Christy's Newsletter | July
Hello you absolute stunners, hope you’re staying hydrated and hay-fever free!
My Updates
On 16 July I’ll be running my first ever 10k for charity with Cute Sports Guy! If you’d like to donate to the fundraiser, here’s the link!
I’m clearing out loads of my clothes on Vinted - get your bargains here!
I interviewed filmmaker and fellow mahjong player Lu Xiao Wei for SPRHDRS! During the interview she casually dropped she trained in ballet for ELEVEN YEARS which I had no idea about - she’s got a super interesting story so read it here!
Creative Opportunities
YOUNG(ish) POETS: The Barbican Young Poets is open for applications (if you’re 16-29yrs old - congrats, you’re young!) This was the most transformative programme I have ever done. I cannot recommend enough. DD 27 July, apply here.
CULTURE & POP CULTURE WRITERS: why now mag are always open for pitches. If you’ve got features, interviews, reviews on music, film & TV, gaming, culture, art etc - drop them a line!
NATURE WRITERS (WORKING CLASS): The Working Class Writers Nature Prize is open! Send max 1000 word piece to them by 14 July, more info here.
MORE NATURE WRITERS: The Nan Shepherd Prize is open for submissions! Winner gets a book deal! DD 17 July, check it out here!
TECH AND CLIMATE WRITERS: Container are looking for stories re people who have been erased from dominant white Western narratives. If you’ve got an idea, pitch them here.
FOOD WRITERS: Feminist Food Journal are looking for stories for their Sea Issue. They pay a flat rate of US$130 per piece, DD 11 July. More here.
CINEMA & FILM WRITERS: The London Magazine are looking for pitches! DD ASAP, info here.
ACTIVE BYSTANDER TRAINING: Not a creative opp but an important chance to learn how to protect yourself and others. Held by besea.n, sign up here!
HEALTH/WELLNESS/BEAUTY/LIFESTYLE ETC WRITERS: Well + Good want your pitches. Drop them a line here.
PLAYWRIGHTS: The Yale Drama Series is open until 15 Aug, prize money of $10k. More info here!
PLAYWRIGHTS IN NE ENGLAND: The North East Playwriting Prize is open! There’s a prize money of £10k and commitment to develop the play at Live Theatre. DD 7 Aug, check it out here.
Creative Freelancer Life:
Let’s talk about rejections! (I kid you not, as I’m writing this I literally got another rejection in my inbox. Joys.)
This is inspired by the wonderful Rachel Lewis, a fellow poet who creates a post at the end of each year celebrating the number of rejections. Also, I shared my submission tracker spreadsheet and showed all the ‘no’s’ I’ve got this year and had people DM me to tell me how comforting that was.
So here we are - the number of writing rejections I’ve received over the last 7 months (this is magazine submissions, article pitches, creative residencies etc):
I’ve also had a commercials agent since late Jan. After self-tapes and in-person recalls, here’s the number of acting rejections!
I’ve been writing and submitting to things since I was 13. Without revealing my age, this means I’ve had well over a decade of rejections.
I would love to say it gets easier and I hardly even notice it any more!! I don’t dwell on it!! I move past and onwards so easily!! “‘No’ stands for ‘new opportunity’!”!!!!!!
Urgh. Ew.
Rejections really, really suck.
Doing anything in the creative industry is like entering a lottery. And yes, we’re so lucky to be in a position to even be considered, we’re doing better than people who aren’t in the running, oh hey you came second/were shortlisted blah blah blah.
Rejection sucks no matter how close you were to success - a no is still a no.
I do have to say, a lot of rejections worked out for the best in the long run. Either that opportunity would’ve gotten in the way of something else, my life was about to shift in a new direction or that opportunity turned out to be pretty toxic.
In the meantime - I take the time to privately pout and have my “but I wanted it!!!” moment to help me get over it.
I remind myself of all the amazing work I’ve done in the past and is in my portfolio. I remind myself that this rejection isn’t because I wasn’t good enough - I’ve put in the work, it was perfect but I just wasn’t chosen this time.
If it was someone from my community who beat me to it, I take my time to move on from jealousy, take this opportunity to learn from them, and take in their work.
Here’s to another decade of rejections (and successes).