Mentoring Mania

Being a skilled and talented artist does not mean you make a great mentor for other artists. Knowledge isn't passed down with a single afternoon workshop or a semester of work-study. I have learned this the hard way by working with the most talented humans and not having gained a single ounce of their moxy. The people I have learned from have gone out of their way to envelope me into their daily lives while engaging with me on art related tasks or rolling me into projects with them. I call these people my mentors, instead of teachers for many reasons. They don't bore me with lectures on historical studies. However, while we work they might share something they liked about a documentary they watched. They don't give me a grade, but they will fix my mistakes while showing me what I did wrong.