Mentoring

It seems that I’m a mentor. Mentoring isn't something I planned to take on but I fairly consistently get asked to discuss the pathways to a creative future. Full disclosure, I am deeply engaged in a variety of creative disciplines and whilst I have achieved a level of mastery in some areas, I am still a complete novice in others. 

It’s a privilege and deeply rewarding to be in a position to help join the dots between the fledgling maker in front of me and the established creative they would like to become. The gap is clearly daunting. How do you progress from being under-resourced and inexperienced through to being a kitted-up and competent practitioner? 

Incrementally! Nobody is born fully realised.

The effort required to gain mastery is almost too much to comprehend, but in reality, the process is an accumulation of a vast number of achievable tasks. Some of the tasks will indeed be frustrating but once we accept the challenge and start to make significant progress, it's unfeasibly satisfying. 

Imagine if we could unlock pursuits in which we could fully explore the range of our idiosyncrasies. What secrets are held in all of our perceived capabilities and deficits that make us, us? I feel each person could be incredibly agile in very specific ways. 

It’s rare for people to have any real notion of their potential, as our perceptions of our capacity are so rarely challenged. If we fully commit, what are we actually capable of? I think if we were prepared to explore the limits of our potential, we would find we are all harbouring superpowers.

I feel that the creative journey should evolve to suit our individual and specific needs. That being said, I believe there are some common attitudes and attributes to most successful people's journey. I see that the developmental objectives are to develop the capacity for building skillsets, fostering tenacity, the ability to see failures as part of any progression and acceptance of critique. Not all of this is necessarily comfortable but I believe that if you’re trying to execute consistently polished results, this will be your toolkit. Fascination with a subject is probably more important than natural flair. 

Learning can be a journey without end. I see massive benefits to well-being if we periodically set out to acquire new skills. Through committing to make an effort, we evolve on many levels. Being challenged to remain flexible in our thinking, as creative thought is expansive thought. Modelling progressive behaviours for the people in our lives. We are more likely to engage with others through our journey into new areas. There is great satisfaction from our increasing capacity. We are almost certainly strengthening allied skillsets with our newfound abilities. We can make beautiful things which is deeply satisfying in and of itself but also inspiring to others. Emersion in creative tasks helps keep us in the present so we are more engaged in our own progress rather than being constantly distracted by what’s happening elsewhere.

One of the main pieces of advice I like to offer is this. Try as many different things as you can! Anything you feel drawn to is worth a second look. Not everything we attempt will suit our personality but by actually trying something new, we can know for certain whether or not we feel compelled to pursue it. Life is full of surprises, so it's better to have ruled something out through a lived experience than to make assumptions. If you’ve never tried to play the bassoon, how certain are you that you can’t do it, or that you're not going to like it?

"You’ll never know until you try", is a cliché for a reason.

Each small success becomes a reference point to fuel us to take on more complex challenges. Ultimately, learning brings greater meaning to our lives. It is challenging, grounding, expansive, fulfilling, joyful and inspiring!