That's right! You read that correctly, folks. I am the proud new owner of a shiny new mentor in the exact shape and form of one Larry MacDougall. I can't tell you how silly excited I am about this. Well... I can tell you, actually, and at length...
So for a couple of months now, I've been putting some serious consideration into seeking out a mentor to help guide me through these complex artistic times I'm currently living in.
The main reason why I think I require the aid of a mentor is mostly to do with how I think I am failing as a productive artist. I think this year of 2014 has shown me many things, including the fact that I appear to be unable to walk the walk, whilst being splendid at talking the talk. In other words, I'm full of hot air and very little substance. With this hot air inside me, I often find myself bouncing around from one thing to the other, without really completing anything or delving deep into a particular subject.
So I need somebody to ground me; to sit me down and tell me to stop floating about and just get some serious, consistent work done on a single subject.
About a month ago, I put some feelers out there.
I had a very short list of artists who could be potential mentors. Larry MacDougall was at the top of my list, but it appeared that he was very, very busy at the time, so I didn't even dare ask him. I asked another artist who I thought might be a good fit, but he, too, was very, very busy and couldn't do it. He did say that I was well on my way though, which was rather nice to hear. Thanks Mr. Ejsing!
And that is where I left it. I'd put an open call out to any artists (I have a lot of artist 'friends' on Facebook) interested in mentoring me, and it wasn't very long at all before Patricia MacDougall (Larry's wife and incredible artist herself) put their names forward.
So back in about the middle of August, I contacted Larry and briefly outlined what I had in mind. He replied that we could discuss matters further at a later point (he was, it turns, very busy after all).
Cut to a week or so ago, when I dropped Larry another line and we organised a Skype chat for the 26th, the Friday just gone. Let me tell you, reader, that one hour Skype chat we had really cemented my belief that I was right in seeking out a mentor. Larry managed, in a proportionately tiny amount of time, to speak to the heart of what I knew deep down was wrong and he did it in a way that makes me feel empowered and optimistic about what lies ahead. But Larry didn't sugar coat anything. But he wasn't harsh either. And therein lies the reason why I think Larry is of a champion breed and that we are going to be firm friends- it's because we seem to think alike in many respects. There were several points in the conversation, to my mind at least, where we seemed to be in sync with our beliefs and views.
So, yeah, I'm pretty chuffed with how things have worked out.
I'm going to lay out some plans I have made in a future post here. But for now, all that remains is for me to thank Larry, my mentor, for setting me on the right path again.
Here's to the future!
So for a couple of months now, I've been putting some serious consideration into seeking out a mentor to help guide me through these complex artistic times I'm currently living in.
The main reason why I think I require the aid of a mentor is mostly to do with how I think I am failing as a productive artist. I think this year of 2014 has shown me many things, including the fact that I appear to be unable to walk the walk, whilst being splendid at talking the talk. In other words, I'm full of hot air and very little substance. With this hot air inside me, I often find myself bouncing around from one thing to the other, without really completing anything or delving deep into a particular subject.
So I need somebody to ground me; to sit me down and tell me to stop floating about and just get some serious, consistent work done on a single subject.
About a month ago, I put some feelers out there.
I had a very short list of artists who could be potential mentors. Larry MacDougall was at the top of my list, but it appeared that he was very, very busy at the time, so I didn't even dare ask him. I asked another artist who I thought might be a good fit, but he, too, was very, very busy and couldn't do it. He did say that I was well on my way though, which was rather nice to hear. Thanks Mr. Ejsing!
And that is where I left it. I'd put an open call out to any artists (I have a lot of artist 'friends' on Facebook) interested in mentoring me, and it wasn't very long at all before Patricia MacDougall (Larry's wife and incredible artist herself) put their names forward.
So back in about the middle of August, I contacted Larry and briefly outlined what I had in mind. He replied that we could discuss matters further at a later point (he was, it turns, very busy after all).
Cut to a week or so ago, when I dropped Larry another line and we organised a Skype chat for the 26th, the Friday just gone. Let me tell you, reader, that one hour Skype chat we had really cemented my belief that I was right in seeking out a mentor. Larry managed, in a proportionately tiny amount of time, to speak to the heart of what I knew deep down was wrong and he did it in a way that makes me feel empowered and optimistic about what lies ahead. But Larry didn't sugar coat anything. But he wasn't harsh either. And therein lies the reason why I think Larry is of a champion breed and that we are going to be firm friends- it's because we seem to think alike in many respects. There were several points in the conversation, to my mind at least, where we seemed to be in sync with our beliefs and views.
So, yeah, I'm pretty chuffed with how things have worked out.
I'm going to lay out some plans I have made in a future post here. But for now, all that remains is for me to thank Larry, my mentor, for setting me on the right path again.
Here's to the future!