Make art to say something, not to get approved. Approval is a target that keeps moving.

Approval moves. The audience changes, the room changes, what counted last year counts less now, so work aimed at it has to keep adjusting to something that will not hold still. Having something to say gives you a fixed point, which makes decisions easier, because you can ask whether a choice serves the point instead of whether people will like it. Approval sometimes follows, as a side effect.

Before the next project, write one sentence about what it is actually for. Keep it visible while you work. When you get stuck between options, choose the one that serves that sentence.