DANA STIRLING

Dear Artist We Regret To Tell You

Dear Artist We Regret To Tell You

 

Dear Artist, We Regret to Tell You

Over the last few years I have been sending my work to different websites, grants, publications, competitions, exhibitions and more. Along side some great opportunities and success I encountered a lot of rejection. After a period of several month of rejection after rejection, I started to doubt myself and my work. I was on the bus, on my way back home. I was thinking about this for few months that were filled with rejections. I was speaking to my husband (Yoav Friedlander, also an artist) about my idea to make something out of all of these rejection letters that I had in my inbox. It started as kind of a joke – about making art out of rejection, and the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to do it. I went and looked back at all the emails I've sent over the years – and started to flag some of the letters. Many letters I couldn't use, as they never responded (which is also a form of rejection , yet not one I could have worked with). What people don't know is that, the book might “only” have 13 letters, but in fact I sent submissions to over 300 places in the last few years. I decided to use wall paint swatch colors from Home Depot, first because they are free and easy to get, but also because they hold so much potential in them- The color swatches are titled with promises, some kind of hidden dreams painted with different shades and unique colors. These rejection letters are all the same, none of them are unique, special or more important. The fan format allows you to look at them in no real order, you see them all at once.The fan allows a flow , a different kind of read. I liked the idea that they are all connected in one place – a small grounded place – what keeps it all together from falling apart I wanted to make something that I could look at and not only be inspired by it, but will make me happy. This book was not made out of anger towards the rejecting places, but more from a place of self-doubt and trying to reclaim my artists passion. After I made it, I sent it, as a replay to the original rejection letter, to all the places I used in my Book – wanting to share this with them, inform them and just to see their reaction. Some places never responded, but the places that did respond loved it and actually thanks me which was crazy by itself. The reaction I got online from people was mostly really amazing.
Over the last few years I have been sending my work to different websites, grants, publications, competitions, exhibitions and more. Along side some great opportunities and success I encountered a lot of rejection. After a period of several month of rejection after rejection, I started to doubt myself and my work. I was on the bus, on my way back home. I was thinking about this for few months that were filled with rejections. I was speaking to my husband (Yoav Friedlander, also an artist) about my idea to make something out of all of these rejection letters that I had in my inbox. It started as kind of a joke – about making art out of rejection, and the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to do it. I went and looked bac [read more...]

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Ladies are Roses

Ladies are Roses

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