how to deal with rejection as a muralist

Have you applied to a ‘call for mural artists’ with an absolutely banging idea, some gorgeous concepts drawn up and a beautifully presented application that you laboured over for a week, squeezing it around other commitments, only to receive an email 8 weeks later that you weren’t selected…it’s gone to someone with more experience than you…..the same person who’s name is pretty much on all the walls in your local neighbourhood. How can you compete with that!?

It’s a catch 22….they give the commission to the artist with more experience…giving that artist more experience…and you sit by not building any experience, wishing you could gain more experience, ready to paint, knowing full well you’re capable of the work but up against competition that will always outstrip you simply because they’ve been working for longer than you..ffs

This exact situation happened to me recently. I felt pretty low for about 3 days straight. I’d been encouraged to apply to the call out by someone on the decision panel, I really thought I was a shoe in. As soon as I got the rejection, I knew exactly who would be painting the work (and please note this isn’t in any way a neg at the other artist, their work is brilliant and they’ve lifted the public perception of street art in the town…but the streets of my home are starting the look like a solo show rather than a group exhibition).

So what did I do? After moping for a few days I turned that irritation into fuel. I decided that I’d stop waiting for approval from the powers that be, and make a mural project of my own. In reality you don’t need a councils permission to paint (so long as you aren’t doing something super offensive or risqué), you need the building owner to agree.

So…I found a wall, I spoke to the owner of the building and we agreed a fee for the work. As they were a business, they even had some budget for the project….It was that simple!

I’m not really for cold contacting people, I’d love to be selected for a call out…there’s something about gaining that approval that I can’t help but aspire to (that may be a blog for another time…something about needing qualification from others…lets not pull at that thread today :)…BUT that one project has given me SO much. It showed me that I have the ability to run projects myself. I can generate work, connect with people and paint walls that benefit my neighbourhood whilst also allowing me to pursue my dreams for a career as a muralist.

Since then I’ve also made links with a local primary school, researched grant programs and I’m connecting more and more with the local creative industry. My realisation from the local rejection was that all my eggs were in one basket and that basket doesn’t belong to me. I suppose now I’m trying to build my own baskets. My advice to anyone in the same boat or struggling with local applications is this…build your network, meet other people in the creative field where you live and tell them about your work and aims for the future. Chances are they will support you and maybe even recommend you or maybe they know a wall you can paint…and rejection is much easier to deal with when you can talk it through with people who understand.

There’s a quote by Audre Lorde that I’ve been telling myself lately “I am deliberate and afraid of nothing”. As a woman in the street arts this experience just reminds me….I need to keep going.