Rejection Seven-Asking a Brand I Admire

Today’s rejection therapy wasn’t about getting a yes.
It was about sending an email I almost didn’t send.

I reached out to Peak Design.

Not with a flashy pitch. Not with numbers or promises or a perfectly polished ask. Just an honest email about the work I’m already doing, the projects I’m already sharing, and a simple question: Is there room for something small and story-driven here?

This kind of ask still makes my chest tighten.
There’s a voice that says: You’re not big enough yet.
Another that whispers: Wait until you’re more established.
And the loudest one: Why would they say yes?

But rejection therapy isn’t about controlling the answer.
It’s about practicing the ask anyway.

Hitting send felt like standing still instead of shrinking back. It felt like choosing to be visible rather than waiting for permission that may never come. No matter what happens next, the win already happened. I showed up.

If the answer is no, that’s information, not failure.
If the answer is silence, that’s still survivable.
And if the answer is yes, that’s just icing.

Today wasn’t about Peak Design, really.
It was about reminding myself that my work deserves to be offered, not hidden.

On to the next ask.