Ego dancing and breaking chains

...a playful way to realise and alchemise rejection.

I’ve created a new space for, by and with the writers and readers of Substack.

A space for you.

It’s a space to better understand the complexity of rejection through storytelling and kinship. Rejection as part of our life and a portal to growth.

It’s my intention to share stories of rejection to help support our growth, spiritual development. More than all of that hyper focus our alignment to our true north.

“What’s for you, won’t go by you.”

Scottish saying

Rejected; a practise?

Many of us with creative careers have experienced rejection. We’ve almost seasoned ourselves to expect it? It’s a theme that runs through our year; arguably becoming more comfortable with rejection can shape bright and brilliant things in our career?

Here’s what my magpie brain has spotted on rejection over this last year as I started to lean into this theme in my own work;

• Last year, I printed

  Sarah Shotts
  ’s 100 submissions page and pinned it to our office wall. I wanted to fill the whole page. What actually happened is I gave myself 12 gold stars and then stopped and went to therapy.

• I listened to Liz Moseley talk to

  Laura Oldfield
  on her podcast recently about her 100 day rejection challenge. Liz referenced the “exposure therapy” and the true work of putting herself out there leading to lots of unexpected joy. It was a great listen!

• Sarah Robertson
  worked through a similar framework from
  Katie Chappell
  and just published a beautiful piece on the turn of the year for
  Emma Gannon

• I wrote about rejection for

  Loadofolbobbins
  recently… Jess has a fun section called ‘I didn’t win the award’ and the response was so heartwarming and brilliant. You can read it here…

• I also asked about rejection on Substack Notes. Specifically around ‘the book deal’ - I loved what folks wanted to share in the comments, join in?

• I learnt that the wonderful

  Beth Kempton
  and my friend
  Emma Simpson
  both have dedicated spaces around sharing more specifically around ‘the book deal’ if you’re curious go subscribe.

And where does all of this knowledge leave me… ? Us? How can we use it to re-configure what we want to reach for now or in the future.

I can tell you the memoir that might have been and might still be I’m not ready to pitch… I’m not closing down it finding a way to be but after 20 years of funding wins and rejections I need a break.

For now, it’s became a collaborative project instead… because I’m really good at those and the irony of pitching a book about rejection and being rejected is too much right now. 🤓 🤣

✨💫

INTRODUCING; The Rejection Palace

…alchemising our storytelling kingdom right here on Substack.

In 2024, I will launch an open call for writers and creatives to respond to a brief.

I’m so excited. ✨

Our Palace of Rejection is the title I’m working with.

There will be two deadlines each year (June and December) for three whole years (‘24, 25. ‘26).

You will be invited to write on the topic of rejection and hope combined.

1000 words (ish) of a part of your own story…

In time, part of your story will be shared here on my Substack publication with a growing community of over 1800 readers. Stories can be anonymised after submission and artwork/ photography is encouraged.

You could write on relationships;

• romantic or platonic

• work

• making art

• your writing and it’s journey

• spirituality

• something from your past

• the pitching process

• the book deal

You can write on self rejection, parental rejection, not winning, not getting the job and what happened next.

The stories can be cathartic but we can’t accept stories of unresolved trauma. You have to feel (at least part) healed from the rejection you experienced. There has to be a resolve.

If your creativity is more visual, you can create art or photography and use less words.

In 2027, I’ll edit all of the words submitted into a collaborative piece for a printed anthology. There will be opportunities for sponsors and I’ll raise funding¹ to gift a copy back to everyone who has taken part in the project.

A book of stories to steady and hold other creatives as they navigate showing up daily for their words, their art, their reasons to share.

A shared friend in times of rejection and self doubt.

As the project develops and grows a life force I’ll invite other voices to tell their stories too. A light in the dark for other creatives who want their work platformed and seen.

So tell me, what might you write on?

What stories do you feel ready to revisit and tell more of? Anyone want to be my accountability buddy I’m taking this book writing course later in the year.

How can you hold hope and rejection in the same writing space? What do you really want to say and how might it help and support others to be brave and bold in their world?

Claire

✨

PS - You guys will be the first to know when the call is open! 🚪✨ there’s no fee but I will gift you editing support and the anthology too.

PPS - this project is DIRECTLY inspired by a conversation I had with

Laura Oldfield

for our podcast following a funding rejection.

You can listen to our podcast episode here;

NEW PODCAST: Company of Two: Season One, Episode Four–Reflection, Rejection and Rebirth

1. Yep, yes I will future Claire will be ready for more funding bids or

Russell Nohelty

might help me with a kickstarter!