I have always been more of a shy student in school. I was always interested in art growing up, but because of my shyness, I often found myself not wanting to share it with others because I didn’t know whether or not I was any good. When I was accepted to Savannah College of Art and Design, my fears and anxiety about my abilities and talents grew. I was so nervous, I didn’t think I belonged and I definitely felt that I was not prepared to be immersed in art training.
Once I started school, I ended up meeting my best friend on the bus heading to our first class. We ended up being in the same class and since then, we have been each other’s ear and support throughout the years. She was always honest and open about my ideas and work and I was with her as well. It was a great experience to have, however, I still had a lot of self-doubt about my artistic abilities and whether or not SCAD was the right choice of school for me. It was not until I had my first class with my professor, Pam, that I started to listen to my voice and view my work differently. She was able to touch so many students, but for me, she was the first person to really make an impact on what I perceived my value to be.
Dr. Matt Starcevich discussed what it is that a mentor can do for an individual, noting that “mentors are facilitators and teachers allowing the partners to discover their own direction”, and that is exactly what my professor did for me. (Starcevich, 2009) In our class discussions this week, we discussed the differences between a coach and mentor. At first, I was unsure what really signified a difference between the two, but after our readings and reflecting upon my own experiences, I realize that my professor at that time was a mentor for me. A lot of what made my professor more of a mentor than a coach was discussed in our class discussion. Some of the notable differences where that she never told me what to do or how to do something differently, instead, when I was stuck, she posed a question that got me to think about an alternative for myself. I always found this incredibly helpful for me, as it is a habit that I still try to work in today. Whenever I am stuck, instead of looking for an easy answer or easy way out, I pose a question for myself to try and get my to think differently. Viewing things from a new perspective can be very useful, especially when brainstorming or coming up with new ideas. As a mentor, she was able to "foster insight, indentify areas of required knowledge, and expand areas of growth." ( Ilesanmi, 2011) Overall, our class discussions this week also pointed out that mentors foster individual learning, as well as creates an environment for learning.
My experience with my professor started when I enrolled in her first class that she offered, which was the Art Quilt course. I consider myself to be very passionate about textiles, but it was in this class where I discovered why I was so passionate about textiles. I recently read an article titled "7 Strange Questions That Help You Find Your Life Purpose" by writer and entrepreneur Mark Manson. In this article he discusses several interesting questions that help you rethink the way you think about life and your interests. There was one question in particular that stuck out to me because it reminded me a lot of what I learned from my professor. He posed the question "gun to your head, if you had to leave the house all day everyday, where would you go and what would you do?" As I was reading his expansion on the question, he pointed out an interesting concept. He said "what most people don't understand is that passion is the result of action, not the cause of it." (Manson, 2014) After reading that, and now reflecting on my time spent at SCAD and my professor who I considered to be one of my mentors, I realize that she, as a mentor, did not help me find my passion, but instead helped me stop being complacent and take action without fear of being judged or making a mistake. She had this unbelievable ability to inspire you to become more than you are currently and that is what sparked curiosity to learn and grow.
Following the Art Quilt class, I had several more classes with her throughout my time at SCAD and each class she began with a slideshow of inspirational messages and images. They were simple images and the messages that she spoke about with each image resonated with me because they felt so real. She had this ability to make you excited about your work instead of anxious about whether or not you would be good enough to do it. In all of her classes, she made a point to make sure it wasn’t about whether or not you were any good, but if you were growing and learning from yourself. Because of her lessons that she shared, I was able to gain a lot more confidence in my abilities and grow as a student and individual. She helped me come out of my shell, which allowed me to become a better communicator. Because of her energy that she was able to share with her students, I felt confidence to do many things I normally would have just thought about instead of acted upon. I took up many leadership roles during my time at SCAD, serving as a VP for a Fibers program through my department, heading up a charity auction for department quit that I helped organize, and really find my voice that I felt I could share with others about my journey. While these are small achievements, they were significant barriers that I was able to overcome.
This has helped my professional journey significantly. I was able to land a job in my field, the recognize that it wasn’t for me, question what I really want from life, and then make a decision to seek that out without any fear. I realize now that worrying about the “what if’s” is only going to hold you back from achieving what you want to. My professor was a true mentor for me during my time at SCAD and helped me grow intellectually and emotionally as a better individual. While I still struggle with finding my direction and feeling confident in my abilities, I feel I have grown significantly because of my professor’s source of influence.
Ilesanmi, O. (2011). Workplace mentoring: Learning and developmental approaches. Mentoring: A Key Issue in Human Resource Management, 1, 169-179.
Manson, M. (n.d.). 7 Strange Questions That Help You Find Your Life Purpose. Mark Manson. Retrieved September 27, 2014, from http://markmanson.net/life-purpose/
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