The Power of Creativity \(Book 1\): Learning How to Build Lasting Habits, Face Your Fears and Change Your Life pdfdrive com

Seek Help from Past Masters
The mentor/student relationship is an age-old one.

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By the thirteenth century, a young person in Western Europe who aspired to
become a blacksmith, carpenter or even an artist served an apprenticeship. He or
she worked for a master craftsman from age 15 onwards in exchange for food,
board and instruction.
An  apprenticeship  lasted  about  seven  years  and,  once  complete,  the  young
person could work as a journeyman or day labourer for wages.
Apprentices  who  aspired  to  become  masters  had  to  create  a  great  work
approved  by  the  town  guild  and  pay  the  group  a  hefty  fee.  As  a  master,  they
could take on apprentices and teach their skills.
Apprenticeships  were  expensive  and  sought  after,  and  many  of  them  never
acquired a workshop of their own or became masters.
Today,  having  a  mentor  offers  opportunities  to  learn  a  creative  skill  faster
and  gain  access  to  the  creative  insight  and  resources  of  those  who  have  gone
before you.
Many modern-day creative masters sought the help of mentors to guide their
careers.
For example, American writer Stephen King (b. 1947) attributes the success
of his many books to his wife Tabby, who is also a writer. He shows Tabby early
drafts of his books and asks her about tone, what he should put in and take out.
King counts on her as the one person who will say that he’s working too hard
or  that  he  should  slow  down.  Tabby  who  picked  an  earlier  version  of  his  first
novel  Carrie  that  agents  rejected  out  from  the  wastepaper  basket.  She  told  a
young and disillusioned King there was something in his story. He wrote,
[Tabby] wanted me to go on with it . . . She wanted to know the rest
of the story . . . ‘You’ve got something here,’ she said. ‘I really think
you do.’”
An  ideal  creative  mentor  takes  more  than  a  passing  interest  in  your  work.
These mentors want you to grow and develop as a creative person, and they will
instruct you in their chosen art.
A  mentor  will  show  you  how  to  avoid  committing  common  mistakes  and

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help  you  learn  the  skills  of  your  creative  trade  faster.  They  will  expose  you  to
higher levels of creative thinking and provide you with critical feedback beyond
what your friends, family, readers, listeners or critics offer.
You  will  become  more  accomplished  and  creative  if  you  have  a  mentor  to
guide you, but how can you find a mentor and what should you do once you’ve
found one?