Creativity Key: Be A Mentor

Kellie R. Stone July 11, 2011

I heard a saying once that really resonated with my personal experience as a creative person, it says: “If you want to master something, teach it.” There are many reasons why this profound truth adds value to your life. The first being that when you focus on the integral parts of any creative endeavor, as you do when you show someone how to do something, you are building a stronger foundation for yourself. Sometimes when we get self-involved in our art, writing, gardening, photography, we tend to stray away from the basics and the inspiration that got us started in the first place. Sadly, this waning of creative energy causes us to lose confidence and even neglect our gifts altogether. So the natural results of bringing a student or mentee to your side is incredibly motivating and keeps you on your creative toes.

Secondly, there is a natural flow of energy when we devote some of our time to bring value to someone else’s life, especially to youth. Give and you will receive. When we understand it is our responsibility to pass on skill and knowledge to the next generation, we open ourselves up to blessings not present otherwise. Understand this doesn’t mean we have to “give” everything away for free. Though sowing free gifts into the life of another is rewarding and seems to always return abundance to us in some way. The point being: Understand your worth as a creative person, realizing that your deserve to be paid for you gift, whether you are an artist or marketing whiz. Find a balance between giving away advice and gifts and charging for your time and products. Remember that bringing value to lives is the goal I’m talking about here, not getting rich. However, if you or I happen to accumulate wealth from our creative efforts, so be it!

One last idea about mentoring: The teacher learns from the student. I’ve had the opportunity to coach some amazing women and mentor countless of teens and creatives. I realized along the way that each one of those beautiful souls has one-of-a-kind ideas and visions for their futures. I was blessed to be able to share in the amazing growth of each one. They all taught me valuable lessons and gave me renewed faith in my abilities. Inspiration doesn’t get much better than that.

I challenge each of you to find someone to mentor creatively. Even if your student is your own child, you will begin to develop fresh ideas and be renewed in your passion and purpose as a creative woman. What is the most fulfilling thing that happened to you as a mentor or mentee? Please share your thoughts with us…