Student Blog: Next Stop: Rejection

In about eight years of the arts I have heard the word no more times than I can keep track of. This blog goes out to anyone who’s ever faced rejection. You are valid no matter how you deal with it. 

I have learned how to be rejected with grace and dignity. I proved to myself that hearing the word no is not the end of the world. It starts with some small experiments on getting rejected. I read an article once about someone who is determined to be rejected for days straight. He came up with a bunch of different tests to get used to being rejected. I remember one thing he was supposed to do was go to a fast food restaurant and ask for a burger refill. That feels like the challenging way to face rejection. What can we as artists do to face our rejection head on? 

There is nothing wrong with sitting with it. Sometimes scheduling in time to grieve the loss of an opportunity goes a long way. You are allowed to feel sad for what could’ve been. Especially in a career where you put yourself on the line with every audition. It is vulnerable to share a part of yourself with a panel of people. To share that moment with people, and then, in some cases to hear nothing but silence back it is hurtful. There is nothing wrong with mourning the connections that come with opportunities. 

On the flip side, it is also OK to feel OK. A job gone by does not mean the end of a career. Remind yourself that an audition is not the end by any means. If you go in and do your best, that’s all that counts. You can walk out feeling validated that you did your best. Rejection tends to fade when you put yourself out there more. Be bold. Remind yourself that a panel is not the best reflection of you, only you are the best reflection of you! 

Every audition I go to now I have an affirmation: “I embrace the present moment”. It helps me to step into an audition with authenticity. I feel I will always do my best if I allow myself to want it. My rejection is more a reflection of those behind the table than it is of me. This audition season, treat rejection like an old friend. You can say hi, sit with it, move on, and say see you again sometime. It never quite goes away, but you begin to co-exist with it. Go out there and ace your next audition! I’m rooting for you.