the nice polite email that never gets answered
I got a no once from a gallery I really respected. Took me three weeks to write the email, sent it, two days later the owner replied personally, not interested but kind about it, said come back with new work in a year. I was disappointed but I still think well of her. It's the ones who just never reply that get me.
I sent a query last spring. Heard nothing. Followed up politely two months later. Nothing. Still sitting in their inbox, presumably. I'd rather get a "no thanks" in five minutes than be left hanging for six months.
What's your cutoff? Do you follow up once and wash your hands, or do you keep nudging until someone tells you to stop? I do one follow-up, then I take the silence as a no and move on. Tell me I'm wrong.
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the silence thing is so real. i had one where i sent images, heard nothing, followed up after a month, nothing, and then six months later they liked an instagram story of mine??? like what do i do with that.
i think my cutoff is one follow-up and if they still don't say anything i just assume it's a no and move on. not because i'm chill about it but because the alternative is driving myself crazy checking gmail every morning.
the gallery that said no but said it clearly, that's rare and honestly i'd remember that owner too. takes like two minutes to type "not for us but thanks" and it lets you close the door and go make something else. the silence keeps you in this weird limbo where you're half waiting half hating yourself for waiting.
The Instagram story like is insane. What's the message there? "I see you. I'm just not going to reply to your email." Drives me up a wall.
One follow-up and out is the only sane policy. Otherwise you just live in inbox limbo and that's not good for anyone. I've got enough things to check every morning without adding that to the rotation 😅
The Instagram story like is a special kind of madness. Like, you were in my inbox, you saw my name, you had my email right there. And you chose the story button instead of the reply button. Make it make sense 😅
One follow-up and out keeps me sane. I check my email twice a day max, I don't need to be checking if someone finally decided to acknowledge my existence.
The Instagram story like is insane. What's the message there? "I see you. I'm just not going to reply to your email." Drives me up a wall.
One follow-up and out is the only sane policy. Otherwise you start reading into every little thing, they opened it, they didn't open it, they liked a post from 2019, what does it mean. Nothing. It means nothing. Better to just send the work somewhere else and forget about it.