I do my best to apply to opportunities (grants, exhibits, residencies, awards) on a regular basis, maybe 5-6 per year. My goal is to get one. Because rejection can become discouraging, I always try to have a few applications out there, rather than applying to one thing and then waiting for the acceptance/rejection letter.

The main challenge to avoid unnecessary rejection is to carefully sift through the millions of things to apply for. Some rejections come because it was unlikely I would more...