Being "liked" or "unliked" as an artist

Any artist who has submitted work to a juried art exhibit or approached a gallery director to show her/him their artwork has most likely had a few niggling, insecure thoughts about whether their artwork will be "liked." We want so much to not only have our work accepted, but approved. David Bayles and Ted Orland talk about this in their book Art & Fear. Chapter IV is dedicated entirely to our "Fears About Others," in which they say, "Acceptance means having your work counted as the real thing; approval means having people like it."

The last thing that I want as an artist is to have my work rejected or "unliked." It feels so personal. Many artists have a parental or sort of love connection with their art, which often makes it hard to sell and/or put it out into the world for others to have an opinion about it. I often have to work with fears that arise from feeling exposed. Art is that personal.

Fear of criticism is a close runner up to fear of rejection. Cay Lang writes in Taking the Leap that we as artists need to be open to criticism; it's how we learn about our audience. If I want to sell my art, then I need to understand what my audience (galleries, curators, historians, whomever) finds worthy of acceptance and approval. While these individuals may be educated in the principles of art, I still think the process of acceptance and approval is completely subjective. It's all about what a person likes.

In these recent blogs, I've been writing about the Eight Verses of Mind Training and am currently on Verse 5. This verse clearly indicates that whatever arises to not take it personally. The verse is usually applied to situations in which someone is blaming, scolding, or being verbally harsh. However, it seems appropriate to apply it to art world situations in which criticism or disapproval is being expressed.

Verse 5 (Rigpa translation):

Whenever someone out of envy

Does me wrong by attacking or belittling me,

I will take defeat upon myself,

And give the victory to others.

HH Dalai Lama clarifies in Transforming the Mind that whatever the provocation, instead of reacting negatively, we should be tolerant. HHDL has also talked at times about being discerning, that we need to care for ourselves, which may mean removing ourselves from abusive situations. Fortunately, my art world experiences haven't been abusive, just simply uncomfortable; experiences to which I can apply tolerance and understanding.

Despite personal discomfort, I will always ask why pieces of artwork have not been accepted. It helps quiet the endless speculations that my mind conjures up. And often the information is useful. Being mindful, tolerance, humble, and compassionate are acts of courage. I commend artists who face the fears that art challenges us with.

The image that I illustrated in gouache and color pencil which pertains to Verse 5 is of a duck. The saying of "let it roll off your back like water off of a duck" is a perfect description for tolerance and for not taking difficult comments personally. Being water-repellant or comment-repellant reminds me of what Sogyal Rinpoche calls having "non-stick minds." My wish for us all!

Next week is Verse 6 which encourages more patience and tolerance. Until then . . .

Be well,

Susan