Rejected, Ghosted, Forgotten: A Love Letter to the Unchosen - Part I

"No drama, no art."

– ojolo [honest altered state]

il giojondo crying

You scroll through Instagram or LinkedIn and it seems like everyone is on top. Sun-kissed faces, gallery openings, grants won, residencies in Iceland, a New York Times feature, ten TED Talks, and, of course, a tan. The world looks like it's running on oxytocine and dopamine and perfect lighting. But behind every clean grid, there’s something missing:

·         Rejection,

·         Loss,

·         Failure,

·         Grief,

·         Silence. Silence in the dark, actually.

And yet… that’s where real art grows, between darkness and uncomfortable solitude.

We don’t talk enough about this, because the algorithm doesn’t like the smell of failure, right LinkedIn?, right Meta? It prefers applause over process, perfection over presence. But here’s the truth no one’s posting in carousels:

Art is not born from winning. Art is born from bleeding and unnatural hard work.

Rejected, Ghosted, Forgotten: A Love Letter to the Unchosen - Part I