To Mentor, or not to Mentor!

Not long ago, I started to think about mentoring and all that it means to artists.


Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, 2nd Deluxe Editions, defines mentor as "n. [from Mentor, the friend and counselor of Odysseus and Telemachus.] a wise and faithful counselor." In the thesaurus, synonyms like advisor, instructor, tutor, master, and guru appear. Current writers seem to suggest a shift away from this one-way teacher-to-protégé instruction to a power free, two-way, mutually beneficial relationship. Are these two extreme, either or positions correct or, can it be both? I think it can be both.

Awhile back, I had the opportunity to befriend and mentor a wonderful artist who was going though a very tough time in her life. Mentors are often sought out when people are going through some transition. She didn’t ask me to mentor her it just came naturally. Rather than talk about her illness, we talked about her future and how she could change her life into something more meaningful and fun for her. I wasn’t so much the master, I was just a little further along on the journey enough that I could guide her though the path that I had just traveled on. Brainstorming with her about what she wanted to do was exciting. As she got well, she was actually changing her future as we sat and visited. Later she devoted a lot of time and effort into planning and implementing her plans. There came a time when she no longer needed me and our relationship changed. This is a normal course for this type of relationship. I miss our times together but feel proud of her and all that she is doing. It was a very enriching time for us both.



Mentoring relationships can be among the most rewarding interactions you'll have -- if you take full advantage of them. Whether you're interested in mentoring someone or looking for a mentor to help steer your art career in the right direction, these guidelines can help you get and stay connected with the right person.

Tips for Being a Great Mentor

· Encourage Your Protégé to Communicate Openly: If she looks up to you as a formidable authority figure, it may take time for her to open up to you. If after your third or fourth meeting you still feel like your protégé is hesitant about speaking up, try asking her some tough questions to encourage breakthroughs in conversation, such as: “If you could change one thing about your art career or your art, what would it be?”

· Set Firm Guidelines and Expectations from the Beginning: Determine how frequently or infrequently you will meet. Ask the protégé to spell out what she wants from you; you should have a specific idea about what the person hopes to gain from the relationship, and she should know what you are hoping to accomplish. Find out what skills your protégé wants to develop.
· The Primary benefit for the mentor: is satisfaction from fulfilling a role as helper and developer of others and a learning experience for the mentor.
· Provide Clear Performance Measures: This way, your protégé can chart her progress. Follow up with her the next time you meet. Give positive reinforcement, remove doubt and build self-esteem. Motivate.

· Practice Active Listening: This is the hard one for me…don’t dominate the conversation; be an engaged listener and respect what your protégé has to say. A successful mentor’s dominant styles should be: direct, friend/confidant, logical, and questioner.
· Mentoring Is a Serious Business Relationship: If your current workload is overwhelming and you find it difficult to devote time to your protégé, it may be better for you to bow out until a later date. It’s best to meet once a week and face- to- face.

Tips for Being a Great Protégé

· Take a Look Around: Look at gallery members or other artists to identify people whom you admire and would like to emulate.

· Approach Your Potential Mentor: You can't start a mentoring relationship without asking someone to be your mentor. Be very definitive with him about what you hope to accomplish.

· Know what you want from the relationship: What do you hope to gain from this mentoring relationship? Being pleasantly persistent is the only way to develop any good mentoring relationship. As a mentee, you must assume certain re­­sponsibilities to make the relationship work. Do your part and enter into a relationship with the right mind-set. Remember your mentor's time is valuable; don't monopolize it. Be prepared to give something back. Usually mentors expect something in return, but it’s easy to give: respect, loyalty and gratitude. You must be willing to pay your dues. As you are the one looking for guidance, the onus is on you to be proactive.

· Do Your Homework: If your mentor suggests you to do some follow-up work to help you develop your professional skills, do it. There has to be accountability in the mentoring relationship for it to be effective.

· Two "musts" to be a good partner are: listen, and second, implement, act on advice, put things into effect.

Mentoring is a power free, two-way, mutually beneficial learning situations where the mentor provides advice, shares knowledge and experiences, and teaches using a low pressure, self-discovery approach. Mentoring is one of the single most important assets the gallery offers to our members. Every one of us participates in it regularly-- in either a formal or informal manner. It’s a great comfort to know that we have all that talent supporting us along our journey. Being a member of the gallery ensures we don’t walk the path alone! Think about Mentoring as a way to give your art a jump start!!