Rejection - The best were rejected

I really don't get the rejection bit why should we pander to the judges. After all many famous artists were rejected - some didn't sell a painting in their lifetime. Why shouldn't you carry on and paint what suits you best. Art is very subjective we know we have different likes and dislikes. We may even like a painting but wouldn't hang it on our wall; some even buy a painting because it matches their decor! (Especially in this so called modern age which is just the seventies mixed in with other era's.) There are so many artists out there now far more that right up until the early part of the last century. In this so call digital age I really don't know what is true art and what isn't - so much of it is generated on the computer (not all). All I know Is whether I like it or not. Rembrandt's last painting a commission was hated by the so called judges (what ever they called) and now it is revered. The same for so many paintings. I really don't think that it makes any difference whether your painting is successful or not - you might even win and then get lost in the realm's of obscurity. What I say is yes you can enter but don't take it to heart - like Aqua says they don't know what they have missed. And I certainly haven't missed them. At least many of us have sold paintings and that is pleasure in itself. None of us want to end up like Van Gogh - cut of our ear and go insane poor thing. (where do all the royalties go?) Enjoy your painting as I do. Paint what you believe and paint as large or small as you feel. :->