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

Be Selective
What if you’re working with a mentor who got lucky or one who doesn’t know
what they are doing? What if their teachings are stale and out of date? What if
your values clash with theirs?
Before  you  select  your  creative  mentor,  research  your  needs  and  their
qualities thoroughly.
To find out if a creative mentor is suitable, write a list of your weaknesses,
needs and areas where you need improvement.
Perhaps  you  need  help  playing  musical  scales,  adding  texture  to  your
paintings  or  weaving  stories  into  your  works.  Or  maybe  you’re  struggling  to
learn  from  each  of  your  practise  sessions.  Or  perhaps  you  need  help  with  the
tactics of your craft. And so on.
Find a mentor who is farther along the path you’re walking or turn towards a
mentor who has mastered one of your obvious deficiencies. They must be able to
help you address the areas where you need help.
Read everything about your potential mentor and find critics of their work so
you  can  assess  whether  the  relationship  will  work.  It’s  best  to  discover  the
potential  flaws  of  your  would-be  mentor  before  you’ve  invested  a  significant
amount of time, money and creative resources following their path.
Once  you  spend  money  or  time  on  a  mentor,  this  sunken  cost  complicates
turning away from their teachings, even if it’s foolish to throw good money after
bad.
When you are selecting a mentor, consider your psychology.
Ask honest questions about your tolerance for risk and failure.

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Many  creative  masters  take  bold  and  dramatic  risks  on  the  path  towards
success and fail hard before they achieve their goals.
Stephen King’s novel Carrie was rejected 30 times before his wife fished it
out  of  the  bin.  Walt  Disney  was  a  creative  visionary,  but  he  spent  much  of  his
career  teetering  on  the  brink  of  bankruptcy  and  even  voiced  contempt  for  the
financial backers who helped him out.
J.K.  Rowling  wrote  the  first  Harry  Potter  book  while  jobless,  divorced  and
raising a child alone.
Do you have the stomach for these kinds of risks and failures?
A great mentor doesn’t have to become your friend, but you must be able to
listen  to  them  without  feeling  irritated  or  despondent.  Consider  how  you  will
react  to  their  beliefs,  leadership  style,  way  of  thinking,  systems,  mannerisms,
speech and ideals.
Remember,  a  great  mentor  will  help  you  connect  ideas  in  exciting  ways,
think on a higher level and achieve your creative goals faster. Choose well!