I got off a call earlier with my lecturer and peers regarding where I’m standing in my career, what I plan to do, and if I have any projects lined up as they’d hate to see us stop creating artwork.
I had mentioned this site called Reedsy, a place where you can either look for freelance artists or be a freelance artist for book cover art. I was asked if I had submitted anything yet to which I said that no because I felt I didn’t have enough to put forward. The look of confusion on their face as they told me I have plenty of work to put forward has stuck with me honestly.
It reminded me of the saying “You miss all the chances you don’t take” and it got me thinking about how debilitated some of us become from the possibility of a rejection. The question of if your art is good enough lingering in your head as you overlook your previous projects. We get so hung up on the things we may not have that we can’t see what’s right in front of us.
Yes you can make that artwork. Yes you can and should submit your work to festivals, competitions, future clients, portfolio reviews; damned be the thoughts and feelings of doubt!