An Artist’s Worst Nightmare Revisited
Rejection.
Let’s turn rejection on its head and learn to see it in a different light.
This is not easy to do…but it is possible.
Here’s a hypothetical example: you are a female singer/songwriter who is trying to make it in the music industry and your boyfriend’s plumber’s wife used to go to college with Tori Amos.
As soon as your boyfriend Sam tells you this, you immediately begin to imagine yourself opening for Tori on her next North American Tour and singing a duet with her on your debut album. You are excited and believe this could be your big break!
So you beg poor Sam and he agrees to pass along your demo to his plumber who will give it to his wife who will, hopefully, pass it on to Tori.
A week passes, a month passes and several months later, Sam gets a call from his plumber.
“Tori heard the CD. She thinks your girlfriend has talent but the demo doesn’t sound right and she still needs a lot of work.”
At this point, you feel lower than low. Tori Amos just rejected you. How will you move on?
This is the defining moment that can set you apart from everyone else…you can either retreat or advance.
In every rejection, there is a priceless lesson, an opportunity to improve.
Learn to see the diamond in the dark cave - Tori said you have talent!
So what do you do next?
Get your songs properly produced. Build your online and offline presence. Build your brand. Get your music to the point where it is undeniable so that the next time you send Tori a CD, not only will she be blown away by your songs and recordings, she will also see that you are actively building a fan base and making a career for yourself.
As you get better and your brand becomes more developed, you get rejected less often and when you do, you’re not desperate. Even in the face of rejection, you are confident and you continue to learn the lessons that all empowered artists learn each and every day.