Thank you so much for your application to the XXX Fellowship Program! It was our pleasure to review your submission among the highly impressive applicant pool. This year, we received over 617 applications from around the world for only 9 spots.
Unfortunately, you were not selected for the Fellowship Program. While we are unable to provide detailed feedback for each individual applicant due to the volume of applications we receive…
I know how frustrating and devastating you felt when receiving this type of message from funders. You thought you have done everything right, you were even happy about your proposal. You double checked everything, and asked a Mentor but despite all your efforts, it did not pay off.
Well, let’s be honest, 9 out of 617 is 1.45% chance. In other words, you had 98.55% chance to lose. If you were to tell me to play the Russian roulette with a Revolver and told me that 98.55% of the time, I will die, I would not play.
However, applying to Arts grants is different from Gambling. Getting rejected won’t Kill you and may even reinforce your discipline and pay off long term. 1. You are building your stamina, 2. You are improving over time. 3. In 6 months, you won’t even remember.
Consequently, you should congratulate yourself for applying to another grant and either go back to the studio and get the fuck back to work or apply to another grant with a fresh perspective on your artistic practice.
Over the years, I realized that one important concept I overlooked was the concept of Locus of Control.
