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“The Gatekeepers Are Loud. But They Don’t Own Your Calling.” on:
The Gatekeepers Are Loud. But They Don’t Own Your Calling.
There are people in the arts who can say no to you.
A casting director can choose somebody else.
An agent can decide not to represent you.
A publisher can pass on your manuscript.
A funder can reject your application.
An artistic director can program another artist’s work.
Their choices can change what happens next. They can affect your money, your opportunities, your confidence, and the number of people who see what you make.
Gatekeepers are real.
But they do not own your calling.
When the Gate Becomes the Whole Landscape
The problem is not that artists care about being selected.
Of course, we care.
We may have spent years training for a particular kind of opportunity. We may need the income. We may need access to equipment, venues, funding, audiences, or distribution that we cannot create alone.
The problem begins when the gate becomes the whole landscape.
Your creative life starts to revolve around waiting:
Waiting for an email.
Waiting for an audition.
Waiting for somebody to read the manuscript.
Waiting for the funding result.
Waiting for an invitation.
Waiting for someone with influence to say, “Yes. You belong here.”
While you wait, you may stop making things.
You may stop experimenting.
You may stop connecting with other ‘non-artist’ people.
You may stop imagining paths that do not depend on one person’s approval.
The gatekeeper is no longer deciding only whether you receive an opportunity.
Without meaning to, you have allowed them to decide whether you are a valuable, real artist.
A Rejection Is Not an Identity Statement
A gatekeeper’s decision may answer one question:
Did I receive this opportunity?
It does not answer every question.
It does not tell you whether you have something meaningful to say.
It does not tell you whether you should keep creating.
It does not tell you whether your past work mattered.
It does not tell you the size your creative life is allowed to become.
Gatekeepers make decisions for many reasons.
They think about fit, money, timing, taste, risk, scheduling, programming, casting, marketability, and what they believe an audience wants.
Sometimes your work is not ready.
Sometimes somebody else is a better fit.
Sometimes the opportunity is wrong for you.
Sometimes the decision has very little to do with your talent.
You may never receive a full explanation. That uncertainty can be painful.
But it is dangerous to turn a decision about one opportunity into a verdict on your whole identity.
“They didn’t choose me” is not the same sentence as “I am not a valuable artist.”
Keep Knocking, But Build While You Wait
This is not an argument for abandoning traditional opportunities.
Keep auditioning.
Keep submitting.
Keep applying for funding.
Keep pitching.
Keep building relationships with people in your industry.
Keep pursuing the rooms that matter to you.
But do not spend your entire creative life standing outside the door.
Ask yourself:
What can I create, build, practise, or begin without waiting to be chosen?
For an actor, that might mean writing or filming a short scene.
For a writer, it might mean beginning the next piece while the manuscript is out on submission.
For a dancer, it might mean gathering two people in a room and exploring an idea.
For a filmmaker, it might mean testing the idea on a smaller scale rather than waiting for the full budget.
The smaller action does not have to replace the larger dream.
It keeps your artistry alive while you continue pursuing it.
Choose One Outside-the-Gate Action
Do not turn this into a giant new project.
Choose one action you can take this week that does not require an invitation, contract, grant, acceptance email, or algorithmic miracle.
One page.
One rehearsal.
One conversation.
One recording.
One small beginning.
Keep knocking on the gates that matter.
But remember that the gate is not the whole landscape.
Go Deeper with Audacious Artistry
If this episode spoke to something in you, my book Audacious Artistry: Reclaim Your Creative Identity and Thrive in a Saturated World goes deeper.
It’s written for artists and creatives who still feel called to create, but are tired of proving, comparing, waiting for permission, or wondering if their work still matters.
You can also download the free 10-week Audacious Artistry Group Study Guide and walk through the book on your own, with a friend, or with a group of artists.
Read the book + get the free guide:
https://larabiancapilcher.com/book
This article is adapted from the Healthy Wealthy Wise Artist Podcast episode:
Listen to This Episode
“The Gatekeepers Are Loud. But They Don’t Own Your Calling.” on:
Or visit the podcast page:
https://larabiancapilcher.com/podcast
With you as you keep creating,
— Lara Bianca Pilcher
Connect with Lara
Website:
https://larabiancapilcher.com
Instagram:
https://instagram.com/larabiancapilcher
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