eli @ stickthefigure 🐘🍭

I want to write a message to everyone who applied to Wildcard Club who didn't get in. And also to all the people who didn't apply because they thought there wasn't a chance for them. Seeing so many posts of people feeling so dejected about not making it in is heartbreaking to see. I think it's important to remember that these choices were personal to the talents who selected them - this is not a normal, general audition for talent, it was about whether a team leader felt you were a good fit for their team specifically. It's a little bit like trying to become someone's friend- if you're not naturally compatible you can't really force that, and neither should you. In the same way, so many incredibly talented people applied, but your unique character may not have fit neatly into the categories presented by the opportunity, and that's fine!! Keep being you and doing the stuff only you can do! There will be more opportunities for you :) And that's my other perspective- It's really important not to hinge your self-worth, or your future, on a singular opportunity like this. I've seen this with friends whenever Holo auditions come around, too... Getting into a corpo, or an idol group, or whatever, will not fix your life. It will not solve all your problems, and it certainly won't bring you happiness. Particularly when these are some of the most high-profile and competitive opportunities in the space. You are up against hundreds, if not thousands of applicants. There's no shame in not making it at those odds, there aren't enough opportunities for every deserving person to be recognised. It should not be the thing your hinge your worth upon, because ultimately it is a decision outside of your control. You cannot force somebody else to decide if you should get an opportunity or not. So if you place your value on something like this, you are hinging your self-worth on the opinions of others. Your self-worth is inherent to you. It is unique to you. You were born with it, you grow into it and it will always be a part of who you are. There's an old adage in the entertainment industry, that we try for the single 'yes' in a hundred 'no's. And that's no exaggeration. I very often see comments from people who talk about me like I am the pinnacle of success- including comments on my own Wildcard Club application saying that I was absolute shoe-in. I even recently found out there were people who believed I genuinely had got in... no idea where anyone got that idea from! Whilst these comments are flattering, I've been working in the music and entertainment industries long enough to know that this is just not the case. For every success I've had, there have been 100 rejections and failures behind the scenes that you never saw, genuinely. You may see the platinum-selling J-Pop songwriter, the Hololive songs, the Ironmouse song, the Multiverse Vistas win, the Miku Expo finalist. But what you don't see are the record labels I applied to and never heard back, the funding I applied for and never got, the hundreds of song pitches I submitted to with no luck, the competitions I entered without a placement, the songs I released to only a handful of streams, the months my bank account hit zero, the commissions that fell through, the bridges that got burnt, the friends and family I lost, the mental health battles, the people around me who seemed to get every opportunity I ever wished for whilst I felt ignored, the people who spread false rumours behind my back and blocked opportunities, the companies that scammed me out of so much money. The list goes on. I promise you, the fact that you did not make it into Wildcard Club is not personal, is not a reflection on your self-worth, and is a normal part of being in this industry. But what it did give us all was something really important- a shared goal, a cultural event, an opportunity to discover new talent. If you made a video, I'm sure you had comments or likes from people who had never seen you before who discovered you from your application! And I think that's what this whole thing was about. You will face more rejection. You will face more failure. And proportionally, that failure will outweigh the success. But if we all only did this for fame, status and money then what a depressing community this would be. Keep doing what you love, honing your craft, pushing yourself creatively, learning and growing as you do. Nurture meaningful friendships built on mutual respect and joy. Focus your dreams on things that are within your control, not on things that are reliant on the decisions of others, or on pointless metrics. And when the next opportunity like this comes around, I want you all to apply again! Give it everything you've got, and then give it no further thought. If you make it, that's great. If you don't, you have lost nothing, but gained more experience and potentially more connections! The odds will always be stacked against you. The chances of you succeeding are incredibly small. But it's always worth a shot! You never know who else is watching those submissions and taking notes, after all! So pick yourself up, look to the sky and focus on the star that guides your heart. Never forget why you fell in love with VTubing, with music, with whatever your passion may be, and hold these close through all the rejection. There is genius in everyone. There is light behind each shadow. You are in control of your future. Don't let the future control you.