exposes us to some random judgment. Random? Yes, random. It's a point of view of a moment. 

Is it based on 'sound opinion' of an expert? I don't even have an idea what that means. Of course not!

There is no expert of your art but you!

You are the expert.

Are you ready to claim that and to be your own best fantastic credentials?

Are museums more 'wise' as far as art goes? Do they 'know' what art is? No. They don't. 

What is art? I looked on Wikipedia, and it says "Art is a diverse range of human activities in creating visual, auditory or performing artifacts, expressing the author's imaginative, conceptual ideas, or technical skill, intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power."

Merriam Webster says "a) skill acquired by experience, study, or observation , b) an occupation requiring knowledge or skill , c) the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects". That's a wide field of application!

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy elaborates "The definition of art is controversial in contemporary philosophy. Whether art can be defined has also been a matter of controversy. The philosophical usefulness of a definition of art has also been debated."

The ground is even further open to confusion.

I thought, hm, well, let's look up 'contemporary art'? I found a definition that says "In its most basic sense, the term contemporary art refers to art—namely, painting, sculpture, photography, installation, performance, and video art—produced today..." Read this interesting article in full length: https://mymodernmet.com/what-is-contemporary-art-definition/  

So, it's basically everything. Pop Art, Aboriginal Art, Minimalist Art, Conceptual Art (I love that definition!), Performance Art, Installation Art, Street Art, Digital Art, Abstract Art, Intuitive Art, Visionary Art, Realism (that's a good one too!), and the list goes on. What's to get out of all of this? Art is what we are creating. Who's to say what's good or bad?

Years ago, I went to an exhibit in Berlin, a modern art exhibit (I forgot to mention that definition in my list above... sorry!), and as I walked into an exhibit room, I found myself staring at a human buttocks sticking out of a wall. That's art? Some museum curators judged it as art. Maybe because their was hair added to the buttocks.

So, it's all part of this incredibly hilarious reality! It's not to be taken seriously!

According to all the definitions, the moment we are creating something from different elements and we make something new from them by extrapolation, it's art.

It includes you, the reader.

Judges and panels of jurors are hired to eliminate. 

They don't know your journey.

They go through, at times, huge amounts of applications and quickly screen and eliminate. That's all. That's their job. That's what they're paid for.

Here is the response I received today, after they had invited me to apply for the event:

I doesn't mean anything.

Funny, I titled the picture of this screenshot 'BlaBla', and that's all it is.

It's BlaBla.

Have you made all the BlaBla so vital and important?

Don't stop yourself, ever!

You are the only one who can stop you, no one else can.

Count your blessings and move on! You're here, and you're rocking it! 

As artists, we have to be resilient and filled with humor. 

Here's the most important thing:

• Do you love what you're doing? 
• Does it give you joy? 
• Does it create more consciousness on the planet? 
• Does it inspire others? 
• Do you create a greater future on the earth with what you're artfully making? 

If you get a yes on any of them, keep creating! You are changing the world. This is what art is about. We inspire the viewer to a different possibility that they can not yet perceive. Art is transformative. And right now, the world needs that inspiration! 

So, be resilient. Be strong. You're a potent creator. You are much stronger and resilient than you ever acknowledged, otherwise you would not be artist!

So, what's next?

I will keep moving, applying to shows, showing up for possibilities, create and inspire me with joyful choices.

Will I apply for that exhibit again? I don't have an answer right now. Who knows? If it's joyful and I get the energy of 'Apply to this one!', in a year, then I will. And if I don't get that festive energy from it, then I won't. It's a dance.

You are in charge.

Are you willing to have your own back?

Are you willing to be the choosing one? 

Or do you prefer being the chosen one?

I'm the choosing one.

And I keep dancing with the earth and stars!

And, together, we are creating new and different symphonies and rhythms.

Cheers to creation!