FINDING AN ART MENTOR
Are interested in having an art mentor in your creative life or business? Before you set out on this journey, there are a few things to consider beforehand to determine if you are ready, how to find and approach a prospective mentor, and set goals and expectations.
Determining Readiness
An art mentor is a trusted advisor who can guide your creative development. They can call upon their career path, experiences, network, and resources as a source for guidance. A common myth is that your mentor needs to work in the same medium as you. This only needs to be the case if you want to develop your art-making in a particular medium or style. In this type of relationship, you may be looking for an apprenticeship rather than a mentor.
While you won’t need to be a professional or full-time artist to be ready to work with a mentor, you will need to be in a place in your career where you feel ready to commit to a specific project, creative direction, or medium of choice. It also is often a financial decision to bring on a mentor as you will be asked to compensate for the mentor’s time and expertise. A mentoring session rate will fluctuate between different mentors.
Finding the Right Mentor
Before you reach out and ask someone to be your mentor, start with observation and engagement. Engage in the art community to determine who might be a suitable mentor. Identify a few prospective mentors, begin by engaging with them to network, learn about them, and discover if they could be a good fit. This can be either in-person, online, or both.
Simple ways to connect digitally include signing up for their newsletter, taking their online courses, and engaging on their social media platforms. If you are looking for a local mentor, attend their latest art show or go to one of their open studio events. You can also reach out and suggest an information interview over a cup of coffee.
This observation and engagement period is important to get a feel for the mentor’s style and their approach to both art-making and business management. Don’t rush this process and don’t be creepy about it either. The fit between you and your prospective mentor should be genuine.
Asking For a Mentorship
After you think you’ve found someone who would be a good mentor, determine why you want to work with this mentor. I’ve had approaches for mentorship who skipped this step. The artists didn’t know what they wanted and didn’t understand what a mentoring relationship meant. Other artists who have asked assumed I would use my skills and network to assist them with a project, rather than being responsible for the work themselves. Mentoring is more about someone holding you to your own expectations, creating a safe space for experimentation, and allowing for critical feedback. Make sure a mentor is what you want and not a creative collaborator or hired help. Figuring out your “why” can make a case for why a mentoring relationship is perfect right now and why it should be between the both of you.
Know that timing is key. Just because you’re ready to work with this mentor, doesn’t mean they are ready to take on a mentee. Creative mentors are also making and producing work, having exhibits or residencies, or maybe already have an artist they are working with. If this situation comes up, it could be a sign to find a different mentor, or inquire if mentoring is something they would consider in the future. Ask when would be a good time to reconnect, then plunk in a date on the calendar so you remember to follow up.
Setting Expectations
Your mentor may have a system, plan, or template for how the mentorship relationship is built. This may be the case especially if they have mentored artists in the past. However, if your mentor doesn’t onboard you to their mentoring process, here are some great questions to ask before you begin working together:
What is their mentorship style?
What are their expectations of you during and between mentor sessions?
When and where do you meet: virtually or in person?
How often do you meet?
What is the length of the mentorship? (there should be a beginning and an end date)
What is the cost of mentorship, payment transaction format, and frequency of payment?
When can you get in contact with your mentor and in what way (email or call) and how often?
Your Growth
In addition to determining the expectations of the mentor-mentee relationship, it’s important to determine the goals or outcomes you desire when working with a mentor.
While your mentor is there to support and advise, you are responsible for your success. Be careful to not give too much credit to the mentor or criticize the mentor for not doing enough. You are in charge of your growth, so ask good questions, do the work outside the mentorship session, and execute the helpful suggestions and advice your mentor provides.
Mentorship Opportunity
What Art School Didn’t Teach You has a mentorship opportunity for artists, creatives, and small business owners who are ready to commit. More information can be found on the Mentorship Page. Take some time to review the opportunity and let’s schedule a call to see if this is a good fit.
