Rejection is not f redirection
This episode is going to be about testing or reflecting one of the most popular “truths” repeated in the creating sector and we will analyse it further and see how it holds up. Thinking lab material (no studies from Harvard in this one).
I actually just saw someone posting this today after they got a job where they wanted - it’s all around, like Christmas. I find it annoying but with reason. Let’s start!
First I will say for context that, when I was learning design thinking at IDEO in California, which is one way to understand a creative process, something in my brain switched.
I started to see it as part of an iteration process. Not only seeing it but by integrating it into my DNA, which is quite different from just noticing something.
Why is it so catchy and popular to say “rejection is redirection”?
Does it feel that good to say it for the ones that consider they’ve already made it?
Or does it feel even better for the one that just got rejected? Maybe both. I can’t relate to any so I genuinely ask. To me is simplistic comfort once something is achieved or a quick bandage for those who didn’t.
It never occurred to me to say it (I believe). When I got my job at Disney that’s what I wanted the most in my career, I didn’t think my previous experiences were rejection. Everything is part of the process and sometimes the process sucks. The crap that I may have experienced before any breakthrough actually taught me more than a smooth sailing boat.
To me this quote has a sort of magical feeling attached to it, an empty modern Instagram quote but it is something people say on big stages when they win awards when millions are watching. Isn’t it worth analyzing?
Ok, let's clarify I am not a bubbly positive person by nature and If you tell me this after I have been rejected from something that matters to me, I will give you the sided eye.
Rejection, according to the dictionary, is the act of refusing to accept, use, or believe someone or something. We don’t see redirection in that definition. Because redirection is a choice. And sometimes just a consequence wrapped in other invisible factors that look like magic but may actually be very concrete strings.
Let’s be real.
Is it considered redirection when I’m waiting for weeks for an editor to select my essay, and the only thing hitting my inbox are Uber discount coupons? Is that fancy enough to be considered redirection?
I am being redirected to my uber coupons woho!
Why is it so hard to just say: rejection is rejection?
There is rejection that sucks.
And there is rejection that is simply part of the creative process.
Period.
And then there are different leagues of rejection.
I will stick to the kind that is just part of creating, building, trying.
Because I find that this sentence—rejection is redirection—can actually invalidate the healthy processing of rejection. It creates pressure to immediately turn something painful into something meaningful.
To “make it make sense.” It does not invite you to reflect or sit with it.
I feel these magical-feel quotes reduce the bandwidth for thinking. And especially in creative fields not just artsy ones, but any field where creativity is embedded this can be damaging. Because rejection and its feelings attached, are everywhere.
Why is it important we name rejection as rejection?
Because it helps us normalize something that may or may not have anything to do with us. I’m not presenting studies here.
Just the freedom to question something that’s deeply ingrained in how we talk about careers and growth.
Plus:
It helps us become better peers in the future if we process it well.
It helps us not let it root in a way that damages our confidence. It teaches us how to cope when someone says no and how we show up for others in our lows. How we handle moments where we feel rejected speaks highly of us too.
Because at some point in our careers, we will all face it, if we haven’t already. Rejection is sometimes:
• Structural
• Political
• Random and completely unrelated to us
• Timing-based
• Biased
• Systemic
• Unfair (rejection feels rejection because of someone’s lack of emotional literacy)
In Conclusion
Isn’t it more useful to make friends with rejection?
To understand where it comes from?
And from the kind of resentment that quietly builds… and later turns into toxic behaviors that can actually hurt our careers.
During my career, I’ve seen most rejections, especially in creative environments, fit into that category of randomness.
But then comes the question:
What if I’m not talented enough?
And I think here, the question itself is wrong.
There’s a lot of nuance missing.
Everyone has unique talents that make you you, whether you’ve discovered them yet or not.
Maybe they’re not the ones you think. But they exist.
What changes everything is where, and how, those talents meet opportunity. That’s where circumstance comes in.
Sometimes, analyzing rejection can be an incredible teacher, and actually make us better friends too.
Remember not everyone likes to hear this quote after they lost on a major opportunity, one someone deeply cared for. It's the time to sit near that friend, scream it sucks, make some popcorn, and forget instagram quotes for a bit.
See you in the next one!
