9 ways mentoring can work for you
by Euella Jackson
Are you an artist, looking for ways to further progress in your career? You are?! Well, have you ever considered getting a mentor? Creative mentoring is just like having a careers advisor or a school peer mentor, except it’s better—and much cooler. If you’re just starting out and you don’t know where to start or you’ve been doing this for a while and need a bit of guidance a mentor could be just what you need.
“What is a mentor?”, you ask. A mentor is someone who essentially supports you during your creative career. They’ll have knowledge and experience in the sector you want to work in and could help you achieve your goals.
Here at Rising, we believe that you’re never too smart, successful or old for a mentor. Learning with and from each other is important and so we pride ourselves on creating meaningful and lasting mentorships for our members and resident artists that often lead to further opportunities.
Our mentoring programme sits at the heart of what we do. Whether your goal is career progression, specific skill development or advice on how best to maximise your potential, a mentor can help with all of that, empowering you to open doors that might have seemed firmly closed before now.
We currently have more than 50 arts professionals onboard who we carefully match with young artists, like you, looking for professional development and support. We feel that as part of developing your career, building upon your skills (and even developing some new ones too), mentoring should be a big part of that journey.
“Rising’s mentoring programme picked me up at exactly the right moment. It’s amazing how much direction and momentum I’ve generated through that one-to-one support.”
LAURA WAITE, RISING ASSOCIATE ARTIST
“For me, the thing that makes Rising stand out from other support networks is the mentoring you can get with it. It took a while to find exactly the right mentor, but I think that’s what’s really amazing about it […] I didn’t just get paired up to someone slapdash, quick in-and-out, it was like a real dedicated process of finding the right person that would fit exactly [with] my needs”.
CAI BURTON, RISING ASSOCIATE ARTIST AND YOUTH BOARD MEMBER
Here are just a few ways that creative mentoring can work for you:
IMPROVING YOUR CONFIDENCE:
Having a mentor in your corner can help battle those negative, niggling thoughts of self-doubt that we all get sometimes. On the days where we may think our work’s not good enough, or that things aren’t moving fast enough, knowing that there is someone with industry expertise who really cares about your progression can give you that added push to be more bold with your work, whether it be being more experimental with your style, showing off your work or going for those opportunities that you may have been too afraid to before. Knowing that someone’s got your back goes a long way.
2. BUILDING AN IMPORTANT NETWORKING CONTACT:
One of the best things about having a mentor is that you gain access to a contact who can share their network with you to help you progress in your career. Many of the artists who have been involved with our mentors end up being offered internship opportunities and freelance work through their mentors. Your mentor will also help you develop your networking skills and establish who you are and what you do—crucial points for that winning elevator pitch.
3. RECEIVING CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM AND FEEDBACK:
Your mentor will be able to give you specific and detailed feedback on your projects, offering ways of improving or focusing your craft. If an idea of yours isn’t quite right, they’ll be able to help find a solution or bring a fresh perspective to the discussion. They may not always have the answer to a question or problem, but they almost certainly will know someone who does. They will be able to use their personal and professional experience to help you realise your full potential and act as your very own personal cheerleader. Problem solved.
4. BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE TO YOUR GOALS:
It’s easy to get carried away with the glamour of the creative world and set yourself a load of goals which are unrealistic or unobtainable. You need to be able to walk the walk if you’re going to talk the talk. Having a mentor who understands who you are and where you plan to go will help you create goals and targets that can be met within a realistic and achievable timeframe. They will not only help you identify what you need/want to work on, but will also hold you accountable to ensure you reach them.
5. DEMYSTIFYING THE CREATIVE JOBS MARKET:
There are loads of exciting jobs and opportunities in the creative sector, but there’s one problem: not many people actually know about them. If you’re from a more disadvantaged background or haven’t grown up around the arts you’re less likely to be aware of the opportunities available or, more importantly, how to access them. Many people don’t learn about creative careers at school and are often not encouraged into the creative industries by parents. Your mentor will be able to present a realistic overview of the vast opportunities and careers within the arts industry. They’ll help you to identify your passions and your strengths and help you explore jobs that you never thought you could be paid to do or even jobs you didn’t know existed.
6. SPRINGBOARD:
Some of the best ideas and solutions are born from conversations. You should see your mentor as a springboard: someone who you can bounce ideas off and come to with problems. Having a fresh pair of eyes (and ears) can help put things into perspective. You’d be surprised what can come out of a coffee and a conversation.
7. MOTIVATION:
It’s easy to get disheartened when things aren’t moving as quickly as you would like or when you hit setbacks. Progress is sometimes slow and it’s invaluable to have someone who can keep you motivated whilst you work towards reaching your goals. By having regular meetings with your mentor, you can track your progress and get excited about the future.
8. PUSH YOU TO DEVELOP NEW SKILLS:
Sometimes we all need a little push to get out of our comfort zones. Once we at Rising find out a bit about who you are, what you like to do and where you’d like to get in your career, we pair you with a creative mentor who has the knowledge, networks and expertise to support you to take your creative career to the next level. Your mentor will be able to help you identify your strengths and challenge you to build upon other key skills. You’ll work together to map out which skills you need to hone and make a plan of how you can achieve them.
9. EXCHANGE PERSONAL JOURNEYS AND INSIGHTS:
Sharing should be a key part of your mentor relationship. You have a wealth of experience and knowledge that is invaluable. Over the course of your mentorship, you’ll learn that there is more than one way to get to where you want to be, and through sharing your own personal journeys you’ll demystify the idea that you need to do A to get to B, and learn that the fun/value is in the journey—no matter which route you take.
If a mentor is something you think you might benefit from or you want to find out more, take a look at our Mentoring page and get in touch with us.
Keep rising,
Euella and the Rising Team.