Here’s a shout-out to all the mentors in my life. You made a big difference.
According to the researchers who developed the Adverse Childhood Experience Questionnaire (ACE-Q), if a child has even one adult who cares about them and nurtures them emotionally, it can significantly reduce the psychological effects of growing up with trauma (neglect, abuse,etc). A child with a mentor who is actively involved in supporting them is significantly less likely to develop risky and potentially destructive behaviors as they grow into adulthood. See this article.
ALL of the teachers I had in elementary school were amazing, kind, and helpful. I remember Mrs. Foley and Miss Spang the most. If you’re reading this: thank you. Teachers often never know whether they had a positive effect on their students. Especially Mrs. Foley who pointed out to me that I didn’t have to worry so much. My anxiety then must’ve been through the roof for her to notice that and try to calm me.
It may not have dawned on my young assistant-soccer coach that I was sneakily making him into my mentor. At 14, I myself didn’t realize I was doing this. I remember peppering him with questions about the meaning of life, ethics, death, human sexuality, etc., while kicking around a soccer ball on the field that summer and fall. He was very matter-of-fact with his answers and not at all peturbed by some of the rather, erm… sensitive stuff. Man, I appreciated his candor and clinical demeanor.
And while the guy I ghost-painted for when I was 18 was a complete misogynist and not the most disciplined with his career, in a fashion he mentored me. Well, at least I learned all the things NOT to do as a budding illustrator. And yeah, I also learned some fancy tricks that I hadn’t learned in school.
My first Art Director, Remo Cosentino, was a great and benevolent mentor. When you’re just getting started in your art career, having someone to help you navigate delivering your first job to the publisher can lay the foundation for future freelance work. Remo’s help was top notch and he was super kind and generous to me. I am grateful to be able to call him my friend over all these years.
I’ll never forget the help I was given from a few of my college professors. I was an older student (“non-traditional”) and was slightly overwhelmed by the fact that I was a tad bit behind the other students who were already proficient with computer skills for a few years. These generous teachers spent time with me outside of the classroom hours to get me up to speed. Now look at me; I’m digitally unstoppable. lol Thank you Prof. Vickie Kline and Prof. Marian Condon for being so generous and kind with your time. I’m grateful that I can count you as my friends— you’re brilliant.
School was always a great source of finding great mentors. Is it just the best natural environment to find caring people in the wild? I don’t know, but it seems so. My grad school mentors were also just wonderful. For many summers, Prof. Bibiana Suarez moved her entire family from Chicago (where she teaches at DePaul University) to Baltimore to instruct at MICA’s MFAST program. I learned so much from her and grew my practice enormously. She might not have known that, yep, she was mentoring me to be a better person too.
Other artists like the extraordinary and brilliant Mark Zug, the amazing Prof. Kristen Kovak, and the wonderful potter, Dr. Elva Winter, have directly affected how I make art, how I think about it, and how I think about my practice. The masterful and brilliant Jane Frank, owner of Wow-Art online gallery has been teaching me tons about marketing and navigating the milieu of the fine art world— which is also helping me to think better about how I can get my work out into the world and how I can best present— and craft— my ideas. Without these people I wouldn’t be anywhere near my goals. I’m super grateful for the time they’ve spent educating me and for their generous influence.
Mentors are super important! If you don’t have one or several, get thee some right away. And if you have the chance to mentor someone else, it could greatly and positively impact their life in ways that can’t be quantified.
Hmmm…I wonder what kinds of mentors I’ll have when I’m 100…?
Now that I’ve waxed long about my mentors, who are yours? What magical effect have they had on your life? Give them a shout out here!