Dealing with rejection after rejection for artists can be demoralizing and depressing and sometimes can even cause an artist to lose all hope and stop creating altogether. In this podcast, I'm going to break down this process and discuss ways to cope, feel stronger and weather rejection storms just a little bit better, and we'll touch on why certain outdated expectations for pathways into the art world are not only irrelevant, but can also cause a lot of grief for artists. My guest today is Dee Tivenan. Dee is an artist and psychotherapist from the Bay Area of California. She established her therapy practice almost 40 years ago and at the onset of the pandemic she closed down her office and moved everything home, continuing to see patients via zoom. Dee's venture into painting came about 15 years ago and she now has a beautiful art studio in the back of her home that her husband, Kevin built for her. These paintings are primarily abstract expressionist, non-representational works that are buttery and often filled with violets and fiery reds. She shows her work both locally and nationally and has made her pathway into the art world by primarily making connections... and this is something that we talk about in the podcast. Dee is also one of the most supportive and involve members of the Artist Alliance, the online membership community that I started when my gallery closed down due to COVID. She runs a group on there called Head Talk, where members can discuss getting unstuck and all of the other things that artists are dealing with right now, including rejection. I hope you enjoy this hour long casual conversation with Dee and I, and as usual, a small world word of caution that a few profanities are shared (of course by me!). Enjoy! __________________We've opened up enrollment into the Artist Alliance! We have annual and 6 month membership subscriptions available. Membership includes juried exhibitions with no entry fees, earn 100% on sales, art challenges, resources, a growing video library, and also the complete BASIC Method, a self study 20 module course that breaks down the FIVE ESSENTIAL areas artists need to focus on to achieve their goals.  Join today at ArtistAllianceMembership.com __________________Would you like to ask a question for Artist Q&A for this podcast? Go to the gallery website to get the form: www.JenTough.gallery__________________Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe or leave us a review!