Thursday, November 12, 2009

Rejected

*sigh*

Dear Suzanne Kistler,
Thank you for submitting your entry, Be Still: Psalm 46:10, blah blah blah, we regret that we are unable to include your entry in this year's show.

*sigh*

You know it's a bad sign when acceptance letters come out December 1 and you receive a skinny envelope in the mail on November 12.

It's not like I'm not used to being on the receiving end of these letters. It's just that this particular quilt is probably the best quilt I've ever made, and I can't seem to get it into very many shows. When it does get in, it shows very well.

I know, I know, you're all saying, "It's your photographs." But if you remember from this post a few months back, I invested in the proper background and lighting and everything else needed for awesome quilt photography.

It's just not to be.

Rejection helps to keep me humble.

My roll is over...you know, as in "I was on a roll, and every quilt I entered for 5 years got into every show." I guess that went to my head, because judging by my towering stack of rejection letters, I seem to be requiring a lot of humbling these days.

Okay, so maybe I exaggerate. It's just a stack. It's not in danger of falling over. It's not really a tower. It just seems like it.

whine, whine, whine. Yes, I WOULD like some cheese with that. :)

Here's hoping that I'm the only one of my friends who received a copy of this letter today.

Ironically, I spent the morning getting the entry forms printed for our show. Next week is our mailing party, and the forms should be at your doorstep before Thanksgiving. As a word of encouragement, I'll tell you that we have a very good acceptance/rejection ratio, unlike the shows that I've been collecting letters from.

Stay tuned. As soon as our entry forms are available online, I'll let you know!

And on that, I'm back to the Studio.

oh! And I have NOT forgotten the 12 Step program. I just haven't had time to think about what my Step will be. Has anyone else out there identified a Step? Or are we moving into holiday/end of the year mode, with the Steps stopping at 10? Time will tell...

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Suzie

I've done all 10 steps, but I'm worried about November! I'm teaching a class, remodeling the house, landscaping the acre, and putting on a wedding. But you didn't want to hear my laundry list of why I'm barely even sleeping.
Working on a quilt would be a relaxing dream.

Brenda

Nina Marie said...

Suzanne - see this is where pride works in your favor for once (instead of being a deadly sin LOL!) When you get the skinny envelope - you just think - "Obviously they don't know what they are talking about!" and pray for guidance for them. Works every time for me!! Everyone gets rejected now and again - so don't sweat it! We love you!

Del said...

Part of the problem is that there are so many more quilters now and not that many more shows. Eventually you will become more philosophical about rejects and they will seem like mosquito bites - annoying, but usually not fatal. If you want to show your quilts just keep plugging away. Del

Quiltedtime said...

Suzanne,

I wouldn't even worry about this. Sometimes it's just a matter of logistics and how many quilts they have entered of a certain size, style, technique, etc. I just silently bless them when this happens to me, and without fail, a better opportunity comes up for that quilt. Once one of my quilts didn't make it into a show which turned out to be a good thing because I got a magazine offer on it right after that. If it would have gone to the show, I would have missed the other opportunity.

Besides, my dear friend, you are a very talented quilter and a loyal fellow artist. Most quilters would give their eye teeth to have accomplished as much as you have. And you have many, many more years left to go:-).

'Nuf said.

Kay

Kay said...

I just got this same letter. Like you, I was a bit surprised, because the quilt I entered is as good as two I've entered before which were accepted. My impression is that some categories (mine was Art Abstract) are very popular with so many entries that they become very selective. If I'd entered a traditional pieced quilt which I considered, it might have done better. Oh, well. I also received an acceptance to another exhibit, (not a judged show), and the three pages of instructions, legal release, etc., etc., etc., almost made me sorry this wasn't a rejection too.