Can rejection be a good thing?

When you are rejected, endless thoughts are sure to run through your head. Am I not good enough? Did I do something wrong? Should I do this at all?

Rejection hurts. But it's important to remember that rejection doesn't necessarily have to do with you. It's just part of life - and especially part of art.

After 14 years as an owner and director in Denver, Ivar Zeile has become familiar with many facets of the art industry and has developed an interesting take on rejection. He shared with us his thoughts on the nature of rejection and how to constructively handle no.

Here are three of his conclusions on the topic:   

1. Rejection is not personal

We've all heard the story of the evil gallery owner, but the reality is that established galleries receive more entries per day, per week, and per year than anyone can imagine. Galleries and art dealers have restrictions. They simply don't have the time, energy, or resources to consider every application that comes to them.

The art gallery scene is also very competitive. Galleries can get crowded and simply don't have room on the wall to showcase more artists. The gallery view is often time dependent. Although it is hard, the rejection should not be taken personally. This is part of the business.

2. Everyone experiences rejection

It is important for artists to understand that galleries are also being rejected. Last summer, Plus Gallery hosted a themed group exhibition, Super Human. Our assistant researched artists who fit in well with this theme - had richness, depth, but are still relevant today. In addition to the Plus Gallery artists, we approached some major artists to take part in this exhibition, but were refused. We are a well-known gallery, and we were also refused. Rejection is part of everyone's life in the art business.

It's also very interesting for me to look at the departed artists. There are artists in the community or in the world that I haven't taken the last step with and really wish I did. I once considered doing some artwork with artist Mark Dennis, but I never got his support. Over the past two years, it has completely exploded, and at such a level that it would be useless to try to renew it.

Art dealers face many of the same problems as artists when we strive to be successful: we make mistakes, we get rejected. In a way, we are in the same boat!

3. Failure is not permanent

Many people don't handle rejection well. They don't want to come to an understanding. Some artists submit their work to a gallery, get rejected, and then write off the gallery and never submit again. It's such a shame. Some artists are cool enough to accept rejection - they understand that I'm not an evil gallery owner, and agree after a few years. I represent some of the artists that I initially had to turn down.

Rejection does not mean that interest will never be rekindled - you may get another opportunity later. Sometimes I like an artist's work, but I just can't get him or her involved at the moment. I tell these artists that the time has not yet come, but keep me posted on your work. It is wise for artists to realize that maybe they are not ready, maybe they still have some work to do, or maybe it will be better next time. Think of rejection as "not now" and "never."

Ready to beat rejection?

We hope that Ivar's worldview has shown you that failure should not be a complete deterrent, but rather a short-term delay on the path to ultimate success. Rejection will always be part of life and part of the art. Now you are armed with a new perspective to get down to business. It is how you handle rejection that determines the success of your artistic career, not the rejection itself!

Set yourself up for success! Get more advice from gallerist Ivar Zeile at .