This. Is. Amazing. Your teachers were completely wrong. My uncle is a lecturere at oxfred university. I showed this him and he said 'wow.' I don't think it was sarcastic, because it truly is inspirational. I love how you used the blue to sigfy depress.
it's fine, i've kind of failed too once. i spent hours on a drawing for a yearbook design, and the teacher said he'd choose the top few. my best friend's one, a really good one, rejected. mine, rejected. i felt so bad, especially since i saw ones i thought were worse tha my friend's up there.