 |
TO HELL AND BACK: THE ROAD TO REJECTION We caught up with Damah juror, Scott Derrickson, who's on location prepping his latest film, THE EXORCISM OF MICHEL ANNELIESE, starring Laura Linney and Tom Wilkinson. Derrickson, who also wrote and directed HELLRAISER: INFERNO, relates how he copes with the inevitable rejection which is part of a career in filmmaking. “Thick skin,” Derrickson says. “You’ve got to have thick skin.” One time, Derrickson sat in the office of a major producer, pouring his heart out in a 45-minute pitch. When he finally took a breather, the producer didn’t hesitate, hedge or waver, but quickly said, “Wow, that’s quite a yarn. Shall I tell you why I’m not going to do it?” Thick skin or not, it is hard not to take rejection personally. What is rejection, if it isn’t an indictment of one’s artistic ability? As artists, we are fortunate to be in a profession so closely connected to the center of our souls. But it means rejection can be much more painful. When rejected (note I didn’t say if), you may start to doubt your abilities and vision. You may even doubt your purpose in life. According to psychotherapist Sandra Indig, founder of Psychotherapists for Arts Services, artists’ reactions to rejection can range from "just a mild annoyance to intense feelings whereby the rejection seems to threaten an artist’s integrity as a human being to the point where her or his existence is being compromised." This may cause "feelings of loss, abandonment, anxiety, depression, hostility, fatigue, withdrawal, sleep disturbances, and they may even be the source of physical problems as well." FOUR ROOTS OF DEPRESSION There are four
possible roots of the depression that results from rejection. These
are: 1. Emotional- After being rejected for the millionth time, you may feel angry. This unresolved anger does not just fade away—it often turns into depression. Remedies: Talk out your anger with a listening friend. Commiserate with other writers and artists by visiting www.rejectioncollection.com. Or submit your rejection letter to www.lettersofrejection.com. Any of these outlets for your emotions is better than banging your head against the wall. 2. Mental- We often find our identity in our jobs. A blow to our careers can mean a loss of identity, too. You may feel powerless and begin to obsess about what is wrong with everything, rather than what is right. Remedies: Realize that you have the power to change your situation. Rewrite and re-edit. Children’s author Ellen Jackson says, “Success as a writer depends more on intelligent persistence than on raw talent.” She relates how a talented writer gave up after one rejection. But a second writer with little natural talent wrote and rewrote and got rejected over and over again, but ultimately published more than thirty children’s books. Lao Tzu, Chinese Taoist philosopher (600 B.C.) says, “For all things difficult to acquire, the intelligent man works with perseverance.” Ask friends, colleagues or even strangers to evaluate your project and give feedback. Mel Gibson screened THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST to thousands of people before releasing it. He is said to have edited his film after each screening. After Derrickson suffered rejection in the office of that major film producer, he kept his wits about him. He kept an open mind that perhaps the producer was right. He relates, “I abandoned the project and stopped trying to sell it. You've got to be humble enough to realize when your script, pitch, or movie isn't working.” Plan for rejection before it happens. Many artists find it effective to immediately resubmit their work, or to submit different work to the same publisher or producer. That way, they move from an environment of disappointment to hope. Follow Billy Joel’s advice: “I really wish I was less of a thinking man and more of a fool not afraid of rejection.” 3. Spiritual- We tend to get depressed when we feel that life is meaningless. Sometimes life fails to provide an avenue for our calling. It’s been said, “One reason God created time was so that there would be a place to bury the failures of the past.” Remedies: Spiritual people often feel that the Creator has something else in mind for them. And usually, they are right. “When God closes a door, he opens a window” is a common expression by people of faith. Marie Curie states in a beautiful way, “Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.” Use your latest rejection to usher in a time of spiritual renewal. You and your art will benefit. 4. Physical- The world never looks like a bright and happy place for people when they are depressed. The constant worrying over bills to pay, the need to keep a roof over head and food on the table…just the act of getting on with the physical requirements of life seems a difficult task. Remedies: Try keeping regular sleeping hours, whether that means sleeping more or sleeping less. Keep yourself physically fit. Get regular exercise, go for daily walks. Eliminate sugar and alcohol as much as possible from your diet. It is a well-known fact that sugar is an ingredient that aggravates the “blues.” Fiction writer Alex Keegan gives some good advice: “…Getting a form letter, a ‘no, thank you’ from a publisher, is not a rejection; it's a purple heart, it's acknowledgement that you are a real writer, that you are submitting, that you are in there fighting…” After all,
we’ve all failed many times before, particularly when we learned
to walk as small children. Walking is really controlled falling.
You are standing on two stable legs. You lift one leg up in an unsteady
predicament. You lean forward and begin a fall. At the last second,
that leg swings around to provide the stability you need. Does a
parent deride a child who falls while trying to walk? No. Should you give up? No! Just as Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times, but hit 714 home runs, so Derrickson continues to write, rewrite, polish and submit. You can too. In the words of Winston Churchill, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
• The
first Harry Potter book is reported to have been rejected by 14
publishers. Click here to read the next article Click here to go to the December newsletter
|
|
|