Rejection Letters

Leaf

Part of my world is filled with submissions. I think of something, create an idea, spend hours writing, rewriting, sketching, etc. Once I feel the idea I want to submit is ready I send it out. It may be a response to a Call for Submission, or perhaps I think that my idea is a fit for a particular place. After, I am left with anticipation waiting for the response.

The happy moment arrives, when my submission is accepted.

Sometimes, a not so happy moment arrives with a rejection.

Rejection letters are a strange phenomenon, they can evoke various feelings in the receiver.

I would divide the rejection letters into three categories.

The first category is basically a version of "We don't care about your submission." Letters and notes like these hurt the most.

The second category is a version of "We don't have space/money/time...(fill in the blank) for your submission, but thanks for sending it." these types of rejections are unpleasant, but acceptable.

And then there is the third category of rejection letters. They usually say something like "Thank you for sending your work to us. It was a pleasure to review it. Unfortunately...." Even though it is a rejection letter, it makes me feel appreciated. Someone actually values my work, effort, time and has the decency to make me feel valuable as an artist, writer, and designer. This feeling makes a huge difference. After receiving this kind of rejection letter, I actually feel a great surge of inspiration to be better the next time, whereas after receiving the first category of rejection letters make me feel like my work is worthless, and therefore even I as a person have a lesser value.

In reality they are all rejection letters, therefore my work was not accepted, however the difference in the way the letters are perceived is huge, at least for me personally.

In the end, it makes me think more about where I will send my submissions next time. Would it be the place where they value the work and the artist, writer, designer, or to a place where they don't really care?

Thank you for visiting.