When Auditions Aren't Going Your Way

I remember a specific moment in time early on when I had been going from one performing job to the next, saying no to things because I couldn't fit it all in.... to then.... suddenly silence.

 

No jobs on the horizon.

 

No auditions, no nothing.

 

I don't know about you, but I think one of the hardest parts of being a singer isn't actually singing.

 

It's the waiting part.

 

👉🏻 Waiting to hear back.

 

👉🏻 Waiting for opportunities.

 

👉🏻 Waiting for the next audition.

 

👉🏻 Waiting for your turn.

 

And if enough time passes without the thing you want showing up, it becomes very easy to spiral.

 

👇

 

"Maybe I'm not good enough."

"Maybe that last success was a fluke."

"Maybe it's too late."

"Maybe I should just give up."

 

I've DEFINITELY had those thoughts. 😅

 

There were times when work flowed in easily and then times when it felt like I was constantly putting myself out there and getting nowhere.

 

It was scary. And frustrating. And bewildering.

 

I slowly realized over the years after going through these cycles of working! not working, working! not working... again and again and again....

 

Rejection isn't a sign that you're doing something wrong.

 

It's built into the process.

 

Even for experienced performers.

 

The math simply isn't in our favor. We audition far more than we book. That's just the reality.

 

But what I've become increasingly interested in over the years isn't how to avoid rejection.

 

It's how to navigate it.

 

Because rejection itself isn't what takes most singers out of the game.

 

It's the story we tell ourselves about what the rejection means.

 

When an audition doesn't go our way, or when we're in a season where opportunities feel scarce, our inner critic loves to fill in the blanks.

 

Suddenly the empty calendar becomes proof that we're not talented.

 

The "no" becomes evidence that we're failing.

 

The quiet season becomes a verdict on our worth.

 

But what if none of that is true?

 

What if the quiet season is simply part of the rhythm?

 

Like...imagine a song with no rests.

 

No pauses. No spaces. No moments to breathe.

 

It would just be noise.

 

The rests aren't mistakes.

 

They're part of the composition.

 

Nature works the same way.

 

Trees don't bloom all year long.

 

Fields don't produce crops every day.

 

There are seasons of growth.

 

And there are seasons where everything appears still on the surface while something important is happening underneath.

 

Why would our creative lives be any different?

 

Sometimes the quiet season is asking us to regroup.

 

To learn.

 

To rest.

 

To reconnect with why we started singing in the first place.

 

To sharpen our skills.

 

To refill the creative well.

 

And sometimes it's asking us to stop waiting for permission and create our own opportunities.

 

One of my favorite memories from my years in New York came during a dry spell.

 

So my pianist friend and I started getting together and going through pieces he had just composed.

 

Same with another friend who played the flute.

 

We just got together and made music.

 

For fun.

 

What we wanted.

 

There were concerts in churches, living rooms, and anywhere we could book for free.

 

They were creative experiments.

 

We made recordings.

 

Looking back, some of those self-created experiences were every bit as meaningful as the jobs I worked so hard to get.

 

Maybe more.

 

I eventually booked a big job and I made sure to have a specific night off in my contract because we already had one of those concerts in the calendar.

 

It was that important.

 

Because they reminded me that my identity as a singer wasn't dependent on someone else choosing me.

 

I could choose myself.

 

Maybe that's the reminder someone reading this needs today.

 

If your phone isn't ringing.

 

If the auditions aren't going your way.

 

If you're in a season that feels frustrating, confusing, or discouraging...

 

Take a breath.

 

You haven't lost your worth.

 

You may simply be in a season of rest and regrouping.

 

And when the next opportunity arrives- and it will- you'll be ready.

 

Not frantic or depleted.

 

But grounded and clear about who you are.

 

So keep singing, keep growing. and keep trusting the process.

 

Your next chapter may be closer than you think.

 

And if you want more tips for navigating rejection, listen to Episode 11 of The Joyful Singer podcast.