Friday, October 26, 2018

On Artists and Rejection

As a creative, I am compelled to make art. I am also compelled to share that work, to expose self and vision, and in that exposure, risk rejection.

I submit work to juried art shows - and sometimes that work is accepted and sometimes rejected.

No lie, it's easy to be accepted, it's a sigh of relief, a sign of validation.

Being rejected is hard. I question the work, the choice I made to expose myself, and wonder why my work wasn't chosen. What was missing for the juror? What was s/he looking for? Should I have submitted a different piece?

Rejection is a chance to learn, to grow, and to try again, but first I deal with the hurt of rejection. And it always hurts, no matter how many times it happens.

Once I spiral past the hurt, I review the work. I re-focus on the next step, the next deadline for submission, the next art project. And I re-read this quote from Ramesh Lohia: "Each rejection brings us closer to acceptance."

Pictured below is "The Chair" - it was rejected for one show, but juried into another and sold. 

"The Chair"




Artwork & words by Terry Rowe.

All work can be or is available for sale, visit www.terryrowe.photography. You can also leave me a comment if there is a particular piece of work you are interested in.

I am grateful for all of your comments and views.
 

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Door in an Abandoned House




A long empty house, touched with traces of the family that once lived there, and this door, left ajar, call up memories and stories known but untold. 

This door reminds of the many hands that turned the knob, crossed into the room, opened the door, and shut it later. Half-open doors entice, invite, speak of the unknown, of possibilities, of thresholds into different worlds. Half-open the door begs to be pushed wide open. 

If you push open this door and step quietly over the threshold of this room - you might - in the stillness - hear the echoes of those who lived in this house.









Artwork & prose by Terry Rowe.

All work can be or is available for sale, visit www.terryrowe.photography. You can also leave me a comment if there is a particular piece of work you are interested in.

I am grateful for all of your comments and views.
 

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Beloved



Beloved,
Can you hear me calling you?

Run away with me.

Let's find a place where we can dance in the moonlight
and drink wine until we are both silly and giggling.

Remember how you kissed me that first time?

You touched my face and said, "I'm going to kiss you."
And, my life flew into a different trajectory.

Beloved,
Can you hear me calling you?









Artwork & prose by Terry Rowe.

All work can be or is available for sale, visit www.terryrowe.photography. You can also leave me a comment if there is a particular piece of work you are interested in.

I am grateful for all of your comments and views.

Saturday, August 25, 2018

August Afternoons

August in Virginia is an odd mix of summer heat and hints of the approaching fall.

Some days run hot and humid with the air blurry from the heat, other days - like today - have a sharp, clear coolness.

The cooler air invites open windows - open to the sounds of people talking on their porches, children shouting as they play, dogs barking at passing bikers.

An afternoon nap on such a sharp day - cool air and bright sunshine - is a lovely indulgence. Drifting on the sounds of summer, resting into the coming fall.










































Artwork & prose by Terry Rowe.

All work can be or is available for sale, visit www.terryrowe.photography. You can also leave me a comment if there is a particular piece of work you are interested in.

I am grateful for all of your comments and views.





Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Lessons and Revelations


It's been a busy week - some my own doing, other events beyond my control - packed with work, appointments, errands, and planning travels.

All week, every day, it seemed like traffic was crazy. People running lights and "blocking the box," preventing movement and forward progress. I joined in on the crazy, fuming at delays, screaming in my car at "stupid idiot drivers," and I'll confess, more than once, to honking my horn in frustration.

Then - the revelation. I was driving along the river, actually crawling along because the traffic was so slow. The thought occurred to "be like water." Flow with what is happening, go over and around and through obstacles. If a jam up occurs, flow around it. Progress became easier, seeing the traffic as something I could flow around and through rather than something that was an obstacle made my entire experience more peaceful and calm. Being like water allowed me to see where I could move forward more easily. I can't say definitively that traffic was any better - but my experience of it was and that made the difference.

There were lessons too. Lessons in speaking what I want, and realizing that abundance is possible.

I have been jonesing for a new full frame camera - they are expensive - and I kept talking myself out of spending the money. Finally, I just did it. Went to the camera store, bought the camera, and while I loaded up my credit card, I told myself that covering the extra expense could be worked out later. I walked out excited (and a little nervous) about my purchase.

Got to work and my new boss said, hey, I'm going to give you a camera and lens to use. The exact same camera and a far better lens than the one I had just bought. I was floored. Then I was darn, I just bought one, do I return it? The camera store has a all sales final policy, will they make an exception? My immediate default was to find all the problems I now had to deal because I'd bought a camera and been given a camera. I told this story to a wise friend, and her response was, "Don't you see? You are so blessed that you said you wanted one camera and you got two!" My head almost spun around. Instead of focusing on the abundance that had been gifted to me I had focused on the problems. So now I have the camera I wanted, with a great lens, and the camera store made an exception and let me return the camera I'd bought and refunded my money.

The rest of the week has been a series of events beyond my control, forcing me to change my plans, but always the changes that were required allowed me to do all that I wanted to do instead of having to make choices that were restricting.




Artwork & prose by Terry Rowe.

All work can be or is available for sale, visit www.terryrowe.photography. You can also leave me a comment if there is a particular piece of work you are interested in.

I am grateful for all of your comments and views.