Being rejected hurts… in any scenario…

Whether it’s a job, a dream, a vision you’ve nurtured for years, being rejected from it is painful. Unfortunately, this is reality for many people right now. People that are reaching for their dreams are met with silence, layoffs, or doors slamming shut. The creative arts have been hit especially hard, but it’s a problem that isn’t just limited to the arts. This epidemic is spreading everywhere. The feelings of being forgotten, disappointed, or even neglected by an industry that you intended to build your future within are universal, and the heartache has to end.

How did we get here? And where do we go?

I have no answers. I wish I did. I wish I could solve the problems of the world. I barely know what I want to eat for dinner most of the time. I do know that this cannot continue. I would love to say that change starts from within, and if we come together, we can make a difference… but can we?

I could start The Society for the Lost & Forgotten, and we could have meetings every Thursday. That community would be easy to build. The numbers of people living in uncertainty are growing every day. It would be the club that nobody ever wanted to join, but people just keep unwillingly being recruited.

Community reminds us that we’re not alone on this planet. We’re all in this together, and we should come together. Socializing in the community is wonderful and unifying. I just wish it paid the bills. If I could say that The Society for the Lost & Forgotten would be able to find employment for every discouraged soul out there, I would start putting something together today, but I can’t make that promise. I can only tell you that you’re not alone. My expertise has been predominantly in retail, the arts, and random pop culture knowledge, but it’s not in solving the nationwide unemployment dilemma.

I’m not a problem-solver. I’m a problem-survivor (Put that on a shirt.) I’ve jumped from sinking ships in the retail industry, because I had enough foresight to know when something is a lost cause. I’ve learned that the only person’s actions that you can control are your own and that includes your re-actions as well. At work, you direct managers or leadership could have the best of intentions, but they aren’t the ones steering the ship or making the decisions when whispers of lay-offs start circulating. You can’t control the decisions that are made at the top. You can only react to them in the best way possible. We’re all currently reacting and responding to the state of the world we live in. Our duty has to be to preserve the arts in a world that isn’t respecting the creative fields and acting like the art community is disposable.

Businesses Need the Arts

In my specific field, I’ve come to always have a Plan B, C, D, and F up my sleeve. That led me to offer my insight and expertise to companies, so they don’t end up going under. I advise brands in how to make the best decisions for them to avoid the frantic stress of survival mode. If they’re already in survival mode, I help them get a handle on things as soon as possible. Sometimes, you can’t see the label from inside the bottle. Retail is fluid just like any business. You need foresight and long-term strategies. One of the biggest neglected areas in an underperforming brand is their visual merchandising strategies. Everybody knows the key to long-term success is in being adaptable and evolving with the times. But are companies adapting? The quantity of lay-offs within the visual departments at the corporate level says that they aren’t. One of secrets to longevity and consumer satisfaction is supporting the visual department and aesthetics of stores. Consumer shopping habits are showing that they are craving more visually focused or even immersive shopping experiences. Success and the arts go hand in hand.

That is true of many other industries. The creative arts are the glue that holds so many fields together, and it’s the first department to have their funding cut. In education, the creative arts departments always get their funding cut first when research has shown that practicing the arts have helped child and adolescent development across the board. Some kids live for their music and art classes, because it lets them express themselves. The culinary arts and dramatically been trimmed back when that class teaches nothing but lifelong skills. (Maybe if I had the opportunity to take a culinary arts class, I would know what I want for dinner, just saying.)

This is the Avant-Garde

Again, I have no answers. I just know this world is upside down. Nothing makes sense, and people are crazy. I believe wholeheartedly that it’s the crazy within that makes everyone artists. Call it crazy, quirky, eccentric, or odd, but whatever it is, it makes life worth living. There’s magic in that quirky spirit. We need magic to heal the world.

Yes, rejection hurts. Maybe, after so much uncertainty, you’re looking for a more “reliable” position in an industry that has nothing to do with your interests. Do whatever works for you. I just know that it shouldn’t have to be that way. Just know that you’re not alone. For what it’s worth, I believe in you. I hope the job of your dreams is just on the horizon.

Here, we are, watching the world change around us. We are all outsiders together. I would rather be rejected for pursuing my personal goals than to fit in by conforming to somebody else’s expectations. I chose the arts, and I’ll stick by the arts and all creatives. This is the avant-garde. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I believe that our day is coming. We’ll navigate these waters together. I don’t have a ship for us to sail together on, but you all can borrow my floaties.