An open letter to my pre-acceptance/rejection CSSSA applicants.
So, pretty soon, the wait will be over. After three or so nerve-racking months of self doubt, questioning talent, looking at other applications to compare with our own, spurts of self confidence, and immeasurable amounts of stress, we will all know our CSSSA decisions by the end of the week. For some, that will mean opening a letter to find a handbook, intense feelings of happiness and an even greater sigh of relief, and for others, it will mean a huge hit to their egos, as the burden of failure falls on their shoulders and doubt creeps into their developing minds, torturing them relentlessly with the constant reminder of their inability to excel at exactly the art that they resonate with.
When each and every one of you receive your letter, you will have a choice. When you open it, the truth of the matter is, what is inside doesn’t matter. The letter that you will receive by no means defines you or your art, whether good or bad. You do. No matter your medium, you are all artists; the ones who change the world. The ones who go against the status quo, challenge the set doctrines and ideological shackles that society is constantly constrained by. You have a purpose: You are the light in a world of darkness and negativity that humanity inhabits. Without you: The reckless, the dreamers, the risk takers, the world would be dull, unchanging, sad and boring. It would be pointless.
Whether that letter says you can go to a summer program or not does not change that. You are an artist. You are here to make a change, to make a name for yourself, to bring joy and emotion and thought to those around you. You are an artist, who’s passion confounds the majority of the world and who’s drive is unstoppable. NO ONE defines what you can do except for yourself. No one can make you who you want to become except for you.
If you get that rejection letter, think of it as a positive. You have nowhere to go but up, and to do so, you need to always keep your head held high. Tape it up on your wall. Look at it each and every day, and don’t let it define you. Work at your craft. Work day in and day out, until no one, no organization, no camp, no school, no job, can deny you. Become the best and then some, because you are an artist. You are here for a reason, and that letter doesn’t mean shit.
Change the fucking world, because nothing can stop you.
You are a fucking artist.
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