There is no way I would be where I am today if it wasn’t for the help of other people. Finding a mentor can unlock inspiration, connect you to people, support and guide you. 

Being an artist and having people around us to support us and keep us going and mentor us is 100% necessary in my opinion.

What is a mentor? 

A mentor is someone who guides you, gives you advice, offers ideas and brings a wealth of information and knowledge to you, enabling you to grow as a person and/or business. 

My mentor journey

When I sit back and think, I have had a mentor for years but I just didn’t realise it at the time. There has always been a group of people around me that’s helped me. 

I have certain friends I turn to and discuss ideas I have for United Artspace. They will sit, listen and then offer advice to me. This is invaluable, I can’t even begin to tell you. 

Having someone who isn’t emotionally attached to my business look at ideas, in sometimes a more practical way, occasionally challenging me, has allowed me to run with the ideas that are worthwhile whilst receiving the advice from my mentor. 

I’ve always had different types of mentors and I think it’s useful to have this. These are different types of people in your life that can help, support and guide you along the way. 

The expert

So the first type of mentor, and I’m just kind of loosely describing these, is an expert. Somebody who is many steps ahead of you doing exactly what you want to do.

The champion

Another type of mentor is someone who is a champion. Someone who really, really understands you and gets you. They comment and share your work with people. They’re just really enthused and excited about what it is that you do. These are people that you can really lean into to find out more about your industry. 

The peer

The third type of mentor I am thinking of is the peer. Someone who’s doing what you are doing right now. You’re kind of at the same point, you’re on the same pathway. 

Another term for this is a co-pilot peer, there’s lots of terms, but it’s kind of someone who’s doing what you are doing already and you’re kind of in this together.

The coach

So the other type of mentor is a coach or an anchor. Someone who is not in the same industry. You’d want someone who isn’t in the artworld and this mentor can fill in all the gaps. You want someone who is an outsider so they are able to come up with objective views. 

Be a mentor 

The last one is when you mentor someone yourself. You can learn so much and by doing this you can gain so much from it. Personally and business wise. 

How to find a mentor? 

Some of you may be thinking, well how do I find a mentor? You may have one now without evening knowing. Have you got someone you always turn to for advice? Is there a person you always run things by for your business? 

Mentors of mine have often started out as friends and as our relationship progresses, they become a mentor. I know I can go to them, talk about things and I will come away with ideas, a set plan and a sense of knowing from listening to their advice. 

If you want to find out more about how to find a mentor, watch this video or listen to episode 83 of the Your Art Matters podcast.

After this episode I want you to consider the following points: 

1) Is there someone who is doing what you want to do? Put this person on your radar, follow them, maybe reach out to them. 

2) Question how you can build a relationship with this person. 

If you are a hub member, go over to the hub as there is a lesson on cultivating relationships.

If you go in and type RELATIONSHIPS, you’ll see a whole lesson on how to do this. I go into much more detail on how to approach people. I even give you templates that you can use to email people.

If you are not a member and you want to learn more and join the waitlist, click here >> https://members.unitedartspace.org