The Artist Struggle – From Rejection to Success

Economic reality is the main reason why many talented artists do not pursue their passion. As what Abraham Maslow famously pointed out in his concept of the hierarchy of needs, the physiological needs such as the need for food and shelter are more fundamental than the needs for self-actualization. Most people, including budding artists, have to first satisfy their basic needs before they could realistically pursue art as a career path. Pursuing art is a higher need but unfortunately, it does not pay the bill in most cases. The successful multi-millionaire artists are more of exceptions to the common rule. In fact, the truly successful ones are more of anomalies than part of the general pattern.

It might be true that there are many artists like painters and musicians who derive their regular income from their crafts but only to certain extent. What they create are commercial arts that most of them would not even be proud to call their own. For instance, many talented writers become ghostwriters for famous authors or for companies. Many visual artists become graphic artists for ad agencies and many musicians are stuck in performing at nightclubs. These are actually the lucky ones who are able to make sustainable livelihood from their talents.

There are those who suffer embarrassing rejections from the start. Most quit before achieving any measure of success and only a handful actually make it big. Despite these difficulties and rejections, the few success stories are sufficient sources of inspirations for budding artists to pursue their passions. History is full of inspirational stories of artistic struggle that started from being rejected and eventually achieving greatness. Here are a few examples:

Elvis Priestley – He was the acclaimed King of Rock and Roll but he received a grade of C in music when he was still studying in high school.

JK Rowling – She is the first certified billionaire author who achieved fame and fortune from her fantasy novels about warlocks and witches. Her novels were initially rejected by dozens of publishers before hitting the big time.

El Greco – His painting styles were too pioneering and ahead of his time that he was generally disdained by his contemporaries.

Walt Disney – He was fired from a newspaper by his editor because the editor thought Disney lacked imagination.

Barnett Newman – He was a major figure in abstract expressionism but was initially thought as talentless and too eccentric. His paintings now sell in millions worth of dollars.

Steven Spielberg – He is considered as one of the greatest film directors in history but he was rejected by the University of Southern California School of Theater, Film and Television three times.