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It's competition season, and nearly every day my inbox brings a fresh crop of opportunities to enter the next big contest, or results from a show I have entered.  No matter one’s career stage and past accomplishments, the urge to compete is tempting, and even after 15 years I can never predict how things will go.  Awards are thrilling—but those rejections do sting. 

Our response to either scenario is what really matters.  Maintaining perspective in the face of rejection can be challenging—but just as we should not get overly blown up about a big award, we should not be brought too low by rejection from a show.  It helps to clarify your motives for entering a show in the first place:  Resume building? Validation? Prizes? Participation?  No one show will make or break you.  Long-term success is a long-haul prospect.  A record and reputation are developed over months and years, not in a season.

Perhaps the best antidote to the sting of rejection during this competition season is to gather a group of supportive artist friends who can not only advise you on what to submit to shows, but can celebrate your successes and commiserate, should you suffer the disappointment of rejection.  One friend’s simple advice, "Just know your work is great," is both very simple and very tough to follow, but easier with a good critical support system in place.  Her words are supportive, but she's also advising self-confidence.  

I rely on my small band of artist friends, who demand the best of me, and see the best in me.  Our regular critique sessions ensure that such comments are not simply empty compliments: we offer concrete, honest feedback on works in progress at regular intervals.   We respect and trust each others' opinions, which is the basis for any good critique group. 

Trust your instincts about your own work, and keep submitting that piece you love.  The painting below, Ebb and Flow 18 x 36, was rejected by the local art association where I first submitted it.  I later used it as my original piece when successfully applying for membership at the Copley Society in Boston, and it sold right away when I brought it to my gallery.  Rejection in any one show is not proof a particular painting is not worthy:  it simply means it did not resonate with a particular judge, or panel, or it did was not the best fit with the rest of the paintings chosen for a given show (maybe everyone submitted flowers—or waves--that year?)

So, why compete in juried shows?  Is it worth it? How does it serve us as artists to participate in competitive exhibitions and juried shows?

Competitions inspire us to get better, both by challenging us to create our best work, and by showing us the best work currently around. Participating in exhibitions and winning awards lends credibility, and fleshes out the resume. It also keeps us a part of the community.  When it feels too expensive or distracting, stop.  Focus on creating.

While the competition kudos are nice, they are a by-product of the real point, which is to do good work.  Even after winning an award, we always have more to learn, and we gradually understand that we have not ‘arrived’ and in fact there is no arriving: we’re always only as good as what’s on the easel right now.  That’s the joy and the burden of being an artist, and perhaps that is why we are continually drawn to the lure of the outside approval.  

But the truth is we each have our own inner critic and we know whether or not we're producing our best work.  Continue to enter those shows, participate in the community, and be inspired.  But equally important, cultivate your band of artist friends, those whose opinions you trust and admire. It is their feedback, critique, support and approval along with your own that are your true sounding board.