Navigating The Creative Journey: The Power Of Artist Mentoring

Having been in the industry for over 6 years now and having seen stars being born as well as stars fading away, one thing stands out – this industry will reward and punish brutally, in equal terms. With so many artists emerging and disappearing every day from the industry, one has to wonder why is there an abundance of content but at the same time not so much of abundance of content that shines out. Some may say that digital world has enabled an ecosystem that has democratised art and thereby an ocean of content to cut through to find success, but I would argue that, like most other regular jobs in other fields, mentorship is missing for artists to shine through.

Artists are creative souls, they relish in the environment of tangential thinking and thoughtful explorations. This artistic vision also enables them to think what might not be conceivable by many in other work fields. However, one thing which I have personally seen lacking is the mentoring part in their evolution. The rightly mentored artists, at various stages of their career, have seen relative unmatchable success and fame. Of course, they had exceptional talent, but what they also knew is that they need to have people around them who can critically evaluate, guide and help them progress.

Over a period of time, it is evidently clear that indie artists struggle to meet their ends meet while they juggle between a day job and their artistic endeavours. Music is an expensive passion and artists realise this only after beginning their journey. From production to mix-mastering, video, everything has a cost to it. One has to pay these bills and also sustain his or her life on a daily basis. It can become quite a struggle in the early days, before success comes to you. For some, it may take years and years of sustenance before clinching the glory. Hence, it is even more important to seek mentors.

Off late, I have met artists who want to be successful, of course, have the talent, want to work, but aren’t clear of who they themselves are. It is very vital to know who you are, what you represent, where you want to be and then chase your dreams. A seasoned mentor may not be the one who will guarantee you success, but he or she will be the one who can put a method to madness. It is easy for us to believe that we are right, our work is the best and that, if only others can understand our talent & potential. What is important is know what’s required to be worked on, objectively, what can be the small steps towards one goal at a time and what could be your success measurement criteria. Yes, creative industry doesn’t have any set rules for what a hit could be, but there can definitely be a plan around what you want to do and how would you want to progress. This is where mentoring might be the one most vital aspect that indie artists should seek out. And to be fair, it is not just limited to indie artists. The biggest of the biggest artists would need and most of them have, mentors. They are the anchors that give the freedom to float to artists at all stages of their careers.

For all the artists, upcoming and the ones who are working hard to make their names shine out, mentoring may be of help.