rejection therapy day 11 -december 9th
“You’re going to go out and start a fight with a total stranger…You’re gonna start a fight…and you’re gonna lose.”
Tyler Durden, Fight Club
I may not have been looking for a fight today, but the sentiment was the same. I was looking to lose. I thought my Street Portrait Project was a way of getting instant rejections, but unfortunately for me it seems people are just too damn friendly. I worked up the courage and once I got my first portrait from my first rejection attempt I was on a roll. I had taken about half a dozen portraits before I realised no one had rejected me. I am thankful that I have a backlog of good portraits, but a little annoyed that no one had told me to sod off. Failed Rejection
I wanted, as we all do sometimes, some fudge. Luckily at the Christmas Market there was a stand selling just that confectionary in a pick’n’mix style, so I had a gander of what fudges were on offer. I was tempted by a type of ‘champagne’ fudge, but didn’t want to invest without knowing if it was any good. I saw a moment for rejection.
“Can I try some of this fudge?”
“We’ve run out of taster samples”
“Can I pick some out and try it?”
“No.”
“How about that little bit?”
“…No.”
Rejected
Yesterday I stated that I wanted two rejections, knowing that I would feel a bit sad face if I did not reach my target, I went on the hunt. I realised that I never just say hello to people on the street, as I like so many others had always been a bit suspect of people who did such things. Well today I was one of those people. I saw a lady walking towards and she made eye contact. I locked on and had her caught in my tractor beam. She carried on walking towards me and just as she was in vocal range I let out a “Hello”…too which she quickly looked away and shuffled off pretty sharpish. Huzzah. Rejected
An interesting added note to my Street Portrait saga this morning. I took photos of a couple, Jon and Abi, who I spotted walking along outside the library. Although hesitant of the strange hairy man, they were polite enough and let me take their photos. Fast forward several hours into the evening and I am at a gig at a pub in town, invited by a friend who works in an art gallery. This gig was to raise funds for a degree art show for City of Birmingham Fine Art students and as I look round the crowd I spot Abi and Jon. Just before I have to catch my late bus home, I saunter over to the two and in turn point at them while saying “Jon and Abi”. It takes a few seconds and then the penny drops, which in turn leads to smiles growing across their faces and quickly turns into laughing (and a little bit of screaming by Abi).
It turns out Abi was one of the degree students and in the brief chat they invited me to their final art show and introduced me to some of their friends. Ruddy nice fellows.
So below is Abi, #2 in the Street Portraits Project. Proof that it is pretty amazing what can happen when you put yourself out there.
For an explanation of Rejection Therapy see this post
For an explanation of Street Portrait Project see this post
