Hello everyone!
I believe in celebrating every little victory.
At the beginning of my career, I did what every artist would—submit my work to literary magazines. At the time (early 2000s), the number of pubs was very limited compared to now. The gatekeeping was a lot worse than it is today. And more often than not, you had to mail in your submissions.
I received a few YESes, but overall, I was repeatedly told that my work lacked depth and maturity. Instead of taking things personally (after all, you cannot please the whole world), I decided that my time would be better used elsewhere. I wrote books and a play, became a photographer, and worked as a social media coach.
In 2019, Poet and Author David Ellis and I launched Auroras & Blossoms, a website dedicated to positivity and upliftment in the arts. A&B follows the concept of PoArtMo (Positive Actions Rally Thoughts & Momentum). Every year, the PoArtMo Anthology offers a selection of inspirational and uplifting works (poetry, stories, photography, drawings, and paintings) from David Ellis, Azelle Elric,
, myself, and special guests ages 17 and over.Now in its sixth year, The PoArtMo Anthology is one of my proudest projects. We have had some incredible authors and artists join us on the journey. Each volume in the series offers a unique flavor.
(Plus, contributors are paid royalties, which is rare in the world of anthologies!)
To check out Auroras & Blossoms, please visit https://abpositiveart.com. If you are a writer and/or artist, feel free to apply to become a contributor.
Since the creation of Auroras & Blossoms, I have worked on other projects, such as the editing of several anthologies, and the launch of A Warm Mug of Cozy, The Haiku Shack Magazine and The Homes We Seek Exhibit. I have also met an incredible number of talented artists and writers from around the world.
Earlier this year, after noticing a vast improvement in the literary scene, I decided to start submitting my work (poetry and photography) to magazines again. Even though the number of rejections is still high, the responses from editors have all been very kind. I have yet to read an email that makes me feel as though I had wasted my time.
I consider this a victory for the artistic world.
Things are looking increasingly better for artists. I cannot wait to see what the next few years bring us!
Cendrine
NO AI TRAINING - Any use of my content to “train” generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to generate text or images is expressly prohibited. I, the author, reserve all rights to license uses of this work for generative AI training and development of machine learning language models.
