But there are ways to have a mentoring relationship with people we don’t know, at least at first—a formal kind of arrangement in which the mentor is compensated and there is more structure to the arrangement.

Do you need a formal, paid mentor?
Individual needs vary but here are some examples
you identify a need not being met by current situation/have tried it on your own.
You feel stuck or stagnated
Need support and feedback,
working in an isolated situation
Want someone to hold you to your goals
You’re willing to commit to the schedule, structure, the follow-through
You can be pro-active, not passive in what you want from the arrangement, give your mentor something to go on
You’re willing to accept constructive criticism, follow assignments/suggestions, commit to at least trying things

Also understand:
You should respect whatever boundaries are agreed upon, no special treatment
Mentors are not therapists/life coaches—keep focus on your work or relevant life issues

Mentors are most effective once you already have some skills, are fairly developed already to help you to the next level of excellence. At a more mature level you know the kind of mentor that suits you best.

How do you find a mentor?
Word of mouth
Google (of course!)
Website—Mentorly—matches mentees and mentors, different price categories, the site vets the mentors and prices according to their experience, recommendations etc. Online only.
Workshop instructor
Someone you admire—make inquiry

A local mentor may be good for various reasons, can be less formal, more accessible, able to meet in person

What to have I mind?
Goals and intentions—specific or broad—what do you want to focus on (the mentor can help with this too)
What you can afford or what it is worth to you
or could you barter help of some kind
How often you would like to meet or talk

What if it’s not working?
Give it the agreed upon amount of time/number of sessions to decide; a specific end point may be helpful; helps with focus, puts people at ease too to know there's an end point
Voice specific complaints or issues/aim for open communication without simply complaining or whining/
challenges are part of the deal

Would YOU like to be a formal mentor?
Have the right mindset, you have something to offer
You have broad expertise/knowledge as well as specific to your field
You have some experience in teaching or being mentored yourself
You want to work with people to achieve their own goals, your role is supportive not authoritative, not controlling
Able to keep on topic
Able to commit to a schedule
Able to set expectations
Good communications skills, good listener, direct, positive, friendly
Organized, able to meet commitments
Good role model
You have a base from which to draw mentees—mailing list, website, etc.
Have testimonials about your teaching and communication skills
Understand your own limits in terms of time and comittments

Benefits to you:
Personal satisfaction
Income
Grow your workshop or other connected business, enhanced reputation
Set your own hours
Articulating important art ideas helps your own work

What if it’s not working:
You’re only obligated to do as much as original agreement but follow through on that
Honesty, constructive feedback if you need to end relationship

As mentor, decide—
How much time to commit
Structure—can be set times for meetings, by skype or email…or set as needed. Can go on for a specific amount of time, say 6 months with monthly interactions. Can be very informal—call me when you need me.

What is good compensation
    Starting out, $50/hr or so
    For a lot of skill/experience-- $100/hour or more. You may have them pay ahead for a set number of sessions or pay each time. 

Do you prefer live meetings, skype, email? With email feedback, will you charge by hour or set rate? 

What is your focus as a mentor? Open to any issues, or prefer to focus on art business, studio practice, creative process—general or specialized

WRAP-UP:
There was a time when being mentored/apprenticeship was the only way to learn from another artist. Now it’s one of many choices, but remains one of the very best for personal feedback and support. For those who want to mentor it’s a fairly easy way to run your own small business. Just be very honest about your qualifications and ability to do the work.
Notes

www.messystudiopodcast.com
www.rebeccacrowell.com
www.squeegeepress.com
www.facebook.com/messystudiopodcast
https://mentorly.co

We’ve talked about lots of other forms of learning in this podcast over time—videos, workshops, etc. but today we’ll focus on this more specialized topic.

Not something I have done much of in a formal way, my energy has gone into teaching workshops/ book/ video, also forms of mentoring--- though not as ongoing or personal. But I do have some experience with both formal and informal mentoring.

Wikipedia defines Mentorship as “a relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable person. The mentor may be older or younger than the person being mentored, but he or she must have a certain area of expertise.”

This definition includes being mentored without personal contact
at a distance—you follow someone, pay attention to things they say and do. Maybe never even meet them but they still guide and inform you. This is where all the info available to us online etc. overlaps with older kinds of mentoring. Lots of artists refer to others they have never met as mentors in this sense.

Informal mentors that just happen in your life, people you meet who help you, informal basis
instructors (college, workshop) who you have for a time, or more ongoing relationships.
Professional artists in your personal circle/friends

who are more advanced or have a special knowledge you’re interested in

Most of us have had people like that-- very important in our development. Provide support, encouragement, positive ideas, role models. The personal relationship part is important—this is someone who really sees you, knows you, has insight

Myself—several instructors in college and grad school, as well as an imp. art teacher when I was a young teenager. I knew her personally--helped me see that being an artist was a real possibility for my life. How does one lead an art life. Introduced me to abstraction. Many years later she took one of my workshops—full circle. A powerfull relationship with great impact.

There’s also some gray area--you consider someone a mentor and approach them for advice even though it's not someone they know -- an artist wants advice from someone without that mentor being either a good friend or someone who is paid. More on this in a bit.

If you are advising someone as a mentor, know your own limitations. Be clear about what you know and don’t know, and try to understand when to give advice and when to hold back…More on this in a bit

RE: that gray area in which there are expectations but no discussion about the roles being played —and the person isn’t a friend. For example someone continuing to contact an instructor after a workshop with requests for feedback, sending images of work when not requested etc. This comes across as presumptuous and usually not appreciated.

In any case friend or not--if you want someone’s help -- clarify the relationship. Make sure the mentor is OK with giving what you ask for; be prepared to pay for their time or offer something back.

With people in that gray area--You’re not entitled to their help ongoing because you’ve had a workshop, they wrote a book etc. An email asking for detailed information can be intrusive.

Helping you with your work is a professional service so give it that respect. Ask yourself how much you would expect to be given freely from a friend in any other profession or trade. An auto mechanic friend might be happy to say what they think is wrong with your car, but not to take on its repair…

There should always be clarity and some reciprocity in any mentoring relationship. Don’t push the limits of what is given in terms of help and guidance.

Mentoring by a friend: Respect the boundaries of any mentoring relationship including someone you are personally involved with and understand the needs of the person doing the mentoring.

Be grateful—it’s a rare privilege.
Give them credit when it’s due. Express gratitude with specifics. If the person is trying to help you they would probably like to know on a personal level how it helps.

Do give something back. Show interest in their work, take them to dinner, return a favor that you can offer.

Be objective--Try not to be overly influenced by their approach and style—ideally they are helping you find your own way

try to see what they offer you in an objective light…

they may be giving you advice that they themselves don’t follow or is not the best for you. Does their advice fit who you are now? There may be a time to split from your mentor

If you are the mentor in an informal relationship—
Can be a very rewarding part of a friendship
You have special insight into the person’s life
Understand the impact you are having esp. on a young or undeveloped artist

Recognize the limitations; this Is not about controlling outcome of any sort for your friend

Not about your own ego/ pumping up your accomplishments and image/truly an act of generosity and friendship

May be harder to be honest/direct when friendship is involved, same issues we have with any artist friend being honest or critical

Test the waters, figure out what the relationship will tolerate if you are concerned about damaging the friendship, but be as honest as possible.

Suggest the friend involve a more objective mentor if necessary

Recognize the impact you have, be sensitive. Your role is to be supportive, positive and if you can’t be that suggest they look elsewhere. You don’t want to be a negative influence or overstep your bounds..

Wrap--Up: Mentoring relationships are powerful and hopefully positive. They can be a rewarding informal arrangement on both sides but there should be some acknowledgement of that relationship, not just vague expectations. Next week we’ll go into more formal arrangement when a mentor or art coach is someone you seek out and pay for their services.

www.messystudiopodcast.com
www.rebeccacrowell.com
www.squeegeepress.com
www.facebook.com/messystudiopodcast