How to Deal with Card Rejection: Part 3


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Dealing With Rejection (Part 3 of 5)
Copyright © 2010 Kate Harper

Tip 4: Is just one person's opinion?
You should interview at least 5 people in the card business whose opinion you value. Avoiding relying on feedback from friends or family who do not work in the industry.
Just because one person criticizes your work, that doesn't mean it is not marketable. You need a wide range of feedback from different types of people, before you can determine whether your cards need readjusting.
Sometimes it can be hard to separate constructive criticism from someone's personality. Maybe they had a bad day, or maybe they just don't like your subject matter, even though it is a marketable design.

Tip 5: Are you taking rejection personally?
Rejection hurts. It is an emotional experience. Once someone tells us they don't like our work, we mistakenly interpret that they are rejecting "us."
It is easy to overreact, and focus on the negative things someone said, and forget the positive things. Always bring a notebook and write down everything they say. Otherwise, you can end up dwelling on the negative.

Once we get rejected, it is easy to feel overly self-critical. It can be a snowball effect and soon we can't find anything good about our work. In the end, we may never show anyone anything again because we fear criticism. Unfortunately, when we do this, we are probably being harder on ourselves than the person who rejected us was!

If it hurts, feel the disappointment, and then move on. Learning to survive criticism is part of being a craftsperson. Try to get it out of your system by doing something completely different so you can start again with a fresh mind.
If rejection gets you down, seek out people who believe in you and can offer you support. Try to include people beyond your mate or close friend. Instead, go to a business professional. This might be a business organization, artists support group, a sales rep, another designer or a store manager.

Tip 6: Are you willing to make adjustments?
If you make a line of cards and they don't do well, are you willing to remake your line? Perhaps you put many hours of work into your designs and poured your heart out. That's OK. Part of the card business is to create and recreate.

-Try out new materials, methods, themes.
-Keep a notebook of new ideas that pop into your head. Keep your creative juices flowing.
-Set a goal to make 5 new cards a week.
-Go online and research market trends and find an unfulfilled niches.
-Be willing to try a new printing method or take an art class at night.

If you experiment long enough with many different art styles, you are bound to eventually get a hit.



10 Questions to ask when you're Rejected
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
Part 1
Introduction

Part 2
Tip 1: Are you approaching the right market?
Tip 2: Are you trying to sell handmade cards to a drugstore chain, or in a rural area?
Tip 3: Did you get feedback on "why not"?

Part 3
Tip 4: Is this just one person's opinion?
Tip 5: Are you taking rejection personally?
Tip 6: Are you willing to make adjustments?

Part 4
Tip 7: Have you thought about luck and timing?
Tip 8: Are you making weekly goals?
Tip 9: Are you in the waiting phase?

Part 5
Tip 10: Who in your life really wants you to succeed?

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

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