Last week, I got turned down for a freelance job (ouch), but instead of wallowing in self-pity (okay, maybe just a little wallowing), I decided to flip the script. If I can get rejected, then so can my own terrible creative ideas! That’s right—I’ve spent the week writing rejection letters to my worst artistic decisions for my new recent characters Clara and Claude, and honestly, it’s been therapeutic.
So if you dont know this pair yet, let me catch you up! Claude. Sweet, scrappy canine sidekick to Clara, my fearless hero-in-the-making. Both an absolute delight to draw in static poses. A nightmare to draw doing… well, anything else. I mean, how do I make a dog jump onto a spaceship without it looking like he’s just been flung through a zero-gravity washing machine? These are the artistic struggles no one warns you about!
Rejection Letter #1: Dear Forward-Facing Claude
Subject: Thank You for Your Submission, But No.
Dear Forward-Facing Claude,
We regret to inform you that your recent application to exist in my sketchbook has been rejected. While your current design excels in "side profile sitting majestically," your forward-facing attempts resemble an animated potato. Additionally, your legs appear to be sprouting from entirely the wrong places. Unfortunately, this does not meet our quality standards.
Please work on your spatial awareness and resubmit at a later date.
Best, My Sanity
Rejection Letter #2: Dear Claude Jumping Onto a Spaceship
Subject: Your Submission Has Been Reviewed… And No.
Dear Claude Jumping,
While we appreciate the enthusiasm, we regret to inform you that your dynamic pose looks less like an intentional leap and more like a malfunctioning robot mid-explosion.
We encourage you to consider basic physics in your future applications. Dogs do not move like this. No living creature moves like this. Please reflect on this before your next submission.
Sincerely, The Very Tired Illustrator Trying to Make You Look Cool
Rejection Letter #3: Dear Moon Cheese Harvesting Scene
Subject: Please Try Again.
Dear Scene Featuring Claude and Clara Harvesting Moon Cheese,
While we love your enthusiasm, we cannot proceed with this sketch at this time due to the following concerns:
Claude appears to be wearing a goldfish bowl as a helmet. This is scientifically inaccurate and frankly ridiculous (but also kind of adorable?).
The "aliens" assisting them look suspiciously like fluffy jelly beans with eyes. Do they have limbs? Are they sentient? The audience needs clarity.
The Moon Cheese itself is too perfect—where are the craters? The crumbs? The existential regret of eating space dairy?
Please revise and resubmit.
Kind regards, The Art Director in My Own Head
How I’m Moving On (And How You Can Too)
In all seriousness, dealing with rejection—whether from clients, publishers, or your own sketchbook—is just part of the creative process. Here’s what I’ve learned:
1. Laugh at Your Mistakes (And Reject Yourself First!)
Sometimes, you need to be brutally honest with yourself. If a drawing isn’t working, reject it, scrap it, and start over—but do it with humor. When I stopped taking it personally, I realised that forward-facing Claude wasn’t a lost cause. He was just very, very bad and needed a fresh start.
✅ Try this: Flip through your old work and write your own rejection letters to past sketches. Trust me, it’s weirdly liberating!
2. Keep Drawing Anyway (Even If It’s Awful at First)
Rejection is only permanent if you let it be. The only way I’ll get Claude to actually look like he’s jumping onto a spaceship is by drawing him badly about 500 more times.
✅ Try this: Challenge yourself to redraw the thing that frustrates you most—five times, ten times, twenty times. The more you draw it, the less scary it becomes.
3. Pivot, Adapt, and Keep the Good Bits
Not every "bad" idea is entirely terrible—sometimes it just needs adjusting. Maybe Claude can’t be jumping onto a spaceship… but what if he’s gracefully floating up in zero gravity? Maybe the aliens do look like fluffy jelly beans, but who says jelly beans can’t be charming extraterrestrial dairy farmers?
✅ Try this: Instead of scrapping an idea, adjust one small thing and see if it suddenly works. Sometimes the best creative solutions come from just tweaking what you’ve already got.
What About You?
Have you ever looked at your own work and thought, “Nope, not today”?
Do you have a creative nemesis (like my forward-facing Claude)? Have you ever rejected your own sketch before it had a chance to embarrass you?
Tell me your funniest creative struggles. Or better yet, write me a rejection letter for your own worst ideas! Let’s laugh at our mistakes together.
Until next time—keep sketching, keep failing gloriously, and remember: even the ugliest sketch has potential… eventually.
Kim