Right Place, Right Time
Not every environment is meant to recognize your work. Sometimes, the people around you, the timing, or even the setting aren’t align with what you bring to the table. It never means your work isn't valuable or you aren't talented. It means that recognition often depends on the right stage, audience, and moment.
While immersing myself in the creative world (whether art, business, leadership, etc.) I learned that it requires patience. You may pour yourself into something and feel invisible when it’s first shared. But unseen doesn’t mean unworthy. The truth is, the impact of your work may only be revealed days, months, or even years later. In a different place with others who are ready to see it.
This is why consistency matters. Keep showing up, creating, and refining. The environments that don’t recognize you today may simply not be the ones meant to carry you forward. This hurts alot and will cost you sleepless nights, wondering why it did not work out. Did you not try enough? Was your work a complete failure? However, when the right time comes, the recognition will be deeper and more meaningful than you ever imagined.
Exhibit A:
I once presented a photograph I was very proud of for an art show. Each category had a judge (photography, painting, poetry, etc.). Out of more than a dozen awards given that day, my photo received zero. I left home that day feeling very confused. I knew my work deserved an award and recognition because of the creativity and interpretation of my prompt. I felt discouraged and frustrated. Even strangers came up to me afterwards, saying I deserved to win. I remembered me standing on the stage next to all the competitors, and when they named the last person for an award, I felt myself dim. “Why?”
Turns out that, months later after launching my business, I used that same photo as the face of my business. And when J.FUSION was featured statewide by SBDC Oregon, that very photo was chosen again, this time as a statewide image of my nomination.
My work that was once overlooked in one environment became the symbol of recognition in another. That’s the power of patience and persistence.
Your journey is proof that rejection is not the final word — it’s just redirection. What matters is continuing to create and to trust your vision, even when recognition is not there.
So if you ever feel unseen, remember: your value isn’t determined by one room, one judge, or one moment. Keep believing. The right time will find you and when it does it will be worth every step you took to get there.