Recently I applied for two grants, one group exhibition at a major gallery in London, a residency, and a prize.
So far I have been rejected from all but the prize which hasn't been announced yet. I applied for grants and residencies over the past few years, probably 3 or 4.. I did not get any of them.
I want to show the actual process of this journey of making painting your career. There is a lot more rejection than there are wins, you just have to keep going. First, let yourself feel the disappointment so that it passes out of you. Then when you have more energy, try again.
When you have the energy again, assess who did win the opportunities and check to see if you were indeed aligned. Adjust your game plan where you can.
Ps. I've added more to the gallery "lesson" in the classroom